Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on February 8, 2001, the community of Tsiigehtchic in my riding celebrated the official opening of the new seniors unit along with the Paul Nidtchie School. It opened last fall, but the official opening only took place in February.
We had the opportunity, along with the chief, Mr. Peter Ross, the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen, and an elder, Pierre Benoit, who is a resident of the seniors unit, who cut the ribbon to make the opening of the seniors unit official. At that time, Mr. Benoit gave us a tour of his facility. It definitely is a unit that feels homely, open and also gives the seniors the respect that they deserve. In Mr. Benoit's words, he stated: "I never dreamed I would end up in a unit such as this, which is so beautiful and so homely."
We moved on to the Paul Nidtchie School, where there was another official opening with the Minister of Education, Mr. Ootes, and a young student, Charlene Blake. At the official opening of the Chief Julias School, a lot of speeches were given. People could remember back in 1948 the school that was used just until last year, which the chief and a lot of other people in the community went to. That shows you how much use we received out of that building which has now been converted to a youth and adult education centre.
From there, we went to a feast the community had hosted, and speeches and presentations were given. At that time, I made a speech to encourage the students about the importance of education. It is probably one of the most important ambitions they are going to take on in their lives. I encouraged them to continue on with their education.
With that, I would like to thank both Ministers, Mr. Allen and Mr. Ootes, as well as the community for the opportunity to officially open these buildings. Thank you.
-- Applause