Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I too, would like to recognize people for the Official Languages and Aboriginal Languages Revitalization boards. First, I’d like to recognize John Catholique, also mostly known as “JC”. Marsi cho. Also, I’d like to recognize Vance Sanderson from the Metis Nation. Vance is my grandson’s dad. I’d also like to recognize Angela James, from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, and Angela is part of my big family. Thank you.

Masi.. Recognition of Visitors in Gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like my colleague, I want to also recognize residents of the Yellowknife North riding, the Slack family: Todd, Kelly, and Sam. Thank you for being here.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Masi, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize my constituent, Nicolas Carriere, who is with Franco-tenoise and helps to keep the French language strong here in the territory. Mahsi.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

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Mary Sundberg is a very strong advocate for languages; I would like to thank her. She really promotes the language. They all do a very good job in promoting our language. Thank you, very much. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker and yes, some of the 12 are doing in Moose Kerr School and in our other communities and we’re looking at the capital planning studies for providing facilities and safe facilities for students. We want to make sure that we’re doing it in the right way in terms of safety and environmental protections, so yes, the same commitment. We’ll work with the school and the community and with Public Works and Services to ensure that we’re doing this in the proper way it’s supposed to be done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Way too fast today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for his answer. However, he didn’t really answer the question, I was asking if he’d get his staff into the community. But I can ask that a little bit later on. Mr. Speaker, with the construction happening to the school, has the department come up with a plan to house the students during this construction phase?

I thought the Member had asked if I was going to be willing to work with PWS and I did answer that one, and of course, our staff will go into the community and work with the community and the school board. We’ll get our superintendent in there. I’m also willing to make a commitment to go into the community and see for myself and work with Public Works and Services moving forward. Unfortunately, as the Member had stated in his preamble to the questions, space is an issue. We will be doing a phase-in approach when we’re working, making the renovations and the work that needs to be done while construction has been happening.With the phased-in approach, the students will be housed in one section of the school while work is being done. Then, on the second phase, they’ll be moved into the other part of the school while work is being done and we will be doing it within the best interests of the students of the staff, to make sure that the least disruption will be happening as we’re making these renovations to this school. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the government, Mr. Speaker and I thank the Minister for his answer. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell the House how the department is going to address such issues as safety of the site and the noise level during school hours that will impact on the students?

The department, along with Public Works and Services, will develop safe work plans and safety plans with accordance to the WSCC guidelines and approval. As I mentioned, we want to try to do this in the proper way. It’ll be a phased-in approach and we’ll try to do it with the least disruption to the students and the staff and try to adjust the noise issues as we are developing these safe plans on the building of the school.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and I thank the Minister for his answer. He’s kind of answered, but I’m going to rephrase it a bit here. Will he commit to a time frame when his staff and the DPW staff will get into the community, consult with them? He’s already made a commitment to come in and I’m assuming we’re going to have to do that in the fall because we’re in session right now. But will he commit to get or a time frame when the staff from DPW and Education get into the community and talk to the DEA and the council. Thank you.

Yes and unfortunately, we are in session nearing the end of the school year, but I’ve made a commitment to try to get out to all the schools, all the communities over the course of my term and I will commit to going into Trout Lake, working with the community, see how we can get this school built in the best possible way and you will bring staff in there.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister, NWT Housing Corporation, following my Member’s statement. I’d like to ask if the Minister feels that the Housing Corporation has an effective communications plan for the people that they serve, specifically, the public housing clients at this point. I hear a lot of people come to me and indicate that it was difficult for them to report their income and they’re having trouble with that because they would pay 30 per cent of their gross income towards rent. I know that hasn’t been the case for quite a few years that the maximum rent is just a little over 19 per cent of their gross income, so I’d like to ask that question to the Minister. Does she feel she has an effective communications plan for the people in public housing? Thank you.

Minister for NWT Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think at the GNWT level that the Ministers and the Premier have addressed, have identified that communication within all of our departments is an area that we need to work further on. I have given direction to the Housing Corporation to develop a communication plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask if the Minister would consider looking at developing a housing plan which has all aspects of housing that we look at in the communities, meaning that they look at not only the public housing, but all of the home ownership in the communities and all of the market housing and all of the staff housing in any particular community. I recognize that this would be a difficult task in a place like Yellowknife and Hay River, Inuvik. In the small communities where a high percentage of people are reliant on social housing, I’d like to ask if the Minister would develop a housing development plan for each community.

Yes, the NWT Housing Corporation is committed to doing a community housing development plan, specific for every community. We will be looking within that to get answers from people who live in the homes, the LHO’s within every community, the community government and the staff of course, of the corporation. As well, I will be asking feedback from our MLAs in, to also give feedback into the questionnaires within this survey before it is put out.