Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s a saying in Quebec, a child without an education is like a bird without wings. I’m glad to report that the staff and students at the Colville Lake School now have running water and fully functioning bathrooms.
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Since October 10th. That’s 18 days ago. Can the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment tell me that since the community has been asking for a brand new school in their community, can the Minister update the House as to where that issue is at with the community of Colville Lake? I had a meeting this morning with Chief Alvin Orlias and the SAO band manager, Joseph Kochon, and that’s the first question they asked, where is our brand new school that we’ve been asking for?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Colville Lake’s school has been in the discussions for a number of years now, even through the local DEAs and at the regional level with DECs. We have to go through, obviously, the capital planning process where we have all these different areas of capital infrastructure coming forward. We, as a department, hope to get those key initiatives such as Colville Lake into the hopper. So based on that, we’re following through on what will be approved through this Assembly and moving forward. Part of that, obviously, is the Colville Lake School that we’ve been talking about for a number of years. Mahsi.
Thank you. I’ll meet with the chief later on and have more discussions on their wish for a new school.
My questions are going to be all on the education in the Sahtu. So, I’m finally getting to see our schools moving into the 21st century with the fully function of running water and toilets. Yesterday I addressed the needs assessment and we’re showing there’s a great need for these programs in our region. Also, I understand there is a feasibility study underway in regards to a Sahtu tech, preparing our students for the labour force.
Based on the needs of a Sahtu technical institution, is that something that’s going to be reported by the end of this Assembly in regard to the outcome of this feasibility study, planning a Sahtu technical institution in the Sahtu?
Mahsi. Yes, we’ve just completed the Sahtu feasibility study, the needs assessment, I should say. Based on that, it will give us a tool to work with for analyzing training institute requirements for the Sahtu region. There is a process that we still have to go through, as well, but this is just a preliminary discussion that we’ve been having. We involve the stakeholders and they provide us with a needs assessment of the community. Now the next step will be focusing in those areas where the information has been provided to us and how can we work with that. So we will be working closely with the region of Sahtu as well. Mahsi.
Thank you. My questions on the education of the Sahtu people, we have students going out of jurisdictions for long periods of time, out of our communities. We have a great need for seeing a Sahtu tech in our region. So my third question, I understand from the information I got from the department, impressive facts, that we have 30 students from our Sahtu communities attending the Thebacha Campus in Fort Smith. In total, we have 79 students attending some form of college programs in the Northwest Territories. In regard to our students at Aurora College in Fort Smith, yesterday I was shocked to hear that the students who are in that residence have no study desks, no lamps.
What is the Minister doing to ensure that our students who are coming down from the Sahtu to attend these college institutions have the basic supports for a good learning environment and these dorms are being fully equipped with the proper supports? Thank you.
Mahsi. Yes, we need to provide as much support to our students as we possibly can, especially students coming from the remote communities, and all communities as well.
This is an area that I need to address with the college because the college dorms are under their umbrella. So, that message will be relayed to the board chair and president, what’s the status on that and how can we assist those individuals, the students, if they’re struggling. I will get the status for the Member. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the self-government realities of Deline.
Will the Minister be creating a K-12 trades program with the shop that they’re planning to build in Deline?
Mahsi. When we talk about those areas of academic studies, whether it be regional schools or even technical schools, obviously we have to work with the community of Deline. Even through their school boards as well. As you know, there has been self-government arrangements being discussed and eventually these educational authorities will fall under them as well. So we’re very much looking forward to working with those parties as we move forward, discussing the future prosperity of educational facilities in the Sahtu region. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
