Jackson Lafferty

Mr. Chair, I’m glad the Member is raising this profile because what we have on paper states that there is a committee struck and established but it is a different version from Member’s, so we definitely need to follow through with that.

For the 16 different parties that are involved, I’d like to see a training plan, as the Member does. I would like to see a pamphlet as the Member is referring to. Once we leave here, that will be my instruction to the department, to coordinate that, get the latest status, what they’ve been working on, training needs and so forth. I think that’s what the Member...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. This has been a work in progress for a number of years now. For 2012-13, as stated in the business plan, the revenue generation of a million and then it increases by $20,000 every year after that up to 2016. The Government of Nunavut is fully aware that they need their own stand-alone museum to store their artifacts. We are working with them on this and we have made it clear to them that our storage area has also got capacity that we need to look after within our own artifacts as well. They are fully aware of it. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Creating a trades centre has been brought up in this House as well. We are fully aware of the activity that is happening in the Sahtu region and also in other regions. That’s why we are working closely with the regional training partners in that area and also including the ITI department as well. The college needs to be involved, the Aboriginal organizations and also industry. We’re compiling all the information from them. We need to find out the community’s needs, the individual needs, what kind of training that’s going to be required, what can the college deliver and what...

Yes, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. We talk about the process and there has been a lot of discussion on this particular subject over the years. We can provide the detailed documentation. We’ve been working with various partners, as I stated on the option paper that came before us. What’s the status today? We can provide that detailed information to the Members.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I agree with the Member that this is a huge opportunity for us to look at, is the active growing throughout the Northwest Territories. We realize the higher cost of living the further up north you are. Part of the healthy choices that we are working on within our department, MACA and Health and Social Services, we have identified certain areas of initiatives, targets. What the Member is referring to is actual curriculum that he wants us to potentially explore. By all means, I will be directing my department to explore those options and those key areas. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. As you know, we’re not here to talk about capital, but the Member alluded to planning stages. This is an area that I’m very interested in having discussion with various partners that I introduced in this House before. Part of the discussion I want my department to have is to reintroduce those option papers that we initiated in I believe it was 2010. The existing facilities in Yellowknife, I’m sure we can utilize one of the facilities, as we indicated before. That’s just an option that we want to work with.

Another option was to work with potential partners building a place...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. First, I must commend the Growing Food initiative in Inuvik. That’s a very important initiative that could be delivered as part of the programming into the community, into the schools and so forth. There are a number of programs that we have initiated such as Drop the Pop. We have a 925 intake, the highest participation rate yet. This is an area that we are very proud of. The East Three School, the secondary café, is also serving healthy, hot lunches. Those are just some of the initiatives that we have undertaken.

There are also school fund guidelines in development of...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I totally agree with the Member about creating more opportunities and that’s our vision, that’s our goal as a department.

Again, I must commend the Beaufort-Delta. When they presented last week, it was very exciting. We were going through a process where we can capture the small communities to deliver academic programming and so forth. So we’ve committed to the Beaufort-Delta. I just signed a letter just the other day, to continue with the fund up to 2013-2014. Part of the programming is that, of course, there will be a review after. Then we’re going through educational...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. During the capital planning process we’ve identified some of the schools, whether it be minor renovations or major renovations, and I can provide that information. I don’t have it in front of me today. With respect to one of the schools that we are currently evaluating, it is J.H. Sissons School. There has been an education plan underway since last fall, providing the school district for their review as well. Those are just the processes we have to go through with each capital project that’s before us throughout the Northwest Territories.