Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can advise the honourable Member that we have been attempting to work with the South Slave Divisional Board, even advising them on the number of options that might be considered.

The other issue is that in some of the formulas, some of the statistical information that was coming in from the South Slave Divisional Board of Education was not accurate. The fact is that on one issue, bussing, for instance, because there was no attempt on the part of the administration to work with the department, we got inaccurate information. As a result of the willingness of the present board and Dr. Walter Curtis to work with the department, we found that the numbers are such that the formula for bussing goes up now as a result of the information that has come back to us. That's the kind of information that, as we work together, maybe will resolve those based only on the formula as it is right now.

The other thing is that wherever cuts are being made there have to be cuts made with consideration for the programs for which we are delivering, also recognizing the responsibility we have for our staff in the region. I know that it's much easier to cut quickly. We have to do those things but, at the same time, we should be cognizant of our responsibility to deliver programs. We'll work with the divisional board.

My view is that the more accurate information we get and the better working relationship we develop, I think we'll be able to bring the board and the region through this difficult financial situation and we'll be able to provide additional support. In some cases it might be financial and in others it might be just management. We will work with them to resolve some of these issues. Thank you.