Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Minister has presented us, I guess, an eye opener in terms of what our needs are in the Northwest Territories and what type of funding we are going to look at for the next year. We understand that our needs are higher than the revenue that’s coming into the Northwest Territories. We are very happy that the federal government is contributing to the Mackenzie Valley Highway, through their recent announcement of working on a portion north of Inuvik and they already started the Tuk to Inuvik road. We, as government, are supporting this process through allocating $1 million to complete the planning for that section. The work is starting. I think we need to continue to support that aspect of the Mackenzie Valley Highway just as much as when the rest of the regions are going to be going through their process of putting a proposal together once the PDRs are completed and environmental assessments are done when we need to secure
money for the construction of the road up the valley to meet the Dempster. So we look for that type of support in the future.
I hope that there are some provisions with the upcoming appropriation act and under small capital planning to finally get the needs of the Colville Lake people met. Ms. Bisaro talks about bringing health into the 21
st Century. I think Colville Lake is still in
the 16
th Century with the honey bucket system. This
is utterly ridiculous in this day and age, where small capital funding could simply install proper washroom facilities at a public facility such as our health centre in one of our small communities. Why is it taking so long? I’ve been here eight years and I plan to be here another four more years. I hope to goodness that by the time I’m finished this 17
th Assembly, Colville Lake will have a running facility like any other facility in the Northwest Territories.
For eight years I have been hearing nothing but excuses, excuses and excuses why we can’t simply replace the honey bucket system at the health centre. They have their good reasons and they have their good excuses, but that doesn’t do any good to my people in Colville Lake who, today, have to use that honey bucket system. That is not very good.
You could spend millions of dollars on other things that the government seems to move pretty quickly on. They build millions of dollars of infrastructure, but I don’t understand why it is taking so long to take the honey bucket out of the health centre and put proper washroom facilities in there.
I ask the Cabinet and Ministers to think about this and see what we can do for Colville Lake. I ask that they could consider that in their planning. Their money is being divvied up amongst the departments as to their funding. I ask this on behalf of my people in Colville Lake. I think it can get done. We could put $182 million into our bridge. I think we can put a simple little washroom in the health centre in Colville Lake.
At the same time, I want to speak about the honey buckets in our public school in Colville Lake. There are about 53 to 56 kids in that education system in two separate buildings. There is no proper air ventilation in the school. It stinks in there when you go in there sometimes. That is what kids have to go through. They have no other choice but to go to school, because they are like anybody in the Northwest Territories and the families support their children getting the proper education. But, Mr. Chair, could you imagine children sitting there and smelling their own sewage? That is not very good. I was in there last week. One of the portable units that they have for the school has 25 kids in there.
Again, I would ask the government to look at doing something with those facilities. Make it happen. I want to ask the government on behalf of the people, on behalf of the parents that send their kids
to the school and we encourage them to go to school and to have a proper facility. It is unbelievable; in the same washroom area they also have a program where they are teaching children preventative measures on the dental hygiene care. I am going to raise it again until I know for sure that they have a proper running toilet, sink and that is taken care of with proper ventilation. I ask that under the capital plans and I will ask more questions later on.
I am just looking at the capital estimates. I know that the Minister talked about the bleak picture that we have in front of us and the great needs that are needed in the Northwest Territories. I am hoping that the Minister has good meetings with Finance Canada on some of the bigger issues, the debt wall, the borrowing and help us with our finances.
Colville Lake is also asking – and I agree with them – and some of my colleagues have spoken; they also are looking forward to seeing where in the planning we could look at a new school in Colville Lake. They are asking if it could be brought to the attention of the government to start putting it into the planning books for Colville Lake. It is overcrowded. If you ever watched the program, Mr. Chair, called “Hoarders” on TLC, they have junk everywhere, stuff in people’s houses. Well, the Colville Lake School is like that. It is so small and crammed up and they are trying to teach a proper Slavey class or the young grades class. They have books and stuff piled up. It is unbelievable. Those teachers should be given a medal for teaching in those types of conditions, with a honey bucket and the overcrowding. There are four grades in one room like this. There are paper wall partitions where they are trying to teach. Kids are just kids. They make a lot of noise. It is very hard to teach in those conditions. That is the reality of our school in Colville Lake. They really need a new school. Offer a facility to educate them. They need a new building. I am going to keep raising this to see where the government can work with us.
Colville Lake wants to work with you. Tell us what kinds of numbers you guys need to work with. They are independent, proud people and they will work with you. You give them a number. They will help you. They want the best for the kids just like any of us. We have friends and family ourselves who have children in their own classrooms. They want the best. They are no different than you and I on educating their kids. That is what I want to say to this government. I look forward to having further discussions as we go through this. Mahsi cho.