Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Antoine.

Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can indicate to the honourable Member that his region is one of two which has a home boarding counsellor who works for the divisional board. The responsibility of that particular person is to address those concerns which the honourable Member has raised, to raise the concerns and to develop a policy and program which accommodates those students who are from the smaller communities. If there are any concerns, then it would be the responsibility of that person in conjunction with the school board to develop a program and plan to deal with the concerns of the parents. That is the way in which we have dealt with that particular situation in the Deh Cho region, so we can make sure the students are not dissatisfied with the educational programming they are receiving.

Item 5, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary to the same Minister. In my travels to the communities, with all the new schools going into most of the communities in the north, there are more and more students going to school. At the present time, there is a real balloon of students going through the system. In about three or four years time, we are going to have a large population of students who will be leaving their small communities for major centres. The reason for my first question is to see if the Department of Education has a policy

focusing on this situation which is will occur in the next few years. Do you have a policy? Thank you.

Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to indicate that we have a policy in place, however, part of the review and development of a long-term strategy for education includes the whole issue of home boarding and extension of grades in schools so we can address those concerns. Right now there is no coordinated plan or approach. We do not have a clear approach from region to region, from community to community. I hope that when I make a presentation of our education strategy this fall, it will address some of the concerns the honourable Member has raised today.

Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Supplementary to the same Minister. The concerns which are raised to me by some of my constituents whose children will be going to school away from their home community next year, is that they do not really know where their children are going to and they do not even know what kind of environment their children are going to. Are there any plans by the department to have some sort of meeting or conference with all the parents and with the people who are planning your policies to try to have a good grip on what the situation is so we do not have any problems? Thank you.

Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope we would work through the school board to address, first of all, the more specific concerns of the honourable Member because that is their responsibility. In the long-term, I can advise the honourable Member we will be consulting with parents, the regional boards, the aboriginal organizations, the MLAs and whoever is interested, so we can develop a strategy to meet the needs of the people in the Northwest Territories. Presently, we are at the end of a ten year cycle from the Special Committee on Education and we now need to move forward. I would like to indicate to the honourable Member we will consult with the parents in this process.

Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Safety and Public Services. I do not know if the Minister is aware, but the costs of learning how to drive these days have just recently been calculated in the community of Arviat at $87 for all the permits and licences necessary. In the communities when students take a proper program which is in the school, given by a properly certified instructor, could these costs be waived or reduced?

Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not know. I would have to look into it. I do not know the dollar value of the concern raised by the honourable Member, but I will look into it and get back to him.

Supplementary, Mr. Arngna'naaq.

I do not know if the Minister is aware, I am sure he is, but in a community such as Baker Lake or Arviat where we have close to 80 per cent unemployment, these kinds of costs may be prohibitive to a family. I wonder how soon he may look into this?

Mr. Todd.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I will. Thank you.

Item 5, oral questions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Government Services and Public Works. On June 16, 1992, the Government Leader announced the new directions initiative which proposed several decentralization projects. One of these was the decentralization of the headquarters for the POL division to Rankin Inlet and Fort Simpson. The Government Leader noted that this move would, "take advantage of existing infrastructure and support services." Mr. Speaker, recognizing that it has been nearly nine months since the Government Leader's new direction initiative was announced, can the Minister of Government Services and Public Works advise the House as to what progress has been made in moving the POL headquarters to Rankin Inlet and Fort Simpson? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Adjustments to job descriptions have been completed. Classification of new job descriptions will be complete in time for relocation notices, scheduled for employees in February and re-staffing regional positions and staff training will occur over the summer. Program delivery is not expected to be affected, even though

not many of the current staff are expected to move. This seems like it is scheduled. Thank you.