BILL NO. 57

(as introduced)

1st Session, 63rd General Assembly
Nova Scotia
66 Elizabeth II, 2017

Private Member's Bill

Education Act
(amended)

Susan Leblanc
Dartmouth North

First Reading: October 19, 2017

(Explanatory Note)

Second Reading:

Third Reading:

This Bill requires the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development to establish a school capital construction committee and provides for the mandate of the committee. Recommendations of the committee are to be made public and reasons must be provided where decisions different than those recommended by the committee are made. The Bill also creates related regulation-making powers.

Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:

1 Chapter 1 of the Acts of 1995-96, the Education Act, is amended by adding immediately after Section 88 the following Section:

88A (1) The Minister shall establish a school capital construction committee.

(2) The composition of the committee, term of appointment and remuneration of the members of the committee is as prescribed by the regulations.

(3) The mandate of the committee is to review annually and make recommendations to the Minister and the Governor in Council regarding proposals made by school boards for capital construction, to rank the proposals in order of priority and to perform such other duties as prescribed by the regulations.

(4) Within one month of the committee making recommendations to the Minister and the Governor in Council pursuant to subsection (3), the Minister shall make the recommendations public.

(5) The criteria for the evaluation for proposals is as prescribed by the regulations.

(6) Where the Minister or Governor in Council makes a decision different from that recommended by the committee pursuant to subsection (3), the Minister or the Governor in Council, as the case may be, shall, when the decision is made, state publicly the reasons for deciding differently.

(7) A decision or statement referred to in subsection (6) must be included in any related capital plan.

2 Subsection 145(1) of Chapter 1, as amended by Chapter 5 of the Acts of 2002, Chapter 15 of the Acts of 2007, Chapter 54 of the Acts of 2008, Chapter 13 of the Acts of 2010, Chapters 14 and 56 of the Acts of 2012, Chapter 13 of the Acts of 2014 and Chapter 16 of the Acts of 2015, is further amended by adding immediately after clause (d) the following clauses:

(da) respecting the composition of the school capital construction committee and the term of appointment and remuneration of the members of the school capital construction committee;

(db) respecting the mandate of the school capital construction committee;

(dc) establishing the criteria for the evaluation by the school capital construction committee of proposals for capital construction;