Dr. Taft disagrees with Mr. Snelgrove’s statements on school board responsibility for legal and administrative costs; argues that “we are creating a liability for others that did not exist”

The following is copied from the May 26, 2009, printed transcripts of the Legislative debate and discussion:

 

Dr. Taft: Yeah.  Thanks, Mr. Chairman.  I think it is important for

us as MLAs to understand that by passing this legislation, we are

creating a liability for others that did not exist, we are creating a risk

for others that did not exist, and that we are making absolutely no

provision to counterbalance that in any financial way.

 

What’s going to happen – and I guarantee it.  I’ll take the

President of the Treasury Board out for a steak dinner sometime on

this.  I’m sure he’d be thrilled to go with me if this guarantee doesn’t

work.  I guarantee there will eventually be complaints filed under

this, and I guarantee that that will lead to costs.  All I’m trying to do

is make sure that those costs don’t come out of the budgets of the

schools or on the backs of the teachers.  The Member for Edmonton-

Centre is absolutely right.  We all sit here as MLAs covered under

the taxpayer dollar by the risk management fund, but, oh no, we

don’t want that benefit to go to anybody else.  It’s good for us, bad

for the others.  I think that’s wrong, particularly when this bill is

creating that risk in the first place.

 

I don’t know that there are any other comments on it.  Yeah, we

have one more comment, and then we can keep moving. (1321)