Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to say to the Minister that people in my community that I reside in were happy that there were some discussions going on regarding the demolition of the Chief Albert Wright School. It’s been a situation that we finally have seen some resolution to it and I certainly support the department on this item in the budget here to see that we can finally move on it.

Also, the issue of the property of where the school is situated right now has a lot of interest by community members for an agreement that was possibly negotiated some time ago with the municipality, the Hamlet...

I just want to ask the same question as on the previous page on the programs that don’t show any funding for this year. Is that similar to my other questions on the previous page?

Mr. Chair, I’m quoting from page 12-36. Are we not there?

No. No.

Thank you. I appreciate the comments from the Minister about the flexibility on this issue. I do agree with the Minister that some of the teachers in some of the smaller communities certainly enjoy getting out on the land with elders and learning about different cultures and that, and they appreciate being in the community. It sure makes a big difference for them to live in our community. They know that they’re taking a risk by going out, but they’re also learning a lot from the people. So I do want to thank the Minister for that.

Mr. Chair, the suggestion by the Minister about the flexibility...

Have similar types of issues like this also been looked at in terms of where fuel products are being pumped into the communities’ fuel tanks?

Mr. Chairman, fair enough. I want to move on to the airport land development plan. Yellowknife being the busiest airport, in past stats that Yellowknife being the busiest airport followed by Norman Wells and Inuvik. I want to focus on the Norman Wells land development plan in terms of I know companies that want to come into the Sahtu and start businesses, such as Buffalo Airways. I know they want to set up a hangar so they can bring their plane there and have it there overnight. It would be easier and more cost efficient for them and easier for the people who are receiving the goods flown in...

Thank you. I can feel the excitement by Members here in terms of going through this detail. Mr. Chair, I want to thank the Minister for the Trapper Training Program that we have in our region in terms of helping out with our people there. I want to say that certainly this government does support the traditional economy and that we certainly appreciate the work that he’s done. So I just wanted to make a comment in regard to our appreciation on behalf of all the good trappers in the Sahtu that access this program.

The Minister is correct that NTCL and Cooper Barging do provide the service; however, it’s whenever the barges are loaded up and it’s economical and feasible for them to make a trip up the north or a trip down the south. It’s all based on the number of loads and what they can carry. Cooper Barging does do it. NTCL does do it. This one here, I’m looking at a government service that can bring maybe once a week or twice a week, something like that, twice a month or whatever. I’m looking at the economic feasibility. Maybe people have to pay. I’m not too sure in terms of this here, but can they...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to ask the Minister several questions. The first one is on the interest into the airport authority concept. Is there any type of preliminary discussions or just analysis? When you have an airport authority, does the airport authority speak to the self-sufficiency of running its own operations and possibly maybe this could free up some money from the GNWT in terms of the operations? I know it is a sensitive issue. I just want to ask that type of question in terms of a businesslike approach similar to other airports, Yellowknife operates under. There are certainly...