Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we’ve heard about this particular case in Trout Lake, the school, whether it be the capacity, the space itself. Due to that fact, we have identified funding to provide technical upgrades as identified in the VFA Canada reporting and program issues, in an attempt to provide better teaching space. Those are the areas that we are focusing on

right now, Mr. Speaker, and we are listening to the Member and also the community. We will be visiting the community in due time. Mahsi.

I think the Minister agrees with me that the best teaching space would be a new school. That’s what the community wants; that’s what I want. I’ve got support from the Members of the Assembly on this side of the House. I’d like to know what stage is his department looking at it in this business planning cycle of 2011 for 2012-2013. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, there are processes that we need to follow. As I stated, we have identified funds for technical upgrades and then having somebody, a consultant or departmental staff, going to the community to identify what’s needed and what’s the capacity. Right now, Mr. Speaker, the capacity is 48 percent utilized in the community. We have to look at that as well. Is it a space issue? Is it a building issue? The students, how many students are there? There are 16 students right now, Mr. Speaker. We’re talking about those specific matters and we need to highlight and analyze all those key areas before we say, well, there’s going to be a new school built next year. We need to find the funding, as well. The capital process will be in place and we will be discussing this particular subject along with others, as well.

I think that the priority of this government is that each community should have stand-alone schools, each community should have stand-alone recreation centres, and we should move towards, of course, nurses and policing. However, I’d like to know, is it the priority of the Department of Education to start looking at stand-alone schools in each of our small and remote communities? Mahsi cho.

Mr. Speaker, our priority is to deliver programs to each and every community to serve those students, to serve the community members. When we talk about infrastructure in communities, we have to work in partnership with the communities because there is limited access to infrastructure in the communities, as well. We have to work with those isolated communities, with what they have on hand and work with them. If there needs to be a new building that needs to come up, we need to work with the community government, the school boards and our department, the GNWT.

Mr. Speaker, It’s not just one piece of infrastructure. We’re talking about various infrastructure in the community that we need to work with. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to reiterate one more time that

Trout Lake does not have a stand-alone school. It had burned down many, many years ago. Our government is on the record as saying that it will be replaced. Right now it’s being located in the community hall. That is just not acceptable. Each of our communities, our constituents, our people of the Nahendeh and the Northwest Territories deserve to have their own school. I’d like the Minister to start looking at that, start working towards that in the capital planning process this summer. I’d like to get a commitment of that nature. Mahsi cho.

Mr. Speaker, I did commit to the Member that we will be going to the school. I believe we’re working on a date with the Member to go into the community and also look at the particular school and the complex it is under. Working towards the next capital planning project, I will work with the Member and also the Members at large that this along with other projects, what are the priorities? What should come to us first? Those are the discussions that we need to have, as we do every year with the capital projects process. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today in my Member’s statement I was speaking about the accommodations. Many communities have adequate accommodations. You know, in Tuktoyaktuk, our teachers housing, we’re really fortunate enough to have a six-plex, but our government has pulled the funding back from the community.

Mr. Speaker, considering the housing issue is a number one problem in recruiting and retaining good staff in the communities, and considering that some communities are not waiting for the government to help develop housing strategies for their staff, will this government commit to seriously developing innovative and realistic assistance packages to these often cash-strapped small communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to housing for staff, especially the teachers, we look after all the teachers as much as we can through the board operations. For the 2010-2011 school year, the teachers that were hired, there were no reports of positions going unfilled because of lack of suitable accommodations. As we all know, the northern living allowance, we take that into consideration as well, where each teacher, individual community

members do receive those allowances based on their posting. So if they’re in an isolated community, they get a higher northern living allowance, as well. Those are benefits that our teachers can qualify for, as well. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, our government, with our nursing we provide them housing right in the health centres. Mr. Speaker, we need to help our teachers because they’re the only ones that are going to help our students. Under the vision statement of this government, you know, it’s strong, healthy, vibrant, independent people. Mr. Speaker, we need this funding reinstated back into the communities for the teachers. We have to support them, because they’re the ones supporting our students.

Mr. Speaker, will the government commit to developing supporting our teachers housing subsidy program for all of the Nunakput communities and across the territory? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, what I can state in this House is that there are certain programs through the NWT Housing Corporation that each corporation can access. We’ve discussed this and it came from this Assembly, as well, that we need to deliver those subsidies to those corporations so they can build affordable housing. Yes, we support those teachers, very much so, and we know the students are successful because of those teachers. So we’ll continue to work interdepartmental; ECE, Housing Corporation along with the board operations, as well. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, I had my EA at the Tuk Education Authority meeting. The cost of living in Tuk for rental housing is about $1,800 a month. For a person to come and live in the community and teach our students, we need the support. You know, we’re failing these teachers now.

Mr. Speaker, I’m asking the Minister to reconsider and reinstate the funding to give back to the community for our teacher housing program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. I did commit to working with the education school boards, the NWT Housing Corporation and ECE, my department, to work with the subsidies that we have in place, and also to deal with the northern living allowance that’s before us. Maybe some teachers are not fully aware before they get into the communities that they do receive attractive benefits when they’re in most isolated communities. So I did commit in this House that I will be working interdepartmentally and with other corporations as well. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I’d like to ask the Minister to reconsider reinstating

the funding back to the communities and back to the teachers for their housing, and if the Minister could commit to me today to come to meet with the Tuk District Education Authority before the end of the session. Thank you.

Mahsi. Those are the same questions that have been addressed. I will commit to the Member that I’ll be working with the corporations, the Housing Corporation, also the Beaufort-Delta Department of Education as well, and Beaufort-Delta Board of Education. So we need to find solutions in these areas and support our teachers. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do agree with the Member’s comment and I think this whole Assembly agrees with it. That’s why this Assembly has determined that in the life of the 16th Assembly the amount of money

that we’ve put into youth is unprecedented in any Assembly before us. I think that goes a long way in showing that we do recognize that investing in youth is a very good issue and it’s something that we all support. Thank you.