Kevin A. Menicoche

Mr. Speaker, why is replacing the Charles Tetcho School in Trout Lake not a higher priority for this government? I had indicated the original school had burnt down. This is a temporary placement in the community hall. Why is replacing the school in Trout Lake not a priority? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We are dealing with the capital budgets for various departments in this session. I have looked high and low and I am sad to say there is not a single dollar set aside to start work on a new school in Trout Lake.

The school in Trout Lake is located in one room at the community hall and it is too small. When the original log school was damaged by fire, the government said temporary placement in this community hall. For years I have urged the government to begin planning for a new school. I have to say, I now understand how a teacher must feel when the students...

I’m pleased that the Minister is taking these concerns very seriously, and I certainly look forward to travelling with him in my riding in the future. With that, I have no further questions.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 64-17(3), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2013-2014. Thank you.

Certainly, a community like this that experiences disaster, the community is still not together and the last thing you’ve got to give them is guidelines, procedures and reasons why we cannot help them.

I’d like to ask the Minister one more time: Will he review these certain instances and see if he can help the residents that have lost small personal gas equipment that would help them with their harvesting, hunting and trapping?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to ask some questions on disaster compensation to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, only because that some of the replacement items belong to hunters and trappers in the community of Nahanni Butte. I’m actually a little bit confused, though. I thought disaster compensation for that horrible flood in Nahanni Butte would be under MACA, but it looks like ITI has taken over some of the hunters’ and trappers’ skidoos, chainsaws and quads that got damaged. Recently, three residents were denied assistance to replace those items.

I’d like...

Mr. Speaker, I am sure that criteria works well if it is a school, but this is not a school. It is one room in the community hall. I keep impressing that on government. Why do our children deserve less in the smaller communities than others? I would like the Minister to explain that to myself and everyone in Trout Lake. They have to recognize that this is not a school. It is actually a room in the community hall. When will this government replace that school in Trout Lake? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Trout Lake school Member’s statement earlier this afternoon. During my last visit to Trout Lake and with the recent letter received, they have indicated that parents and council, the chief has indicated that the Charles Tetcho School is too small. This fiscal year alone, there are 19 students listed in the morning, and in the afternoon there are 16 students. There is a big open class. I have always said it is like the one-room school. There are too many distractions from the kindergarten class all the way up to the Grade 9 students, as...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’ll be happy to restate that question. What kind of work are the departments of Health and Social Services and Education doing to improve early childhood programs in Fort Liard?