Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize those individuals that are in the gallery and organizations, the Minister’s Cultural Circle inductees are here with us today. First, in the youth category here with us: Evan Tordiff, along with his mother, Sylvie, and sister Lauren; Abel Tingmiak, elder category that’s here with us with his wife, Marcy Jane Tingmiak, that are here with us; Ben Nind of the individual category here with Natalie Labossiere; also here with us are the Aklavik Delta Drummers, the group category, Andrew Gordon, Eva Gordon, Alexander Gordon and Mary Ruth Meyook; also, just identifying one of our key staff players in this, Ashley Green is here with us. Also, I’d like to recognize my chiefs that are here with us: Grand Chief Eddie Erasmus and also chief of Whati, Alphonse Nitsiza. Welcome. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also would like to welcome Mr. Frank Pokiak from my home community of Tuktoyaktuk. Frank is the chairman of the Inuvialuit Game Council. Welcome to the House, Frank.
I’d also like to welcome Larry and Yvonne Carpenter, constituents from Sachs Harbour. Larry is the chair of the Wildlife Management Advisory Council for the Northwest Territories.
Also, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to welcome Andrew, Eva, Alex, and Mary Ruth to the House. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize two constituents in the gallery: recent recipient of the cultural award and, most importantly, my uncle, Abel and Marcy. Welcome to the gallery. I’d also like to welcome the good folks from Never Say Die. Welcome.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to also recognize a couple of constituents from Weledeh, and we have Ben Nind, who was the inductee for the Minister’s Cultural Circle this morning in the individual category. Congratulations to Ben. I’d also like to recognize Chief Edward Sangris of Dettah, and drummer extraordinaire. I heard him performing this morning. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Along with the recognition of a few others that have already been recognized here, I’d like to welcome the chair of the Inuvialuit Game Council, Mr. Frank Pokiak, and Larry and Yvonne Carpenter as well. We have some other folks from the Inuvialuit Game Council; Steven Baryluk, Jennifer Lam and Bruce Hanbidge. As well, I’d like to extend our welcome to the grand chief of the Tlicho and the chiefs as well that have joined us. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll be remiss if I don’t recognize the Aklavik Drummers and Dancers, who have already been recognized. So, welcome to the House.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. If we’ve missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister of Education some questions with regard to capital planning in the communities of Trout Lake and Nahanni Butte. As I said in my Member’s statement, time and time again I’ve stood up here and I’ve asked the Minister to look at Trout Lake and their need for a school, a new stand-alone school, and I’d like to ask the Minister what he has done to date and what kind of planning is happening with regard to the community of Trout Lake and a new school. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Trout Lake School, there’s been some work on the school itself and part of just some minor capital upgrades scheduled for the school that was slated for 2010-2011 as part of the capital plan. We talk about the new capital plans that are coming up in the 16th Assembly and on to the 17th Assembly. So those are the discussions that need to take place with the school board, and I need to work closely with the school board and also the Members as well. Mahsi.
Thank you very much. I know that the priority of this government and the past government in the 15th Legislative Assembly were concentrating on big schools, and more recently like a super school in Inuvik at a cost of $100 million. I think in our small, remote communities this government should start making it a priority. There are small costs involved. Just off the top of my head, from a bird’s eye view I would estimate about $3 million and downwards for a small school to serve the needs of small communities. I’d like to ask the Minister about making this a priority of the government; put it in their transition documents, because I really foresee we’ve got to start taking care of our regions and communities. Thank you.
Mahsi. This government does provide priority to those schools in the Northwest Territories as part of the capital planning process as we move forward. The super school that the Member is referring to took over 10 years from the planning stages until the final result. So sometimes it does take some time. But definitely in the Nahendeh riding we’re fully aware of the two schools that the Member is referring to, and we’ll continue to work with the school boards to identify those priorities. The work is already underway in the schools as well. Mahsi.
With the communities of Trout Lake and Nahanni Butte, how much pre-planning work has been done? How much dedication and effort has the department put towards these communities in terms of planning, costing it out, even a Class D estimate for these two communities? Thank you.
I don’t have the actual breakdown, but I do have the paperwork with the PWS that we work closely together with the school board to identify the needs of the community, the schools, and also the needs of the school board. So we can provide that information to the Member or Members for their information as well. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. That’s the type of rhetoric I’ve been hearing, is planning, and studying, and looking at it. I’d like to ask the Minister when will the Minister and this government make the regions and small communities a priority when it comes to schooling. Thank you.
Mahsi. One of the priorities is, of course, the schools, as part of my portfolio as Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. That is my priority. I have to look after all of the schools, make sure they’re well operated, and also that it meets the community’s needs as well. So those schools that have been identified for future consideration definitely will be in the work of the 17th Assembly. So those are the discussions that need to take place as well. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Along the same lines of Mr. Menicoche, the government seems to be forgetting our small communities and the students. The students in the smaller communities are basically the future of our riding. Given that currently there are many students in Nunakput that for various reasons have left high school and moved back to their home communities, reasons such as nowhere to live or not enough moral support or resources, will the government immediately commit to funds and resources for the one high school teacher or students who could at least earn some high school courses in the community of Sachs Harbour? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Simply, we are not forgetting the students out there. We are covering the northern students, the isolated students, and also the students of the Northwest Territories. We provide funding to the school boards so they can sponsor those students in their schools, in their regions, as well as supporting them going through a transition of another community. So those are the support mechanisms that we provide through the school boards, Mr. Speaker.
At the same time, my department is working closely with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council to make it effective and efficient when students are attending from isolated communities. So we will continue to push the school board. The final decision also lies with the school board, Mr. Speaker. I have to respect that and we have to work with them. Mahsi.
I have been here for three and a half years and I have been hearing that same answer regarding my Member’s statement that I have brought up every session regarding students in Sachs Harbour. The final decision is your decision. You could make a Minister’s directive to do it. I am asking the Minister why can’t he help the smaller communities, especially Sachs Harbour that needs a teacher in the community this year. If not, we should get a house in Inuvik slated to have students under a boarding home for students from Sachs Harbour alone for a safe place to live. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
At the beginning, also mid-term and at the end of our term we were told not to make any major or drastic changes...
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...with the current government system. At the same time, again, this is an area that we need to seriously look at with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council. We provide funding to them so they can deliver those key deliverances into the communities and regions as well.
Yes, the Member has raised that issue in the House. At the same time, the Member should also be raising that issue with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council because we are working hand in hand with them. I need to work with them to strengthen those ties because, again, we provide funding through them to the region. Mahsi.
I haven’t given up on the students in my riding. Maybe this government has. Will this government conduct a thorough review on why so many high school students from the small, isolated communities are dropping out on behalf of the small communities committee? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Clearly, we are not giving up on the students. We are supporting all students of the Northwest Territories. We represent 33 communities. Through the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative, the tabling of the document in this House, clearly highlights the strategy that’s in place to identify those students who are struggling, those students from isolated communities, and those students who may be challenged. Those are the people that we need to continue to work with. It’s a new document. It’s going to strengthen the communities, it’s going to strengthen the education system of the Northwest Territories. I’m looking forward to working on that joint implementation stages, working with all the MLAs, Aboriginal leadership, educators as well, the parents, and the students.
Those are the new initiatives that are underway. Clearly, we are seeing some changes. Sometimes it does take time, but time is of the essence, so I tabled the document and I’m looking forward to establishing that as well. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, the cost is very minimal to provide housing in Inuvik, especially when you have a house lined up and ready for us to come in with students from the community. I wonder if the Minister would get in touch with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council with myself to see how far we can take this. School is about nine days away from starting in the Beaufort-Delta. Is it possible to get something done? It doesn’t cost as much as a bridge.
---Laughter
We will definitely follow through with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council. It could be small, but at the same time we have to respect all the regions. It’s not just one region that is faced with a challenge. At the same time, we’ll definitely follow through. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are in follow up to my Member’s statement from earlier today where I talked about the plight of the 1,100 residents of the Northland Trailer Park located here in Yellowknife. They are prisoners in their own home. They can’t sell their homes. All they have to look forward to this winter is more line breaks, intermittent water service. The issue is not new. The wheels of government are slow. They do turn slowly. I understand that, but this file has been on the Minister’s desk in Ottawa for 15 months.
As I mentioned in my Member’s statement, a catastrophic line break is almost imminent. That infrastructure should have been replaced 15 years ago. I’d like to ask the Minister of MACA where exactly the file... Actually, the first question I have is: whose desk is that file on in Ottawa, so that we can hopefully start a letter writing campaign or whatever it takes to get them to do something about this, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The file in Ottawa is sitting on the Infrastructure Minister’s desk, who I think is Minister Lebel. He’s got the infrastructure file. At the same time, we supported the city’s application to try and access some of the green funding for the residents out at Northland Trailer Park. Thank you.
I appreciate the Minister’s response. I would like to ask the Minister when was the last time the department, MACA, government officials from the Government of the Northwest Territories sat down with municipal officials and the federal government to try to come up with a solution with what’s happening at Northland. Thank you.
I pointed out the other day, we had written a letter to the Infrastructure Minister, Minister McLeod had written a letter to the Government of Canada on July 18th requesting this particular type of meeting and getting more information on where the application is at. Thank you.
Obviously, we’ve got three days left in this sitting of the Legislature. We are going to go into election mode during the month of September. A new government won’t come in until October. Something has to happen. I want to get a commitment today from the Minister that he can get a thorough update on exactly where this situation is at, what needs to happen so that the residents in that trailer park can have some hope for the future. When can we get a thorough report from the government on where exactly things are at? Thank you.
We can provide a communication as to where we’re at in this whole application process and the support we’ve provided. At the end of the day I think the municipal government plays a large, if not the largest, role in this situation that is happening out at Northland because those folks out there are municipal taxpayers. So I think the municipal government has to take a lead role or a larger role in the situation out at Northland. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree with the Minister; it is a municipal concern, but what I’m saying is the Government of the Northwest Territories has to pay attention. If there is a catastrophic sewer line break or a water line break, it is going to be our problem, Mr. Speaker, in a big way. We have to be out in front of this. We have to try to be coordinating efforts between the city and the federal government to come up with a solution. Again, I think if we don’t do that and we just try to let them sort it out... We need to be doing that.
I would like to ask the Minister for a commitment to get people to the table to, again, try to come up with a solution to the issue out at Northland. If there is a sewer line break there this winter, there will be 1,100 people, 600 kids, displaced from their homes that are going to be our problem, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
