Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’ve long stood up here and debated with the Minister of Education about the need for a new school for Trout Lake. I think our last discussion in this House was last October. I would like to ask what the Minister has done to advance the Trout Lake new school replacement project since then.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Trout Lake school, Charles Tetcho School, has a capacity of 20 students at this point. It does have up to 33 students that we have a capacity for at that size. Right now it’s at 61 percent for 2011-2012 enrolment figures. Based on that, from the information I have there’s not much need for additional space requirement. However, I have committed to the Member and will be visiting his constituency, and I want to look at the actual facility itself and discuss further how we can move that along expeditiously. As the Member indicated, 2018 is far away, but that’s an area we continue to work with with the MLAs during the capital planning process. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

I’ve also long made the case that that is not a school in Trout Lake. The old one had burned down. The school is being housed in the community centre right now, and our government has committed to replace that school, and that’s what I’m asking the Minister today.

So I’d like to ask the Minister, given that, when will this government replace that school in Trout Lake.

Again, it’s based on the capacity of the students in the schools for the Northwest Territories. We deal with 49 schools and the Charles Tetcho School was constructed in 1993, so it is almost 20 years now and that’s an area that we need to re-evaluate, the number of students in a school and also the population in a community.

Again, I will be visiting the community and looking at the school, and we can discuss further what the next steps should be. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

I’m trying to point out to the Minister that, for example, if a school had burned down in Yellowknife and they put them in the community hall, how long would it take them to replace that school.

So I’d like to ask the Minister once again, when will that school be replaced for a new stand-alone school in Trout Lake. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, currently we have the school in Trout Lake. We have students learning in Trout Lake; 20 students

that are registered in school. We do have a facility. It may not be a fancy facility, but this is an area that we are closely monitoring. At the same time, this is an area that I’ve been pushing my department, especially for small schools, how we can expedite this process.

When it comes to capital infrastructure, every year we go through that. We push through various schools to be included in the capital planning process. Unfortunately, there are other pressing needs, other pressing issues that come forward as a priority.

So with this particular school, we’ll continue to push that forward. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s time for small schools in small communities and enough of building big schools in big communities. I’ll take up the Minister’s offer to come to my riding, and I certainly look forward to meeting with the leadership of Trout Lake and to show him the exact needs. The community actually disputes the numbers that he’s using. They’re actually saying that there are about 25 students already and growing yearly.

I’d like to ask the Minister, will he commit to start the work to do a planning study for the community of Trout Lake for a new school. Thank you.

Those are the discussions that we need to have within my department and with the school board as well. What it comes down to is the needs of the community, the number of students.

I did commit to the Member that I will be visiting the community, and highlighting the Trout Lake School and how we can take that matter forward. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. In my statement earlier today, I know the 17th Assembly Caucus clearly

stated an emphasis on strong individuals, families and communities, and developing a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable Economic Development Strategy.

We know there are big challenges to achieve this and that expertise in all these areas is, obviously, required. How did the Minister set out to ensure the Economic Development Strategy meets the social and environment Caucus priorities, when the discussion paper itself is a sponsorship of business

only, and no environmental or social expertise appears to be included? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Economic Opportunities Strategy focuses on growing the economy here in the Northwest Territories. At the same time, we have a parallel process with the Anti-Poverty Strategy that the government has initiated as well.

Our belief is that we can find a way forward with the economy and focus on economic opportunities in the various regions around the Northwest Territories, and that’s what this strategy is set up to do. Thank you.

The strategy discussion paper lists the reference materials that will be the basis of analysis; that’s industry profiles, regional economic profiles and a literature review of economic strategies. But where’s the social analysis and the environmental studies such as the need to control growth in greenhouse gasses, building a carbon-neutral economy?

Does the Minister really believe that the socially responsible and environmentally sustainable aspects of an Economic Development Strategy can happen without specific and thoughtful preparation and design in that work? Mahsi.

We have a number of folks involved in the Economic Opportunities Strategy, including the Northern Aboriginal Business Association, the NWT Chamber of Commerce, the NWT Association of Communities. We have an expert panel that’s set up, as well as the department. We’re not setting out to conduct this Economic Opportunities Strategy without talking to people. We’ve been out to a number of communities already. We’re looking for feedback from residents around the Northwest Territories.

I know the Member mentioned big business in his opening statement. This isn’t all about big business, Mr. Speaker, it’s about opportunities, especially in the smaller communities, if you look at the commercial fishing, agriculture, tourism, the traditional economy, as well, with trapping. We have to turn over every stone when it comes to finding opportunities out in the regions, and we have to find out what those obstacles are to get economic development happening in some of our small communities. Mr. Speaker, this is our effort to do that. Thank you.

Thanks for the Minister’s comments. I don’t disagree with much of that, but a quick look at the parameters of the discussion, the strengths will be examined. That’s mines, forests, airports, and connections and the like. No people there. The weaknesses are studied. That’s regulatory processes, roads, access to land. No

human capacity there either. There are opportunities; for example, interest from foreign investors and, finally, threats…(inaudible)…threats to the business environment.

Again, where’s the environment, where are the people and where are the cost priorities? Mahsi.

The North has always been criticized for having too much red tape, government’s getting in the way of business. We believe that the regulatory regime that is in place is going to protect the environment. This is a stand-alone strategy. It focuses on growing the economy here in the Northwest Territories and we should let it do just that. Focus on economic development here in the NWT. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister seems to think that the environmentally sustainable aspects and social responsibility can just happen without being designed. I say that’s baloney. Ploughing forward with blinders on is not going to serve us. That’s an old method that’s been disproven. We need a comprehensive holistic approach here.

So I ask, how will the Minister move to correct these oversights, and if he doesn’t, why bother spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on this exercise when we’re coming up with more of the same? Mahsi.

I appreciate the Member’s concerns; however, I don’t share those concerns. I believe we can move forward with an Economic Opportunities Strategy that’s going to benefit every region across the Northwest Territories and find new ways for us to grow the economy, especially in the smaller communities, and that’s what we’re going to start out to do. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my Member’s statement, we are having concerns in Hay River about the new health centre and what’s not going into it. I have questioned the Minister on this in the past, about the 10 long-term beds. Can I get an answer from the Minister of Health and Social Services on what he has done since the beginning, what he and the department have done for a solution for the 10 long-term beds in Hay River?

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.