MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Early Childhood Educators, or ECEs, provide an invaluable service to the children of our Province. There is a severe shortage of Early Childhood Educators and daycare centres say it has reached a crisis level. The early learning child care supplement was set up by government to provide monetary support to Early Childhood Educators and an incentive for upgrading and retention.

I ask the minister today, Mr. Speaker: Why is government demanding that these half-dozen barriers that have been identified by daycare operators remain in place given the severe shortage of Early Childhood Educators today?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with the association that represents the owners of the various child care facilities in Newfoundland and Labrador. We certainly spoke about the initiative and the incentive that was set up by government to provide increases, I guess, to the wages, or the wage base, that are paid to people who are Early Childhood Educators in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to the wages that they earn while working at the centre, there is an incentive as well, based on whether or not they hit a certain level of certification, that we actually increase their wages by $6,000 a year.

When I met with the operators, they certainly felt that it was a move in the right direction to be able to supplement the income of the Early Childhood Educators, but they felt that the supplement should go to the child care centres as opposed to the workers and that they would then pay the workers the supplement.

We certainly took their recommendations and the issues they brought forward seriously. We are looking at the recommendations and the impacts that may have if we change the policy. It is not something we have rejected at this point.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition Leader.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Some of the daycare centre owners, because there is a shortage today of Early Childhood Educators, what they are saying is that there are barriers, at least a half a dozen different barriers that impact these Early Childhood Educators from obtaining the supplement.

I ask you minister: If you have met with them, you must know what those barriers are, and are you prepared to address them?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader and Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I was saying, yes, we have met with them. That is how we pay out the supplement. That would be the maximum, based on certain levels, and there is more to the policy than just that.

We did listen, we did take their issues seriously, we will go back and look at it and see if there is a way that we can improve the system so that there is less impact overall, but yet the workers still get the supplement that government created in order to support them. What we feel is important is that we need to support this area, which we do through this supplement, and that if there is a better way to distribute the supplement, we are certainly interested in doing that.

We have not got the full analysis done from our meeting, but we did take all the recommendations, we will look at it, and as long as we are satisfied that the supplement is being paid to the worker who deserves it, who we set it up for, that we will certainly make sure we streamline our processes so that we work co-operatively, with not just the workers, but certainly the owners as well, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Lots of detail, but the minister did not answer the question.

Again, Mr. Speaker, if she met with them, she also knows that this particular supplement is not off-setting the disincentives to attracting people to be Early Childhood Educators, to having them remain in the field, or to upgrade. In fact, Minister, they have told us that this supplement has become an established part of the income of child care staff.

So I ask the minister: Does your government have plans to enhance the supplement to help with the recruitment and the retention of a qualified workforce for our Early Childhood Education centres?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, we do provide up to $6,000, which whether they see it as a supplement, or I do not how else you would see it, but it is certainly more money to their income, based on the wages that are paid, in order to help retain people in that system. So that we certainly support the workers and provide a supplement in addition to their wages. So that is an incentive, there is no doubt about it.

The operators would like to see it dispersed in a different manner, and we will look at that, and we may actually do that once we get our analysis done. Bottom line is, we certainly have contributed to the wages of the Early Childhood Educators in the Province, and we will continue to do so.

The other thing that we have also done to help people move into this field of work, and certainly we did this in conjunction with the Department of Education through the College of the North Atlantic, is that we have offered the Early Childhood Education program online so people who are in the field are able to upgrade their level of certification. As they do that, certainly they get more of the supplement that we pay to them. It also allows people who are not living in the major centres to be able to go in and do courses in this area as well. So that has certainly been able to help (inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again, it comes back to the issue that many of these cannot access the supplement because of the barriers that are there. We know today, Mr. Speaker, from the June 2009 report, that over 50 per cent of the daycare centres said they had difficulty recruiting staff and what was more alarming is that 80 per cent said they had difficulty in recruiting qualified staff. Mr. Speaker, daycare centres today are closing spaces within their licensed centres because they do not have enough qualified staff. Meanwhile, there are wait-lists everywhere for child care services.

I ask the minister: What is government doing to address that growing problem, because surely she is aware of it?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader and Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: As I have said, Mr. Speaker, we have expanded the opportunities for people to upgrade their skills so that they are able to avail of the supplement. The supplement is based on their skill level, with the highest being the $6,000. We have certainly made that more accessible to the people who work in the field.

Mr. Speaker, we also have initiated a capacity initiative within the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, which started under Health and Community Services, where we work in areas where there will not be a child care centre operating for profit based on the numbers or based on the dynamics of the community. Therefore, under this initiative we have been successful in being able to establish hundreds of new spaces for children in communities where otherwise there would be no child care centre. That initiative is continuing, Mr. Speaker, and we anticipate, as it rolls out, there should also be probably hundreds of more spaces in communities that otherwise would not have child care centres.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am glad the minister brought up the training programs for early childhood educators because we know that these programs are offered at the College of the North Atlantic as well as at private institutions. However, Mr. Speaker, students who have tried to transfer credits from private institutions to the College of the North Atlantic were not allowed to under the policy. Yet, the Department of Education accredits the programs in both private colleges as well as the College of the North Atlantic.

I ask the minister today, once the Department of Education accredits all of these Early Childhood Education courses for colleges in the Province: Why is it that the public college is denying the transfer of credits from private colleges?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, that is a very good question, and I say to the member opposite, I will endeavour to get the information. I am not aware that that indeed has happened. We accredit programs and we try and facilitate the cross transfer of credits. We use prior learning assessment in the department to give credit for prior activities that were not formally completed in a post-secondary institution to ensure that we recognize the experiences and the credit that individuals have attained, not only in early childhood but in all occupations and all skilled areas, Mr. Speaker. So I am certainly not aware that that exists but I will certainly endeavour to get the information for the member opposite.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for agreeing to do that.

Mr. Speaker, on June 14 representatives from the Geophysical Services Incorporated announced that they are cancelling their 2D Seismic Project off the Coast of Labrador. This project was to map 10,000 kilometres at a cost of $10 million. They had previously employed thirty-five people in the Province prior to cancelling the program. This action was taken in protest to the minister’s announcement that government would be releasing free-of-charge proprietary data previously collected by this company.

I ask the minister, if she can explain to me the reason for this decision and if this is standard procedure in other oil exploration jurisdictions?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources and Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we have legislation in this Province governing the release of seismic information. Mr. Speaker, seismic information that is gathered exclusively by companies can be held by those companies for five years. Speculative seismic, Mr Speaker, that is done in the offshore can be held by the person or the company that does that work for ten years. Then both of those bodies, Mr. Speaker, have to make that information available to the public. Mr. Speaker, but now they are only required to do it in paper format. Mr. Speaker, this regulation was put in place a long time ago. We have all evolved technologically, greatly since then, and that has rendered a paper format almost useless. We are proposing a change from paper format to digital format, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, we all know that the oil industry is a sector where information is critical to the success, knowing exactly where to drill and how deep means the difference sometimes between millions spent on a dry hole I guess, and billions in profits and royalties.

Mr. Speaker, I guess my question to the minister would be: Are there any legal consequences of the decision, and does our legislation currently permit government to distribute this in a digital form or are there legislative changes required?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources and Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: As I said, Mr. Speaker, in my former answer, companies are required to release this data, either after five years or ten years. The requirement now is, Mr. Speaker, that they release it in paper format. That does not work any more, Mr. Speaker, in this technological world. So what we have proposed to our co-regulator in the federal government and to the C-NLOPB is that we have a policy change that will now require the data to be released in digital format, Mr. Speaker. This is in keeping with jurisdictions such as Nova Scotia, for example, Mr. Speaker, and places like Norway.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is hard to overstate the value of seismic work to the local oil industry. The change to a productive project is very well established and seismic leads to exploration, which leads to oil and gas discovery, and as I said, leads to profitable projects. We know that oil companies, as well as other companies do perform their own seismic and that without this particular work to point out potentially new wells, exploration work could slow down.

I ask the minister: What would be the effect of this decision on the sales of land parcels for exploration off the Coast of Labrador?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we understand fully the importance of seismic work to the development of our offshore. That is why this policy change is being recommended and advanced by this government. Mr. Speaker, what this does is encourage exploration by making important information available after a reasonable length of time to others who might be considering activity in our offshore. It is designed to enhance exploration and development in our offshore, Mr. Speaker, not to delay it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the staff of the air ambulance program were advised a short time ago that they must move to Happy Valley-Goose Bay if they want to keep their jobs, and they have been provided with temporary housing assistance in Goose Bay for three months. This is hardly a sufficient time frame to undergo a major relocation such as they are involved in.

I ask the minister today: Have you taken into consideration the personal stress of this move that it is having on the employees, and are you willing to provide any additional assistance to help them with their move?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What we have done in relation to this move, as outlined by the member opposite, there has been a three-month period where there have been the following arrangements. Rent free accommodations during their scheduled shifts, and accommodations have been arranged through Labrador-Grenfell Health. There has been, Mr. Speaker, or there will be provided airfare to and from St. Anthony to Happy Valley-Goose Bay once their schedule rotations are complete. They will be given per diem allowances during scheduled rotations. The moving allowance, Mr. Speaker, will be in accordance with Treasury Board policy and all the staff, I understand, have been provided with a copy of this policy.

So what we have done here, Mr. Speaker, is consistent with what is done in other moves. They have been provided and they were told, I think, on the day that the move was – finally, the plane was actually being moved, what they would get, and that has been in their possession, I think, for at least a number of weeks now, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this is more than a move; it is a relocation of a complete service. So it is not like an employee applying for a position within government at another location. Giving the employees and their families a couple months to sell their houses and uproot their families and move their belongings to another region of the Province is somewhat unreasonable when it is kind of just given in a days notice so to speak. Spouses are being forced to resign from their jobs, look for new employment in Goose Bay, and the logistics of such a major move is far more difficult than the short period of time that has been allowed.

I ask the minister: Will you provide temporary transitional funding to these employees for up to a year to allow them to organize their affairs in a more compassionate manner?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, the Treasury Board policy is clear in relation to the relocation of people who relocate for jobs, whether it be from out-of-province or within the Province. I do not have a copy of the policy here with me, but I do know that these individuals have all been provided with a copy of the same. They will be entitled to the same benefits that other individuals who are subject to move will make, Mr. Speaker.

I will note that there was never any discussion with me. There was no one ever approached me in terms of prior to this move. The air ambulance employees associated themselves quite, it appears, intentionally with the Mayor of St. Anthony. They lodged their protest.

I would suggest to the member opposite that the time to have come and discuss this with me was prior to the move having been made, and they did not do so. There were no attempts made, Mr. Speaker. Everyone continued to protest. Unfortunately, the Mayor of St. Anthony and the member opposite, none of them came to me and said: Is there anything else we can do?

So the Treasury Board policy applies, Mr. Speaker, and they are entitled to what other employees are entitled to.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Mr. Speaker, I continue to get the same sympathetic ear and the same spin continues to happen on this whole issue.

I would suggest that normally they would have someone at their administrative level, or at least at their board level to intervene for them. I am not sure if that has happened or not, but these people are being forced to move. It is a forced move. It is not one that they want to do. It is not that they have applied to do. They are being forced to move and sell their homes while market conditions have weakened in St. Anthony just simply because of this move. The employees fear that they will have trouble selling their houses for be forced to take significant losses in their life investment. In addition, housing in Goose Bay is currently at a premium and the same house in that region will cost significantly more.

Mr. Speaker, government has purchased houses in the past for health care professionals in various regions of the Province, and I ask the minister: Would government be willing to purchase the employees houses in St. Anthony at appraisal value so the air ambulance staff are not impacted financially by the government’s decision?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker, as I indicated the Treasury Board policy outlines what we will and will not do in these circumstances. It is important that these matters apply to individuals throughout government. They have been provided with a copy of the policy.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I reiterate, as opposed to the protesting and everything else that was done, if the member opposite or the Mayor of St. Anthony or someone else had come, sat down and had a sensible conversation with us and tried to reason their way through this, we would have certainly been in an opportunity to have discussions with them and to listen to them. All we got, Mr. Speaker, from them was the protesting of the air ambulance. They did not attempt to work with us and now that the move is made they coming saying: Now, will you help us out?

Mr. Speaker, the message to the Mayor of St. Anthony, the message to the member opposite is perhaps they should have thought about these employees when all of this was going on and not coming now after it is all over, when the Treasury Board policy is there, it does apply, that is what they are entitled to.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the minister that I did think about the employees, as I am sure did the mayor. I would wonder how much he thought about the employees in this whole transition. Just for the record, these employees did meet with the health boards to discuss this on several occasions for sure.

Again, given the uniqueness of the move, given that it is a forced move, given that it is something that is a total relocation of a service I ask the minister again: Would this government be willing to consider greater financial support because of the difference in housing they are leaving and the housing they are going to?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker, people within government move all the time. People move from one area of the Province to another. People move back from outside of the Province into this Province. It is important that we have a consistent policy that is applied to everyone equally.

The Treasury Board policy, Mr. Speaker, is very fair and generous. We are providing rent-free accommodations during their scheduled shifts right now. We are providing airfare to and from St. Anthony. We are providing them with per diem allowances. What we are doing, Mr. Speaker, we are providing them with the benefits that other members of the public service get when they are moving from one place to another, and that is what they are entitled to, and Mr. Speaker, that is what they will get.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

MR. BUTLER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

During the Estimates Committee meetings in March 2008, one issue which came under discussion was the matter of ATVs which have a factory installed two-up seat. While the regulations prohibited two persons on an ATV, this seat is designed by the ATV manufacturers to carry a second passenger.

The minister stated that he was aware of the issue, and that after he became minister, he asked for a review of the policy around the use of ATVs and the two-up seats. I ask the minister: What is the status of that policy review?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Government Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O’BRIEN: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

I am certainly aware of the issue and concerned about the issue, but it is a challenge in regard to coming up with a solution actually to the issue. The two-up seat is actually not a passenger seat; it is actually classified by the manufacturer as comfort seat. In regard to the comfort seat, then in there lies liabilities in regard to the classification of the seat itself. It is actually meant as a comfort seat to the driver.

In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, I am quite aware of the actual issue. We are working with the industry, we are working with the manufacturers, we are working with our officials, and hopefully we will come up with a solution that is best for all and does not entail any liabilities to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, nor to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

MR. BUTLER: Mr. Speaker, I was hoping the comfort seat was so that I could take someone with me.

Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time that this matter has been brought to the attention of the minister. During Estimates Committee meetings in May of 2009, the minister was asked about the status of this policy review, and he stated then that he was exploring the issues with the Department of Justice.

I ask the minister: Has the Department of Justice dealt with the issue of liability to his satisfaction, and will dirt bikes come in under the same review process?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Government Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O’BRIEN: Yes, Mr. Speaker, the one thing I can say to the hon. member, I will not be getting on an ATV to give him any comfort. I will not be taking any rides tomorrow.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. O’BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, yes we did consult with Justice, and there is a challenge in regard to the classification of the seat. If we classify it and allow, under legislation, people to ride on that seat, legally-wise, we entail liabilities concerning that particular seat.

We have been working with the manufacturers in regard to that seat to see if we can get it reclassified, and the specifications to that seat would be classified in that it can carry a passenger. We are working through it. It is taking a long time. It is a process, and I know it was back in 2009 when the hon. member asked me the questions in Estimates, but sometimes the solution takes a long time. I wanted to assure the hon. member that we were well aware of it, I am well aware of it as a minister. I have an ATV myself and certainly I would like to find a solution (inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

MR. BUTLER: Mr. Speaker, in the same Estimates Committee meetings in May 2009, the minister stated that he expected the public consultations were to commence shortly.

I ask the minister: What is the status of those public consultations and when can the public expect to have their say?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Government Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O’BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, I still intend to have the consultation process when the time is right to have the consultation process commence, but until I can get the issue resolved in regard to the manufacturer, I do not see any reason to have a consultation process to the public when I cannot come with a solution to – legally, a solution to the problem. So until I work out that solution or get some resolution to the solution in regard to the manufacturer, then I will consider doing the consultation process.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the residents of Virginia Park, which is in my district, were very upset yesterday when they learned, after years of waiting for a replacement for their building, that the Eastern School Board may be making a decision tonight to move the school totally outside their community.

Mr. Speaker, in this year’s Budget government promised funding to support their commitment to build a new school to replace Virginia Park Elementary, supposedly to replace the school at its current location. Mr. Speaker, the Eastern School Board is entertaining an option for the new school that is not the choice of the parents. They have evidently refused to listen to them.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Education: Was he aware of this about-face by the Eastern School Board District?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of an about-face by the Eastern School District. As a matter of fact, I am not even aware that a decision was made to submit a location for the new school to government. What I am aware of is that there is a proposed or planned board meeting occurring tonight.

I will say to the member opposite, that what this government did commit to was a new school. What we did not commit to was the location of the school. The member opposite would know, because I have talked to her about this, that there is a process in place for determining a site for a new school. The school board has followed that process. They have sought available properties in the area, in the neighbourhood, in the zone of the school. They have consulted with the parents and the school council. The normal process is that the board will then submit a list of recommended sites with a preferred site to government and at that time we will take that under consideration and make a decision and the process will move forward.

Mr. Speaker, there has been no decision made that I am aware of, unless it was made before the meeting that is scheduled for tonight, Wednesday night.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the minister must be aware, and if he is not I am telling him now, that yes, the school board did come up with four sites, which was a surprise to the council when they got it because they thought the sites they were looking at were sites that were in a report that came prior to this being presented to them. They went through a process, they made their choices and the choice that they made was to ask the school board to have the school maintained somewhere in the original site of the current school. They were told yesterday by a member of the school board that - and I do not know if it was dropped accidentally or what - the choice that is coming to the board tonight is the one thing that was rejected by the school council.

I would like to know what the minister has to say to that?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, I actually have quite a lot to say about that. The first thing I have to say about that is, it is why we have school boards in this Province. There is a trustee represented, elected to represent the zone in question that the member is talking about, and the people of Virginia Park and area elected that person to represent them and their views at the board table. That is democracy, Mr. Speaker. That is how it operates.

I will also say to the member that I find it extremely disappointing today that the member opposite, after weeks upon end coming at this side of the House and the Minister of Environment and the Minister of Natural Resources about environmental issues, today, would be arguing that government build a new school on a site that has identified contaminants and environmental risk associated with it. Because, to use the member’s own language, Mr. Speaker, she ought to be aware if she is advocating for that area - she ought to be aware that a study has been done that indicates to us that there are environmental issues associated with that site. Now I am not aware of what the recommendation is going to be from the school board but I can tell you, it will be a long time before I bring a recommendation forward with my support that says we will build a new school for children…

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I am well aware. I have worked closely with the school council. I am totally aware of the issues. I am also aware of the fact, Mr. Speaker, that the contamination is not something that cannot be remediated, it can be. So instead, what this school board is considering is a school in a district - or far away from where they are, where there are no sidewalks on the road, where children - 95 per cent of the children in Virginia Park School currently can walk to school. It is a community school.

What is this minister going to do in making his voice heard about maintaining a school as a community school, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Let me ask the member opposite to clarify a couple of points for me in my response, Mr. Speaker, if I may.

First of all, I would like to have clarification whether or not she is advocating that this government spend $8 million, $10 million, $12 million, $14 million to build a new school for children of her district on a contaminated site? That is the first thing I would like to know.

The second thing I would like to know, Mr. Speaker, if she cares to listen to me, is whether she condones this stereotypical language used by the chair of the school council who makes very, very strong assertions against what they term as the rich people, the rich people of that area, and whether she agrees that we should be discriminating based upon rich and poor? Because that is not what I hear in this House on a daily basis when that member opposite stands over there.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The time allotted for questions and answers has expired.