Frieda Martselos

During your recent discussion about the information visitor information centre, so Fort Smith doesn't get funded for a visitor information centre? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Speaker, of the 49 schools across the NWT, there have been several new school replacements built in multiple communities where their schools are actually younger in age than JBT in Fort Smith. For example, in Yellowknife, the former JH Sissons School was only 45 years old when it was demolished and replaced with a brand new school just a couple years ago. And I'm happy for them. And that school was 20 years younger than JBT.

Can the Minister explain what is the necessary criteria to replace a school when the community wants one as soon as possible? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in June 2021, the Minister said that the Department of Infrastructure has a database that produces a rating for schools, and JBT was rated 0.52. The Minister said that that was an "okay" rating.

Can the Minister tell us if JBT's rating has changed since then and to please explain the process for how ratings for schools are actually produced? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Fort Smith is home to some of the oldest school infrastructure in all of the NWT. Not only that, but Fort Smith is also home to three buildings with a residential school legacy and all of them are still active in use today. The three buildings I am referring to are PWK High School, JBT Elementary School, and Breynat Hall at Aurora College. To be perfectly clear, all of these structures are either former residential schools or former federal Indian day schools, and they're the only remaining of such structures left standing in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, JBT was...

The last question I have is the utilization of the new conference centre in Fort Smith. Both the new Salt River First Nation conference centre and the Fort Smith Metis Nation building conference centre; one is a bit older, one is a newer one, but I'd like to ensure that the department starts having some conferences, the smaller conferences, held in some of these buildings that are owned by Indigenous people, groups in Fort Smith. We're always saying that we're going to encourage Indigenous involvement in conferences and ownership, and I don't see very many conferences being held there that are...

So Fort Smith doesn't get funding for a visitor information centre? It's probably the warmest community and the garden capital of the Northwest Territories and has all these different events and a lot of tourists that go there, and we don't fund a visitor information centre for Fort Smith? I mean, going under the auspices of Parks Canada is not sufficient. I'd like to know what the criteria would be for Fort Smith to get some funding for a visitor information centre, whether it be run by either, one, the Salt River First Nation or the Fort Smith Metis Nation. So we have an Indigenous content...

Thank you, Madam Chair. My first question is the extension of hours within the parks. At Queen Elizabeth Park, they close on September 1st, and not this past year but the year before we didn't have snow until November 3rd and we had warm weather until almost the end of October. So I'm not asking that it open until the end of October but at least until the end of September. It's really important that we encourage more tourism; we encourage people to use our parks as much as possible. And I'm just wondering how the Minister feels on this. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us, based on current capital needs assessment figures, when does ECE anticipate that JBT School is expected to be replaced? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in June 2021, I questioned the Minister of ECE about the state of JBT School in Fort Smith. Today I am going to carry on with that questioning. At the time, the Minister stated that the last time a technical assessment was done to JBT was in 2005, almost 20 years ago.

Can the Minister tell us if a technical assessment of JBT was done in the last two years or if one is planned to be done soon? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, earlier today, the Government of the Northwest Territories announced the recipients of the Order of the NWT for 2022, and among the names listed includes a very special Fort Smith constituent. And that person is Paul Kaeser Sr. II.

For those who don't know, the Order of the NWT recognizes people who have served with the greatest distinction and excelled in any endeavour benefitting the people of the NWT or elsewhere. This is the highest honour awarded to NWT residents.

Madam Speaker, Paul Kaeser and the entire Kaeser family have lived in Fort Smith for...