Mr. Rogers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The town of Beaumont is recognized as one of the 20 fastest growing communities in Canada. With a population of approximately 12,000 people, 25 per cent are under the age of 14. [interjections]

The Speaker: Leduc-Beaumont-Devon has the floor.

Mr. Rogers: Mr. Speaker, the school-age population is exploding so much that one elementary school has a classroom across the road in the community hall. The separate and public boards have agreed to a joint K to 9 facility, but there is no school in the current three-year program. To the Minister of Education: how soon can my constituents see a school in Beaumont?

Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have a major building program going on in this province with about $7 billion this year to capital, and that's very aggressive. There'll be 42 new schools being built. There are over 101 major projects going on. But I have to say that we still do not, within all of that, have enough to do all the projects that are needed. There is very definitely a need in Beaumont. We're working very hard. I've asked the school boards to work with me to come up with innovative ways to do it, and I'm prepared to take those innovative ways to Treasury Board and to cabinet to find new ways to get those schools built that we need to build. But I'd have to say that I cannot give the hon. member an assurance today as to a time frame.

Mr. Rogers: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister. He mentions innovative ideas. The separate board has recently proposed a temporary lease space option. My question to the minister: is this a viable solution that you're willing to support?

Mr. Hancock: Mr. Speaker, if I may say, we had an interchange with the Member for Airdrie-Chestermere in the prior question, and I just can't resist the opportunity to point out that in his comments answering the budget, he suggested we stretch out our building program even further. Under his program with his wild and rosy colleagues they would have us even wait longer for a school in Beaumont. But in answer to the question, the proposal made by the school board is exactly what I've been asking for. Now, unfortunately, I don't have the money to finance it, so I have to find a way to do that.

Mr. Rogers: Well, Mr. Speaker, at least I'm pleased to hear that the minister is willing to look at the proposal. In light of that, then, Mr. Minister, I'm just wondering what the possibility is of a P3 solution. What signs of hope can we pass on to the students of Beaumont today?

Mr. Hancock: Mr. Speaker, one of the things that I have to find and take forward is a way – and we're building a capital plan to do that – to take these priority projects forward within the context of a three-year capital plan that's already committed but where we're finding savings, as we've mentioned earlier in this House, because projects are coming in under budget, so we'll be able to profile those to take advantage of those savings. We may be able to cast it as a P3 project. We may be able to cast it in the innovative way in which the board has with respect to interim lease processes. But in order to give any assurances as to timing, I have to have the money, and right now I don't have the money.