LEGISLATURE ASSEMBLY of MANITOBA Thursday, 6 May, 1 982
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LEGISLATURE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, 6 May, 1982 Time - 2:00 p.m. We're also pleased to welcome the Conference Chairman of the Canadian Association for the Men OPENING PRAYER by Mr. Speaker. tally Retarded, Mrs. Moira Grahame, for their 29th Annual Conference which is beginning tommorow PRESENTING PETITIONS morning incidentally with a breakfast for Members of the Legislature. MR. SPEAKER, Hon. D. James Walding (St. Vital): On behalf of all of the members I welcome you here The Honourable Member for River East. today. MR. PHIL EYLER (River East): Mr. Speaker, I beg to ORAL QUESTIONS present a petition of the Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba praying for the passing of An Act to MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for amend An Act to Incorporate The Mennonite Brethren Roblin-Russell. Church of Manitoba. MR. J. WALLY McKENZIE (Roblin-Russell): Mr. MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Speaker, I have a question of the Honourable Minister Elmwood. of Health. I wonder if the Minister is prepared today to announce when it'll be safe the lntermountain School MR. RUSSELL DOERN (Elmwood): Mr. Speaker, I Division Board to open the classrooms at Grandview? beg to present the petition of Dr. David Friesen et al praying for the passage of An Act to Incorporate the MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Minister of Health. Menno Simons Collegiate. HON. LAURENT DESJARDINS (St. Boniface): I'd be MR. SPEAKER: Reading and Receiving Petitions .. pleased to answer to the great defender of our demo cratic system. I'm told that the final report should be PRESENTING REPORTS BY on my desk fairly soon. A letter is being prepared that STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES we will inform them that it is the advise of the Depart ment of Health that it is safe to reopen the school. MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Flin That should be done any day. Flon. MR. McKENZIE: Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure what MR. JERRY T. STORIE (Flin Flon): Mr. Speaker, the the Honourable Minister means when he says any Committee of Supply has adopted certain resolu day. I wonder could the Minister support the Inter tions, directs me to report the same and asks leave to mountain School Division and the staff in its decision sit again. to transfer the blackboard, the desks, the books, etc., I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for to other buildings in Grandview so that the elemen The Pas that the Report of the Committee be received. tary kids can go back to school tomorrow. MOTION presented and carried. MR. DESJARDINS: Mr. Speaker, as far as moving blackboards around, that is the decision of the School MR. SPEAKER: Ministerial Statements and Tabling Division. I think the only thing that, and that was the of Reports ...Notices of Motion ...In troduction first question in fact that was asked, would it be safe to of Bills return to reopen that school and this is what we're addressing ourself to. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS MR. McKENZIE: Mr. Speaker, then could I ask a MR. SPEAKER: Before we reach Oral Questions may question of the Honourable Minister of Education. I I direct the attention of honourable members to the wonder can the Minister of Education advise the gallery where there are 15students from the Red Lake House if the government will come to the aid of Inter High School in Ontario. These students are underthe mountain School Division with financial resources to direction of Miss Laura McCrachen. help defray the large list of incurred expenses which There are also 55 students of Grade 9 standing from have come since the environment problems were the Minnetonka School under the direction of Mr. brought to light; such as, they've had a heating expert Koskie and Mr. Balness. This school is in the consti there for two weeks, they've had an air conditioning tuency of the Honourable Member for Niakwa. expert for two weeks, they've had a mechanical engi There are 22 students of Grade 4 standing from the neer for two weeks, and there's other capital costs Carman Elementary School under the direction of that's likely to be incurred as well. Mrs. Anne Fisher. This school is in the constituency of the Honourable Member for Pembina. MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Minister of There are 30 students of Grade 12 standing of Education. the Park River High School, under the direction of Mr. Tony Alkaver. This school is located in North HON. MAUREEN HEMPHILL (Logan): Mr. Speaker, I Dakota, USA. had ind icated before that I've been in very close 2246 Thursday, 6 May, 1982 communication with the lntermountain School Divi does the Minister then support the Division in going sion Board. They've been very good about keeping ahead today and making a decision to make other me fully informed about what is going on in the school arrangements for the schooling of the students. and what decisions they have been making and why, and I fully support the position they have been taking. MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Minister of Health. I am also quite prepared to receive information from them once we have this settled and we're sure that the MR. DESJARDINS: Mr. Speaker, I can see that my school is safe and the children are safe, to communi answer wasn't understood. I stated that as far as our cate to me any particular difficulties, financial or oth officials are concerned it is safe to reopen. All the erwise, that they have had as a result of this unique reports that we have had, everything that has been and unfortunate situation. I will await a report from done, it is safe to reopen the school and I said that a the school division and receive any information they letter will be signed. They requested that from me, would like to give me. apparently. This will be signed and then they will have to make the decision. We are not ordering the school MR. McKENZIE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the open; we are just telling them that as far as we are Honourable Minister. concerned, the Department of Health is concerned, it I wonder can the Minister also assure the House is safe to reopen the school. and the lntermountain School Division that the var ious grants and grant structures that are in place will MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Leader of the not be disrupted as a result of those classrooms being Opposition. closed for this long period of time. HON. STERLING LYON (Charleswood): Mr. Speaker, MRS. HEMPHILL: Mr. Speaker, what we would want in the absence of the Minister of Finance, I would to do in a situation like this is act both as responsibly direct this question to the First Minister. Because and as sensibly as one could and to even consider for today is Thursday, May the 6th, 1982, because we a second, and I have not considered for one second have had some indication from the Minister of Finance the thought that because the school was closed that his Budget will be brought down some time because of difficult circumstances like this, that there between the 11th of May, which is next Tuesday, and would be an alteration in the money coming to them the 14th of May, could the First Minister be more based on the grant structure. It will not happen, Mr. precise today so that all of us may order our affairs for Speaker. next week in anticipation of the Budget? MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Turtle MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable First Minister. Mountain. HON. HOWARD R. PAWLEY (Selkirk): Mr. Speaker, I MR. A. BRIAN RANSOM (Turtle Mountain): Mr. have not had opportunity this morning to speak to the Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education. Minister of Finance as to the exact date. I know that It's my understanding that without a decision today, his intentions are to have the Budget ready for presen that the school can be reopened; that the School tation May 11 to May 14, with the preference being for Division Board are going to have to make a decision to as early as possible of that range of dates. proceed to make other arrangements for the educa tion of the children in that school. Would the Minister MR. LYON: Mr. Speaker, without wanting to be overly recommend at this point that the Division make that critical, may I suggest to the First Minister and ask him decision and begin to make arrangements for school in the course ofhis inquiries ofhis Minister of Finance ing elsewhere? that this is the 6th of May, Thursday, the earliest date for the bringing down of the Budget is Tuesday, the MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Minister of 11th of May of next week, never in my experience in Education. this House has the Minister ofFinance failed totell the House of the bringing down of the Budget within at MRS. HEMPHILL: I think that decision on whether or least a week or 10 days of that date. Now, surely, not to move the children out of the school is the hands things are not so disordered in the government that of the School Board, Mr. Speaker, and I will accept a they can't set a date for the Budget three or four days decision they make. I will also give whatever support from now. and help, and we have communicated this to the School Division, that my department can possibly MR. PAWLEY: Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is give, with whatever decision they make, whether it is at a funeral this afternoon and I am sure that he will relocate or whether to wait an additional few days and advise the House tomorrow morning.