Thank you. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Just so the honourable Member gets the picture straight, I think you should read the beginning of the statement, "As a result of improved access, there will no longer be the same need for large student residences." Madam Speaker, this House has approved the direction of us establishing community high school programs. One of the components deals with the issue of closing Akaitcho Hall. The issue deals with Grollier Hall, Kivalliq and Ukiivik. There is a contract now out that is evaluating the present use of those residences and will be reporting back to the government and to myself at the end of December.

It will also consider the other alternative uses for those residences in light of us having to shut them down, if that is the direction that is given to me by the contractor.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Madam Speaker, I did read the previous statement in the department's strategy referring to improved access to high school programs, but I have to remind the Minister, Madam Speaker, that in the Baffin region, if you want to go to university and become a lawyer, doctor or engineer, you have to take the advanced diploma program. You don't have any access to that advanced diploma program in 11 out of 13 Baffin communities.

So, Madam Speaker, my supplementary question is, recognizing that outside of Iqaluit there is only one other community that gives students access to the advanced program, would the Minister agree that the continued operation of the Ukiivik residence is justified, to offer advanced high school diploma programs to students who can't get it in their home communities? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Madam Speaker, no, I can't agree. The fact is, if the communities can improve the access for those programs for students in the communities, then we won't need the residence. If the report says it will take longer to do it and we need to retain the residence so that we allow the students to remain in Iqaluit, then we will have to adjust the issue of closing the residence. But, that information is not available at this juncture and I would suggest to the honourable Member that maybe one way is to improve better program access in the communities. But that is only one of many solutions.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Madam Speaker, I'm delighted to hear the Minister say that he is willing to await the results of the report to see what is determined by the report and to see if the report says it may take longer than we thought to develop full community high school programs. But I guess I would like to go back to the Minister and say, what good is this exercise and this consultant's work -- and I know the Minister encouraged the consultant to talk to MLAs -- what good is all that if the department's tabled strategy already says on page 52, we will move to close these three residences? How can we have a meaningful consultant's process to examine all options for the future if the Minister's own tabled document has foreclosed all but one option which is closing the residences? Thank you.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. At some juncture, Madam Speaker, there will be no need for communities providing access to all these programs that are necessary. That is a fact. It occurred with Stringer Hall, and my honourable colleague was a part of the decision to demolish that building. It's a fact that in other communities, like Akaitcho where we don't need access; there are more residences in the Kitikmeot; there is more access to the high school program which the Member was a party to setting out that direction; and, I think it's a good direction and we should continue to work on it. What is clear is that eventually we will have to close the residences.

The fact is, Inuvik, right now, in my view, has too large a space for the number of students who are attending. The question is, what are the alternatives? Is it home boarding, is it a smaller residence? What is the use of the buildings once we make those decisions? The honourable Member could read the document as it was indicated, then it would be clear that the issue is through partnerships, it's not immediate closure. But we will get to a point where we'll have to make that decision to close those residences.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Madam Speaker, the Minister is offering experience in Akaitcho Hall and other parts of the Northwest Territories to explain the stated intention. I would like to ask the Minister if he's examined the experience in Alaska where

after the Hooch case, a class action case provided for the right of high school education to grade 12 in every community, after those high schools were established and after regional residences were closed some 10 years or so later, the Department of Education in Alaska realized that they were failing to meet needs of certain students and ended up reopening some of those residences so that certain students from certain small communities could still have access to high school programs. Is the Minister aware of that experience in Alaska? Thank you.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you. It's very interesting. I just had a discussion with some people from Alaska two days ago and they advised me of that issue, so I am aware of it.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Aivilik, Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. A very short preamble, Madam Speaker. I wrote a letter to the president of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation requesting confirmation regarding Foxe Basin Construction that has been terminated during mid-construction in Iqaluit. That is the same construction company that we had a problem with in Coral Harbour last year, and they have been awarded another contract to do construction work in Coral Harbour this coming spring. They have been awarded that already. The Minister, himself, had a tele-conference with the mayor, deputy mayor and myself, discussing that issue because Coral Harbour is very adamant about not having this construction company back again. My question, Madam Speaker, is since there was a termination during the construction season in Iqaluit of that same company, what is the plan of the Minister?

I would like to rephrase that question. Will he still honour that contract that is being designated for Coral Harbour?

Thank you. Minister of Housing, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to make it very clear to the Member that the Housing Corporation will honour all the contracts they have with contractors until we have legal advice that we could renege on any contract and not be legally sued and lose. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will he be seeking legal advice to see if he can renege on the contract since that same construction contractor has been terminated in Iqaluit, presumably for lack of performance as he did in Coral Harbour?

Minister of Housing, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'm aware of the issue that the contractor has problems in the Member's riding. I have talked to his mayor and his council. We're trying to work with the community to make sure that the contractor abides by the local labour content that was put in this tender. We're watching this contractor, as well as all contractors, to ensure that contracts do benefit the communities. I made a commitment to the mayor and the council, as well as the Member, that we'll work on this issue with them and try to solve it, and I still stand by that commitment today. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I don't know how to phrase my second supplementary, but it's very important to me. The Minister assured me and the council of Coral Harbour that he will be watching this contractor very carefully. As I indicated, I was told that his contract has been terminated in Iqaluit. What other proof or other incident does he require to tell the community of Coral Harbour, yes, I'm now convinced that we have grounds to renege from a contract award that we have issued for this coming spring?