Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement with regard to pursuing a new school for the community of Trout Lake. I raised this in the House before and we worked with the Minister and they did do some upgrades to the existing facility that is there. I would like to ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, about what plans are in place currently with his department to look at replacing the school in Trout Lake. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. At the current time we are working closely with PWS on the particular school in Trout Lake. There has been some work done on inspections. It took place over the summer of 2010 that identified a VFA inspection. Also, PWS will be visiting the school to review the program space and speak with the building users. That is the ongoing work that we are currently having.
I will be visiting the Member’s riding. I have been invited by the Member, so I am looking forward to looking at the school as well, to see what is out there and we can discuss further at that level. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, certainly the residents of Trout Lake are looking forward to the Minister’s visits to see the concerns and hear the concerns from the community. They have many young children and the chief has indicated that we have to fulfill their future needs. Once again, based on the baseline work that the department is going to do, how soon can they provide an assessment to look at including a school in Trout Lake in the capital planning process, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, this particular school, we need to have more detailed analysis. A planning study needs to be in place. We need to identify what the needs of the school are in the community. That is definite. We need to work on that. Next year’s capital planning process we can discuss further as we move forward. This could be part of the capital planning process for the following year. Mr. Speaker, this is an area that I can work closely with the Member and also the PWS Minister. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement I spoke about we build a lot, and many large schools and superschools here in the North. It’s time to concentrate on our small communities. In fact, there was a previous commitment by our government to replace the Charles Tetcho School in Trout Lake. I make it a point, and I will make it again, that it is currently in the recreation centre, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister and the planners take that into account, that this existing location is not a school, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, that would be the discussion that we need to have with the various parties that we have mentioned earlier. Like I said, we are going to the community, meeting with the superintendent, the staff and the principal and the school itself. Definitely, those are the areas that are of great interest to us as well. Coming from a small community, we are not ignoring them. It is part of the capital planning process. We need to plan for next year in the planning process. Mr. Speaker, the planning study is an area that we need to discuss.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the important thing here is -- if I can ask the Minister to raise it with his colleagues in Cabinet -- we have to start looking at our small communities and provide for their educational needs and start working towards that as a strategy at the next capital planning process, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, yes, this will be a topic of discussion, for sure. There is also, going to the Deh Cho region, Simpson, on December 7th and 8th, the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. This is the topic of discussion we are having relating to schools, infrastructure and the programming. This is the discussion that we will continue to have this year.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
