Jane Groenewegen

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the Minister spoke of 33 positions, 65 applicants. Where are the 33 positions? Are they distributed throughout the Northwest Territories at regional centres and other locations, or are they all in Yellowknife? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up on the questions asked by my colleague from Hay River North with regard to what seems to be a problem with graduating students who are born, raised and educated in the North and then seek post-secondary education under our Student Financial Assistance Program. We back them all the way, but when they get back here, it seems that whatever policies we have in place, they are fantastic on paper and even some of the statistics that the Minister quoted today sound very good, but there must be something lost in translation, just by the sheer number of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member’s statement today, I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services what would be involved in proclaiming a day of recognition for families who have lost children that were yet unborn, children that are born stillbirth and children that are lost to sudden infant death syndrome. What would be involved in our government when we declare a day as a day of remembrance or a day to recognize something like this? What’s involved? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, this introduces a new element in this. So this is optional for departments to subscribe, I guess, to this program. If they have positions open within their department, it is up to them if they want to hire students or if they want to basically circumvent this student hiring program altogether. So the onus is on the departments to apply for these positions, and if that is the case, if they want someone with more experience, then they wouldn’t have to bother with this. Thank you.

I’d like to thank the Minister; good answers. There are always going to be deficiencies with new construction. Any new building, there is going to be a list of deficiencies of things that need to be addressed. I am just disappointed that such fundamentally required things like millwork or cabinetry to store things like kids’ shoes… All the way down the hallway, there were those $1.99 plastic boot trays on the outside of the hallway. Inside the classroom door, literally, were Rubbermaid white laundry baskets with all the kids’ shoes all chucked in there in a pile. I’m sorry, I’ve been in a lot...

Like I said, I’m not trying to rain on anybody’s parade on this, but we did spend a lot of money on this. We heard about all the consultation that went into the school. I just don’t know how such basic things that a school needs could have possibly been overlooked in this school.

On the same tour we saw the Children’s First facility, which I must say was amazing and lots of thought went into that. That was a Cadillac of early childhood development centres, but I have to say I’m disappointed with the school. They’ve got lots of things to work out, so I hope Public Works will get on that. Thank...

There also seemed to be a question about snow removal. This school is located on a very large lot, and of course, you get a lot of snow. Like anywhere in the North, you get a lot of snow there. But I guess in the old school maybe they had like a shed for snow removal equipment. I know this is a problem in Hay River too. I’m not even sure whose responsibility it is to clear the snow. Is it the schools or is it Public Works and Services? That was another deficiency that we observed and heard about when we saw the new school in Inuvik. Maybe the Minister of Public Works could answer that for us...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member’s statement today, I have questions for the Minister of Public Works and Services. I think we as the government, through the Department of Public Works and Services, should allow for a local interpretation and local input into how they want their community infrastructure to look and the kinds of things they want to accommodate. But, Mr. Speaker, we pay top dollar for architects and engineers when we build these kinds of projects. I guess Inuvik particularly stands out in my mind just because of the sheer cost of it.

I am not in any way trying to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently, the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning had an opportunity to have a retreat in Inuvik – and I hadn’t been up to Inuvik for a while, not since the new school was built – and it was our opportunity while we were in Inuvik to tour some new facilities that were built there. Sitting here in the Legislature, I had heard a lot about the new super-school in Inuvik. I expected to be amazed. Now I can tell you the only thing that amazes me about that school is the price tag.

I hate to rain on anybody’s parade, but right from the outside of that school, it has...

Thank you. Page 6, Education, Culture and Employment, operations expenditures, education and culture, not previously authorized, $50,000; advanced education and careers, not previously authorized, $108,000; total department, not previously authorized, $158,000.