Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will look forward to build on those yeses here with my questions today. I would like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, I spoke once again about the need for new schools in Nahanni Butte and Trout Lake. We have super schools and mega renovations in Inuvik and Yellowknife. That is where our education money is being spent. When will the Minister and this government start turning their attention to our small communities and regions? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we do focus on the communities, the 33 communities that we service, small communities, larger communities. It all depends on the infrastructures that are in most critical need. Depending on the Trout Lake and also other communities such as Nahanni Butte and other Deh Cho communities, throughout the Northwest Territories it all depends on the infrastructure itself where some of the schools are compatible for students as some of these highlighted, the Member is highlighting from his district riding. We must keep in mind that we have to work with the Dehcho Divisional Board of Education, as well, to identify these as critical need. I will continue to work with them and work with the Member as well. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I have been making the case for many years now that the needs are critical. I don’t know what the standards are according to ECE standards for school buildings, because we have an old log building in Nahanni Butte. Technically we don’t have a school in Trout Lake. The old Charles Tetcho School had burned down. They had moved the school into the recreation centre. At that time the government promised that they will be there until the new school is built, so they still don’t have a school. I would like to ask the Minister what exact guidelines and standards do we have for our school of communities in terms of school buildings? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, there are capital standards and criteria that we do follow with all of the schools in the Northwest Territories. With respect to the Charles Tetcho School, there is currently a capacity of an identified 33 students. That is 61 percent for 2011-12. Those are numbers that we are currently working with.
With regard to Nahanni Butte, we have contributed $380,000 in 2011-12 for technical upgrades and also minor renovations for that school. Those are the areas that we continue to upgrade. I have already made a commitment to Members that I will be going to the Deh Cho riding in August to review more in detail. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, certainly the communities and I look forward to the Minister visiting the communities and show him exactly their needs.
Since February, after speaking with the Minister, I would like to know what the Minister has done to date to review the long-term capital plan and look at moving up these capital needs for these two communities. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of the year, every time we go through the capital planning process, we have identified various capital needs in the communities. When it comes to discussion at the regional level and also within the department there are some areas that don’t make it through the system within the process itself, but we will continue to push these further into the capital planning process, pending the criteria that has been outlined by part of the criteria for the schools as planning process.
This is an area that we continuously work with the superintendents and also the board chairs in the region. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is the exact area that I would like to explore further. We have to commit at least some planning dollars to look at these two schools in these two communities so that we can make a good case at the capital planning fall time budget session. I would like to ask the Minister if he can at least do that and have a good assessment of those schools in the capital planning process this fall. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, Nahanni and Trout Lake have been an earmark of our discussion here in the House and my department is fully aware. They are doing a review of those two schools and generate it for this capital planning process. If it makes it this time around or next year – we have to start planning for next year as well – we will see what we can do with that and the review process. I will take that Member’s notice into consideration as well. We will definitely be in discussion with that. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
