Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are about capital projects in the Northwest Territories.
I believe that when we are considering the priority placed on capital projects, the highest priority is the protection of people. To that end, I have been trying to get tabled in this House, or given to me or given to the education authority in Hay River, the air quality reports that were done at Diamond Jenness after it was discovered that asbestos was in there.
I have been told that perhaps I am asking for the wrong report. Maybe it’s not air quality I should be looking for; it should be the report on the content of asbestos in the air. Now PWS got the reports back. The air was sent out; it came back with reports. Why can I not get a copy of them?
We are talking about spending some $20 million on an office building in Inuvik to consolidate government employees. I would like to know if
where they are located poses any risk to their health. In Diamond Jenness we have windows that don’t open, inadequate heat in the winter and inadequate cooling in the summer. We have an air quality issue there.
I would like to ask the Minister of Public Works and Services again: are there any reports that would indicate the presence of asbestos in the air in the high school in Hay River?