Robert Villeneuve

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On another point, the question of students being sent to southern institutions to be more academically challenged with their curriculum, I wonder if the Department of Education has considered the development of some type of a multilateral strategy that includes the government, industry, the federal government and any private input from individuals or families into some kind of an education fund that would assist a lot of academically challenged students from the NWT to go to institutions which will challenge them academically, intellectually, socially and mentally so...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just moving on to the issues of colleges, there is the Aurora College system with expenditures of $28 million within the next year and it does have some primary responsibilities of basic education and training. I am just wondering what proportion, if any, of that expenditure is going to be directed to the development and the accreditation of a lot of the instructors that are in our northern college system -- and no disrespect here -- which do have the expertise in the fields they are instructing in, but really don’t have any education experience in educating. I am...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just another question on that issue is on a program or an initiative that has received the positive feedback of all the players who have been involved in this initiative, has basically come to a lot of the Members' attention in the last few months just due to the fact that they knew the program was going to be sunsetted. I'm just wondering if the Minister could give me some indication as to when they do determine, and I don't think it's going to be too hard to determine the effectiveness of this program, through all the correspondence that the Legislative Assembly has...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Premier for that answer. I’m just on my last question assuming that this new expansion project gets the green light. I just wanted to ask the Premier, as with any other project of this magnitude there are always issues and effects that are overlooked or not taken into consideration during the initial negotiation process. I’m just wondering if the government has any strategy whereas this government can assume full responsibility and give compensation to residents for adverse changes and effects that were not taken into consideration during the negotiation...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just want to reiterate some of the concerns raised by my constituents in regard to the new expansion of the Taltson hydro project being negotiated by this government. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to ask the Premier what options and consideration will this government give to the residents who will be seeking compensation and benefits from the new hydro developments on the Taltson hydro system that this government is currently embarking on?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. One last comment on the subject of schools. I wonder where this school wood pile remediation is going to be of $2 million. I have a lot of constituents that would be qualified as instructors in any school that deals with wood piles.

---Laughter

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to top up on that question. I know in a lot of communities there are high incident rates of teen pregnancies and what not. I know that it has always been a conundrum for district education authorities to try and tackle and find ways to resolve and educate youth in that area. I was just wondering if it is a DEA role whether a school incorporates a program like that, Healthy Relationships and such.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Would there be any change in the levels of funding for these programs?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to ask the Minister if he would be supportive of an initiative that would develop some kind of an endowment fund, something like the Chair was referring to in a different department, that industry could contribute to and education would support and work to develop some kind of a revolving fund, an endowment fund, that would allow students to seek career development, higher education, in other countries. Institutions would specialize in areas of real professional development and expertise.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am just going back to some points that the Minister had made during some questions on his opening remarks on this education budget. The Minister had noted that the level of the number of students that have been enrolled in high schools in the NWT has declined over the past few years. I am wondering if the Minister can elaborate a little more on that in the context of are these students…I don’t see an enrolment change per se or a drop in population, but is the Minister aware that perhaps a significant number of families are now considering sending their students who...