Inuvik Boot Lake

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 26)

Thank you. Mr. Speaker. As Members are aware, there were public hearings here, in Yellowknife, as well as Hay River. Actually, in Hay River, it was more of one that we had meetings with the Hay River District Education Authority to get more feedback. That consultation is done. We’re just getting the information gathered together. We will be making recommendations. We will be meeting with our department staff, and we will be making a statement very soon on where that ministerial directive is going.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 26)

Yes, we’ll get our staff to work with the education authority to see how we can address the space issue down in Ndilo.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 26)

Ideally we’d like the school boards to come up with a solution to adjust the issue. Our department is working with both school boards to see how we can adjust some of the space sharing agreements. We’re looking at trying to make some decisions here. Our department is going to be working with the education authorities to see how we can adjust some of that space sharing concerns in Hay River and with the gymnasiums as well.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 26)

In the past months that I’ve been Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, we’ve been having meetings with a lot of different parties. We’re trying to build a strong relationship moving forward and letting them understand that we are moving forward on the court case issue. Spacesharing agreements, it’s a little tougher in Hay River in terms of addressing some of the issues there. Here, in Yellowknife, I believe we will have it all straightened out come fall time, and we are still having those discussions in Hay River to address their concerns. Our department is working with the education...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 26)

We should have that decision ready and the announcement made before the 201617 academic year, so before the fall. Families, community members will be ready to know the decision that’s going to be made with that ministerial directive.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 26)

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, when the school was constructed in 2009, the activity space for recreation and leisure was fit to the school code under the NWT Schools Capital Standards and Criteria policy which was in 2005 developed. We will work with the education authority and do a visit to the school to see how we can address this issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 26)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we are aware of the situation down at Ndilo with K’alemi Dene School. Just a little bit of information there: in 2009, when the school was built with our NWT Schools Capital Standards and Criteria, when a school has a targeted enrolment of anywhere from 50 to 150, 70 square metres for recreational use is met to with a design in the school. In K’alemi Dene School, there is an 85squaremetre activity room. I do understand the situation, though, in terms of utilization rates. Once a school reaches 85 per cent, then our department works with the district education...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 24)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, we held the 7th Annual Education Hall of Fame celebrating individuals for their hard work and dedication through education, across the Northwest Territories. We have a bunch of inductees here today, role models, mentors, and very respected elders. I would like to recognize our Beaufort Delta recipient from Inuvik, Ms. Sarah Jerome; our Deh Cho recipient from Fort Simpson, Valerie Gendron; our Sahtu recipient from Tulita, Vivian Pellissey; South Slave recipient from Fort Smith, Ms. Jane Dragon; our North Slave recipient from Yellowknife, Ms. Rita Mueller. And...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 24)

In the 17th Legislative Assembly there was a motion that was brought forth actually I believe in November of 2015. The department is looking at that. Most recently Nunavut did do a feasibility study of the same information that the Member's asking for. We did get a copy of that feasibility study from Nunavut. We are looking at the recommendations and the possibilities moving forward and what we as a territory are going to be doing in terms of the legislation or the granting of degrees, but we've got to take a look at that feasibility study and see whether or not it will reflect whether our...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 24)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department has been a supporter of Dechinta for the past several years in providing some funding. We're always working with them and just having ongoing discussions with the Dechinta executive. Most recently our current discussions is that we're waiting for this current budget process to finish before we start allocating funding. We continue to speak with Dechinta executive and supporters to see where we move forward next, and that will be at discussions at the next business plan cycle which will be commencing in about three months' time. I really appreciate the...