'Employees discussing this project with government representatives or elected officials without the authority of this office will have their employment immediately terminated.'

It's a message that greeted workers on the construction site of the Tantalus School in Carmacks for at least a month until NDP MLA Steve Cardiff removed it on a tour of the property on April 9.

'This notice was posted and it was visible,' Cardiff told reporters yesterday.

'What I find unbelievable is that this notice was still there. That there wasn't some action taken by the government prior to my obtaining it to have it removed. It's a clear violation to the workers' rights and it's a threat to them.'

Cardiff tabled the document in the legislature Wednesday. He questioned Community Services Minister Glenn Hart about how a threatening message could be permitted at a government-funded project.

'Obviously, I haven't been aware of this particular notice on the wall that the member opposite has tabled here in the house,' said Hart, 'nor has any other minister been involved, either okaying or justifying that notice. '

Cardiff said the posting should give rise to questions about what is occurring on the job site.

During the tour of the construction site, Cardiff said he observed individuals not wearing hard hats, smoking near tidy tanks filled with diesel fuel and heard some mumbling about individuals not being paid according to the Yukon's fair wage schedule.

'If the contractor or the government has something to hide, I don't feel this is an appropriate way to put pressure on employees not to talk,' he said.

'You cannot deny people their right to talk to other people. It's about freedom of association. It could become a human rights case at some point.'

The repeatedly delayed school project has surpassed the $11-million mark and still has yet to open its doors.

The controversy that has surrounded its construction, politically and within the community, may have played a role in the posting of the sign, but it doesn't make it right, said Cardiff.

The situation reflects the need to establish effective whistleblower legislation in the territory, he said.

The simple computer-typed poster, in dark bold lettering, was taken off a bulletin board in the main foyer of the school, said Cardiff. It was next to a work station that was holding the blueprints of the project on the day of his tour.

Hart, however, said there is absolutely no way to confirm when the sign was posted or by who.

The notice was posted without government notification, said Hart. Also, without any logo, contact information or signature on the document, there appears to be no official aspect to it at all, he said.

'It could have been posted by anyone.'

Even if that's the case, the government should have been aware of the notification and removed it, said Cardiff. The government should also have been addressing any workplace safety issues at the site.

'There are occupational health and safety inspections, there are government inspections. This is a government-run project. Property management has to have people on site inspecting the building and making sure everything is going right,' he said.

Any government representatives on site wouldn't necessarily be looking for signs, said Hart. They would be looking at safety or electrical wiring.

'We ensure that the contractor is living up to the obligations there, either through hiring locals, if that's one of their requirements, and/or meeting the occupational health and safety standards. That is something that we ensure takes place on all government projects,' he said.

The government doesn't intend to be pursuing the situation further, he added.

Dowland will also not be looking into how the poster appeared, said Patrick McGuinness, chief executive officer of the company.

McGuinness said Dowland had no knowledge of the document and suggested it may have been posted by someone locally.

'We're always surprised to see things like this, but it's not as serious as some people might think,' he said.

The school is almost complete and that is where the focus is, he added.

He further said his company maintains a strong safety program and has a good record in that regard.

If it is found any employee hasn't been paid correctly according to the fair wage schedule, he said, it would be the result of an oversight and the wage will be picked up 'totally and completely.'