Debates of October 21, 2005 (day 15)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement, I talked about the Colville Lake school and the situation that is happening there now. Mr. Speaker, last year Colville Lake historically graduated one student from that school, and they are expecting to graduate another student this year. Over the next three years, Colville Lake is expecting to graduate three students, and will have about 15 new students coming into that school. Mr. Speaker, the project has slipped many times in the Department of Education, in reducing its scope. I want to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, what's the rationale the department uses in changing this crucial project from adding on to the existing school, to now having portable classrooms delivered in Colville Lake? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 209-15(4): Colville Lake School Expansion

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the credit of the families in the community, there has been tremendous growth in the population in that school. In the year 2000, there were only 19 students using the school, when we first started talking about an addition. But as the Member has pointed out, there is some pressure to move very quickly on this issue, and a plan to add to that school would probably be time consuming and relatively expensive, because of the nature of that school. It's not a regular shaped building, Mr. Speaker. It's a log structure, which is really quite striking, and has a number of different sides. I can't remember; I think it's six different sides. So it would be difficult to add to.

In order to accomplish the desire to get the space in the community as quickly as possible, the decision has been made to bring in a modular structure. We will be looking at ways to attach the two buildings together, so that the children don't have to go outside.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 209-15(4): Colville Lake School Expansion

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, because of the number of students we have in the gallery, I want to make a quick reference. Of these 60 students, if we took only 20 out, and we put all those students in one building, from kindergarten to Grade 12, that's what the children in Colville Lake are faced with. In this time and age, Mr. Speaker, that's just totally unacceptable. So I would like to ask the Minister, can he state, for the people of Colville Lake, that their school, where they send their children each school day of the year, does the school in Colville Lake meet the current standards set out by his department? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 209-15(4): Colville Lake School Expansion

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure. I can't answer that question. I would doubt that it does. Having seen the school myself, I would expect that that probably doesn't meet our current standards, and we are moving to put the addition in as quickly as we can.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 209-15(4): Colville Lake School Expansion

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that's totally unacceptable from the Minister of Education to have that type of response to the people of Colville Lake who send their children to school each day, that has a honey bucket that they're using in their school -- the kids are overflowing in that building -- to say he's not sure of the standards that are set out by his department. So, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister if he can tell this Assembly whether or not his department considers the use of honey buckets in the GNWT educational facilities meets the capital standard that his department has formulated. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 209-15(4): Colville Lake School Expansion

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the community of Colville Lake started up as a community where the people said they wanted a traditional community. They, still today, don't have a water plant, so we don't have an ability to put in water and plumbing in that community. We understand that that will be installed by MACA within the next year. The modular classroom that we're going to add to the facility there will accommodate modern facilities to take advantage of the water plant that's being installed in the community.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 209-15(4): Colville Lake School Expansion

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have always said that the community of Colville Lake is a long way out of Yellowknife; it's far away. So sometimes it's out of sight, out of mind, for the people in Colville Lake. If they want to maintain a traditional economy, I support them 100 percent. For a traditional lifestyle, I support them 100 percent. But it's unacceptable, in this day and age, when we have education facilities such as are built in and around the Northwest Territories, that we cannot fix Colville Lake in terms of the use of the honey bucket. Can the Minister tell us, short of moving the honey bucket to an outhouse in the community, what is the department doing to alleviate the space in the Colville Lake school, to advance an affordable school this year in Colville Lake on the ice road? That would certainly help the people in Colville Lake. Can the Minister inform me? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 209-15(4): Colville Lake School Expansion

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure that we can meet the timeline that the Member has asked for, in terms of getting it on the ice road this year. The department will be meeting with the DEA, and with the residents of Colville Lake, to talk about how we can plan to bring the two structures into one unit. We will do our best to advance things as much as we can, but I can't guarantee that we'll make it on the ice road this winter. We will certainly make it a priority to look at whether we can do that, though. Thanks.