Jackson Lafferty

Those red flagged projects in the past have been targeted as one of our priorities. We have those existing projects in the communities — the schools that are being built, the schools that are being renovated or worked on. Those will be the committed projects. The red flags are other projects waiting on the list. Hay River’s Diamond Jenness School has been targeted as a priority for this government to initiate work on that part of the renovation. It will be part of the discussions that we’re going to be having on capital projects here in the next few days.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize, first of all, RCMP Deputy Commissioner Rod Knecht. Also Inspector Roger Miller of Edmonton, Chief Superintendent Tom Middleton of G Division, and the deputy minister of Justice, Bronwyn Watters. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, certainly, there are issues we need to deal with in all communities. This is one of the areas I would like revisit and meet with Mr. Jacobson on and identify areas of concern and issues, whether it be the school or the community, and have more discussion at the community level, as well, when we are meeting with parents or the leadership and vice versa. I need to listen to some solutions as well, so that is why we are here: to work with the Members. I certainly will commit to working with the Members on this matter. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I will commit in this House to visit the school in the Member’s riding and other schools as well. That’s one of the commitments that I’ve made. I need to visit all schools, if it’s at all possible during the life of this Assembly, just to see for ourselves what the students and the staff and the resource people and the parents are going through. That’s the commitment I’ve made. Sometime after session we can make arrangements and a time to meet.

Mr. Speaker, that will certainly be part of the planning process. It’s not just the ECE department; it’s also Housing and Health and Social Services — the nurses. We have a variety of professionals living in the communities. We need to form a group within Beaufort-Delta and other regions, where there’ll be Chairs to meet on this particular item, because it is a serious item that we need to deal with. It is a need in the communities, and also it’s our need to have those teachers or nurses placed in the communities.

I’m also meeting with the Chairs of the regional boards in December. That is one...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, we’ve been alerted that one of the communities is having a shortage. There was notice of the closure of a building. The Member already approached me on this particular issue. I did instruct my staff to follow through on it with the local superintendent in the Beaufort-Delta. My staff is working closely with the superintendent and the local DEA to try to resolve that issue.

It is a private contractor that holds the unit, and it is due for closure next month. We’re doing what we can as a department to work with the community to find solutions. It is a development...

On the air quality tests that were initiated by PWS, the report has been done. It has been shared with the Member, I do believe. Maybe I’m mistaken on that. Certainly, those reports were taken into consideration when we were going through this process as being a priority project. I personally, as the Minister, have not seen the document itself. It’s within the Department of PWS. I need to sit down with the Minister of PWS to go through the actual results and the information.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, those are the issues that have been addressed. We did visit the community school. Thanks to MLA Groenewegen for giving us a tour, and also to the principals. That’s part of the capital projects that we will be discussing over the next few days here. There is an education plan underway as well. That is the ongoing work that is happening between our department and PWS. Those are the discussions that will be undertaken here in the House on the capital projects.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. To my left is Mike Reddy. He is a senior policy analyst with the Department of Justice. To my right is Mark Aitken, director of the legislation division. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to appear before the committee today to review Bill 13, An Act to Amend the Legal Profession Act.

I would like to start by thanking members of the Standing Committee on Social Programs for their review and comments on the bill. The Law Society of the Northwest Territories is the organization that regulates the legal profession in the Northwest Territories. Its functions include the investigation of complaints against its members and the discipline of its members.

The bill before you today was developed at the request of the Law Society to update the discipline...