Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. There are purposes for having policies in place and the process itself where individual students are sponsored, up to 1,600 students. There are students out there who also qualify for southern funding, as well, in provincial jurisdictions. We have to be careful that there are no duplications. We are mindful of that and we are monitoring it as well. Those are some areas where we have policies in place so there’s no duplication from other jurisdictions, so there is no double-dipping. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Obviously, in the meantime, those concerns and issues that have been brought to our attention, we’ll continue to work on with the principal and the school board. With the new school that the Member is referring to, obviously that’s an area that I need to work with PWS. My department is willing to meet with the school board to talk about the next step and how that’s going to look. We’re reaching out to the community. We want to sit down with them and develop a plan. Obviously, there’s a process in place that we need to follow in order to come to this table. So, we’re more than open to discuss...

Obviously, there is a process in place. We’ve been at this for some time now. We are working with divisional education councils and obviously working very closely with the Department of Public Works and Services to confirm this is the highest priority projects for my department to move forward on. Safety is always a big concern and priority for my department and also the GNWT. That’s why this is before us. Safe schools has been a very important process we have been working with. Again, I just want to re-emphasize we are working with all school boards to make it a priority for the other 49...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Yes, on a going-forward basis, the planning study has been in the works for some time. Members have raised that issue in the House. It’s here before us and it’s going forward.

A capital plan for 2015-2016, obviously there are other pressing issues, as well, in the Northwest Territories. I have to remind the House that we spent well over $150 million over the past five years. So we’ve had our turn and there are other significant projects on the go. I agree with the Member that as we move forward, we should be putting more emphasis on our schools, whether it be renovating and so...

Yes, I do, Mr. Chair.

Again, yes, I will be looking into it. We have to be very mindful. Our northern students go south and they get sponsorship and they come back north to go to school. We have to be careful that we don’t double-dip. They get compensation, say, from Alberta government. At the same time, we sponsor them within the three months residency as is suggested here. Those are areas we are exploring, pros and cons, the benefits to our students. Whatever we do, provincial and territorial jurisdictions are watching us. Any changes we make, obviously we will need to work with them. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Over the years we’ve been following the process when it comes to capital infrastructure, but just recently there’s been some interest from community, whether it be the business arm wanting to provide some opportunity for us. Those are just the recent discussions that we are currently having and potential prospects of either building new schools or the college and so forth. Those are discussions that, as a Cabinet, we need to have. Anything we do goes against our borrowing limit so we have to be mindful of that.

My department is working very closely with PWS as well. Anything...

If it was that easy, I would have made that change yesterday. We are, as my department, working diligently on the particular policy that we have in place. It’s been in since 2000, so 15 years.

Obviously, we are supporting our Northerners coming back to the North. When a Northerner lives in the South, whether it be Alberta or a provincial jurisdiction, they are sponsored with 12 months’ residency. They have the same residency as we do across Canada. So once they live in southern Alberta, as such, they will qualify for financial compensation to go to school. So, we need to be very careful how we...

We have more detailed information here if I can get my deputy to just elaborate more.

Any changes we make to our policies, obviously there’s a cost factor, as I stated, and this is an area that we are looking at.