Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Today I would like to acknowledge what happened in our community. We just lost two of our citizens in the Tlicho region. I know there’s a lot of people in our community who are suffering right now. We all know each other. Even when we’re here, we are remembering them and we want to have prayers in our hearts for their parents and their families.

We have to look at how we can resolve this. We have to support them and try to help the community in the situation they are in because of what has happened and what has occurred in our community. I know that next week...

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Yes, on a going-forward basis, the planning study has been in the works for some time. Members have raised that issue in the House. It’s here before us and it’s going forward.

A capital plan for 2015-2016, obviously there are other pressing issues, as well, in the Northwest Territories. I have to remind the House that we spent well over $150 million over the past five years. So we’ve had our turn and there are other significant projects on the go. I agree with the Member that as we move forward, we should be putting more emphasis on our schools, whether it be renovating and so...

Yes, I do, Mr. Chair.

Again, yes, I will be looking into it. We have to be very mindful. Our northern students go south and they get sponsorship and they come back north to go to school. We have to be careful that we don’t double-dip. They get compensation, say, from Alberta government. At the same time, we sponsor them within the three months residency as is suggested here. Those are areas we are exploring, pros and cons, the benefits to our students. Whatever we do, provincial and territorial jurisdictions are watching us. Any changes we make, obviously we will need to work with them. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Over the years we’ve been following the process when it comes to capital infrastructure, but just recently there’s been some interest from community, whether it be the business arm wanting to provide some opportunity for us. Those are just the recent discussions that we are currently having and potential prospects of either building new schools or the college and so forth. Those are discussions that, as a Cabinet, we need to have. Anything we do goes against our borrowing limit so we have to be mindful of that.

My department is working very closely with PWS as well. Anything...

If it was that easy, I would have made that change yesterday. We are, as my department, working diligently on the particular policy that we have in place. It’s been in since 2000, so 15 years.

Obviously, we are supporting our Northerners coming back to the North. When a Northerner lives in the South, whether it be Alberta or a provincial jurisdiction, they are sponsored with 12 months’ residency. They have the same residency as we do across Canada. So once they live in southern Alberta, as such, they will qualify for financial compensation to go to school. So, we need to be very careful how we...

We have more detailed information here if I can get my deputy to just elaborate more.

Any changes we make to our policies, obviously there’s a cost factor, as I stated, and this is an area that we are looking at.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Tsiigehtchic, we have to keep in mind the utilization of the space. There are 49 schools that we’re responsible for, but we are working closely with the Beaufort-Delta District Education Council and we identify the capacity as 27 percent versus a 90 percent capacity in other schools, it becomes a priority for this Assembly. But we’re mindful of that and at every opportunity, if I visit a community, I like to visit the schools to see the capacity itself, to see what the real issues are. So that’s what we’ll continue to do.

The Moose Kerr School that the Member highlighted...

That policy has been in existence since 2000, for 15 years. We’ve heard from students about the particular policies we have in place. There are certain areas where 12 months’ residency versus what Members suggested, three months. If an individual moves south after high school, whether it is for work or school, and they come back for three months and go back to school again to further their schooling down south, they would qualify based on what the Member is suggesting, three months. There is no guarantee that these students will be coming back. We just have to be mindful and monitor those...