Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have spoken before about the difficulties families in Tsiigehtchic face in finding good homes for their children when they have to complete high school in Inuvik. The local district education authority has a potential solution for the problem. It plans to bus students in grades 10 and 12 to Fort McPherson each day. Busing would not be first on all students who cannot complete high school studies in Tsiigehtchic. It will be an option for those who find Fort McPherson a more appropriate choice. It is difficult for high school students to leave home, and busing would...

Will the Minister ensure that funding is provided to the Beaufort-Delta Education Council to pilot the busing project between Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson starting in the fall? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment for busing students to Fort McPherson. I remember when the government started extending the grade levels offered in small communities so families didn’t have to send their children away. In the Minister’s opinion, how does that work for students and families?

That leads me to my next question. When can the region expect to see a new board appointed?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are from earlier today in my Member’s statement, to the Minister of Health and Social Services. Since the Minister promised last February to appoint a health board to the Beaufort-Delta, what steps have been taken to actually reinstate the board? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member’s statement today is on the reinstatement of the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Board.

One of the main reasons for setting up regional health authorities back in the 1980s was to provide for local input and influence on the way health and social services are delivered.

In the Beaufort-Delta, people had a way to voice their concerns up until 2010. That’s when the last government dismissed the board and appointed the deputy minister of Health as the public administrator. Then, in 2011, a public administrator was appointed. That was shortly before the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister, will we see this board in place during our term here?

In speaking to some of the members that sat on the last board, I know one of the major concerns is to have financial experience at the table. With that said, I’d like to ask the Minister what issues stand in the way of getting this board reinstated and why is it taking so long. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Brittany and Lucy Kendo from Tsiigehtchic. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome everyone back to this spring session. Back home in the Mackenzie Delta right now we have a lot of people out harvesting. Over the last month people have been out trapping muskrat, beaver and also hunting geese, swans and ducks.

I wish everyone a very safe season this spring. I know we have high water in Fort McPherson right now, and the community of Aklavik is preparing for a flood this spring. With the increased amount of snow that we’ve had this winter, the community is preparing.

Also, the community of Tsiigehtchic is very concerned with the fuel...