Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with this recent cold snap, several schools across the Northwest Territories have closed because of extreme cold. Even when these closures only last the morning or a full day, they remind us how important one's environment, both inside and outside, is to the students' ability to learn successfully.

Families and community leaders in Aklavik remain concerned about the adequacy of Moose Kerr School, not our dedicated teachers, not our hardworking students, not the many groups that also use the school, but the building itself.

This winter alone, the school has shut down a handful of times, not because of the weather, but because of building issues. Although the GNWT has done various maintenance projects over the years, that work does not seem to have caught all the problems.

This is very troubling to the community, who want their concerns to be heard and for the students to have a reliable, high-quality environment for their education. Right now the GNWT has said that small repair initiatives over time will make the building last another 20 years. I appreciate that those important repairs have been happening and that capital planning must address the needs of the whole territory, but there is still a disconnect between the government's assessment and the needs of the community.

The GNWT has also said that, with the current utilization rate, any future replacement of Moose Kerr School, which was built 50 years ago and last had a major retrofit 20 years ago, would be smaller than the current school.

I'm hearing from the community that a smaller school in better condition is preferable to the current situation. You will not be surprised to hear, Mr. Speaker, but I'll have more to say about Moose Kerr School as this session continues. Thank you, and I'll have questions later today.