Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I totally agree with the Member about creating more opportunities and that’s our vision, that’s our goal as a department.

Again, I must commend the Beaufort-Delta. When they presented last week, it was very exciting. We were going through a process where we can capture the small communities to deliver academic programming and so forth. So we’ve committed to the Beaufort-Delta. I just signed a letter just the other day, to continue with the fund up to 2013-2014. Part of the programming is that, of course, there will be a review after. Then we’re going through educational...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. During the capital planning process we’ve identified some of the schools, whether it be minor renovations or major renovations, and I can provide that information. I don’t have it in front of me today. With respect to one of the schools that we are currently evaluating, it is J.H. Sissons School. There has been an education plan underway since last fall, providing the school district for their review as well. Those are just the processes we have to go through with each capital project that’s before us throughout the Northwest Territories.

Mahsi. There have been numerous assessments and reviews done in education plans throughout the Northwest Territories. We can provide the detailed information on which schools have been a priority for either a retrofit and which other schools can hold off for a few more years. So we can provide that detailed information.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I’m not sure we have the exact detail. It’s very detailed information that we may not have here, but we can provide that to Members. Mahsi.

Mahsi. Within our department, we’ve been working very closely with both schools, the francophone school board. We are setting up a meeting as a follow-up on the next step, and I believe that meeting is coming up very quickly during this session and we can bring Members up to speed on that after we meet with them on what we’re going to be planning as the next steps. So that’s where it’s at right now.

Again, my department has been actively involved during the discussion, since the decision came down. Mahsi.

Mr. Chair, we have a four-year agreement with them. As I stated, there is no impact. With additional storage or capacity that’s within the museum, it does benefit the North. Throughout the Northwest Territories we do collect artifacts. Whenever it comes to our shop within the museum, we store them as a priority. We’ve already told Nunavut that this will be on a short-term basis because our artifacts are increasing as well.

With the funding allocation, in a way, I guess, we’re hiring three staff that are beneficial to the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Most definitely that’s been our approach. Since we got the contractor on board he’s compiling all of the information. He has been interviewing and doing the research within the college and outside the college, former workers and so forth. We are committed to the standing committee. I believe there is a planned date for our upcoming session with the standing committee on March 11th. We are looking forward to presenting to the standing committee. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. At this point, there’s not much of an impact. With the additional funding that we’ve received, we’ve hired staff to look after the artifacts as well. At this point there hasn’t been any impact, as far as we know. Mahsi.

I have to agree with the Member that we need to prepare our people, career readiness he is referring to. There needs to be a strategy in place that he has referred to, and there is a committee that has been struck from 2009. It’s a five-year plan, a training plan for the Sahtu region. It’s called the Sahtu Region Training Partnership Committee.

The Members highlighted some of the individuals that are nearly ready to enter the workforce. With all of those, Deline and different organizations that I just referred to, they are the ones who will be providing those human resources. Our job is to...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I have to my left, Gabriela Eggenhofer. She is my deputy minister, Department of Education, Culture and Employment; Paul Devitt is director of strategic business services; and Dana Heide, associate deputy minister within Education, Culture and Employment.