Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have probably about four major items that I want to talk to the department about.

The first one has to do with the college contribution to the department and the contribution to our small communities. You know that I want to thank the Minister for two things. First, to conducting the needs assessment in the Sahtu region for our students, the number one issue of that needs assessment has to deal with the literacy issue in our region by the younger people. Listening to them on CBC Radio and reading the article in the Globe and Mail, there is a pretty good indication as to how we can overcome our literacy issue in our small communities. The First Nations in Ontario have done some good work, and it also needs to be looked at through our Aurora College contribution.

The other one is to deal with the Sahtu technical institute and the study that has been happening. I look forward to the end of this month. We are on deadline with time frames that should be coming out and going forward into the planning process. Thanks to the Minister for moving that through the various stages of the planning of the Sahtu feasibility study and looking to see if that is something that we could implement in the Sahtu region in the future, because this will help with our Aurora College facilities in our small communities.

The second point I would like to ask the Minister is in regards to the Healthy Children Initiative, healthy food for children and youth. A lot of communities rely on that, especially for the morning breakfast programs. There are kids that take advantage of that and they have very good people working in those programs. I want to ask the Minister, are we the sole providers of that program, the healthy breakfast program in our small communities? I know there was some cause to see how much money these programs are valued at and then we have extra dollars from industry or other organizations to support our programs in the

school. I want to ask who our funding partners are, or is this solely a GNWT initiative? If we are, is that enough in regards to healthy foods for our children in our schools?

I want to talk about the school in Colville Lake. I know the Minister is looking at the school and its programming, the programs that are being taught in Colville Lake. There is a school there that is a log building that was constructed in 1991 and there was a modular classroom added in 2006. These buildings are from the days of Little House on the Prairie where you have one classroom and four or five different grades. Teachers are doing their best to educate the children. There are 50-some-odd students, maybe more, in these classrooms.

I have visited Colville Lake several times. I have noted the school atmosphere and the challenge that the teachers have in the buildings. There are several deficiencies noted in these school buildings, such as lacking storage space or there is lots of noise. With kindergarten to grade 4 or 5, there is just… How do you keep the little kindergarten or Grade 1 students quiet? So, there is lots of noise. There are partitions that are separating a Grade 3 and Grade 4 and kindergarten/Grade 1, so it’s not a very conducive learning environment in Colville Lake.

I want to ask the Minister, due to this typical learning environment that Colville Lake has had ever since they had schooling in Colville Lake, the community is really appreciative of the work that has been done; however, they are now asking if the department is willing to consider an idea to have the community be partners in building the new school for them. They have the means; they have the companies; they have the resources. Looking at the department they say, we know you don’t have the money. They always say…[English translation not provided.] They are saying that we have partners, we have companies. Can we build a school for you? According to GNWT specs, can we do this for you? Are you willing to look and sit down with us? Look at a new concept, a new idea. Otherwise we are just putting a bandage on an old issue.

As much as I appreciate the Minister going to battle with us and the department trying to fix the school up, fix it so that it is conducive to an educational environment. It is not doing what we want to do. So the leadership, through an e-mail, is asking if the department will look at a meeting where we can get together and say, is this possible, can we do this, what are our challenges, what are we up against? Can we build it and can the government lease it off us? Build it to their specs. The people in Colville Lake are asking for that and they want to provide the proper place to learn.

I know the department has made trips into the Sahtu. Can the department and staff come to

Colville Lake and look at the school environment? Take a visit and say, yes, maybe we should talk. I am asking for that. They want to know if they can do that. They also see that there are other schools that are getting the attention of…other communities are getting the attention of new schools, so I want to ask the Minister these questions. I know this is an O and M budget because this section deals with programs. School programs are very difficult to have in a community like Colville Lake where recently they have been graduating Grade 12 students there, so I want to raise this concern with the Minister. Mahsi, Mr. Chair.