Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are related to my Member's statement regarding a school for the Hamlet of Enterprise.
Mr. Speaker, the Hamlet of Enterprise has gone to great lengths over the years to meet with various officials from ECE regarding a school for Enterprise but have constantly been told there's no funding available. Can the Minister commit to working with the hamlet to ensure they will receive assistance from ECE in order to have a school in place for the fall school year? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, we can't have a I can't commit to having a school in place by September. Schools need to be constructed or space would need to be renovated. There would need to be amendments to likely the Education Act. There's too much work to be done to have a school in place by September.
That being said, I have met with representatives from Enterprise, and I'm happy to continue to meet with them and have discussions as well as with the Hay River DEA, who are also involved in those discussions. Thank you.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I ask the Minister to commit to meeting with the Hamlet of Enterprise's mayor and council, along with the Enterprise education working group, as soon as possible to discuss this all too important issue. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd be happy to meet with them. I know they have been busy lately. They've been providing evacuation services for a lot of the residents in Hay River. But if they're ready to meet or whenever they're ready to meet, I'm happy to meet with them. Thank you.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. And I believe the hamlet would like to meet by themselves as a hamlet and not have any involvement with Hay River at this point.
Mr. Speaker, this government has the opportunity to do the right thing by working collaboratively with the residents of Enterprise to find solutions to the request for a school, whether it be a new build or an existing infrastructure. Can the Minister commit to putting this request at the top of their business plans and quite possibly have a school in place for the coming school year? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as I said earlier, we're not going to have a school in place for this upcoming school year.
I can say that, you know, there are some roadblocks with the Education Act with the way all the districts are drawn, and so I know the Member has stated that hamlet doesn't want to work with or to have the Hay River involved but I think the Hay River DEA does need to be involved at this point. That's probably the easiest way to get things done. I've had meetings with representatives from Enterprise and the DEA, and there was discussions about perhaps starting small, having a teacher in the community, travel into the community, something, just some sort of education presence in that community, and then going from there. So I don't think that, just given the fiscal situation, the fact that we have to fight tooth and nail for any piece of infrastructure, that we're going to be getting a school in Enterprise this upcoming school year. But that doesn't mean we can't take those steps to have education provided in the community and move towards something like that in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for all his responses today. If he can't commit to having a school by the fall, if he's happy to meet with them but then we got to include Hay River, the DEA, I'm not sure how that process works, but I'm just wondering I want to know if the Minister is committed, you know, to having a school in Enterprise? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So this Assembly, it's getting near the end. This is probably our last kick at the can to get things done. And so if there's going to be a school in Enterprise, it would be a future Minister. But I spoken I've had conversations with representatives from Enterprise. I hear their passion. I hear their desire to have their children stay home, be educated in the community, and I want to continue to work with them to see that come to fruition.
Part of the issues are with the Education Act, the way that education bodies are created, and the way schools are created, and the authorities of the local district education council, the authorities of the local DEAs. So I don't need the anyone from Hay River to be at the meeting with the community or the Hamlet of Enterprise but I just think that in this situation, that might be the path of least resistance to get things off the ground. But I'm happy to hear out the hamlet and go from there. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
