Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories develops a plan for implementing all the Auditor General’s recommendations on health programs and services, and provides it to Members of the Legislative Assembly and the public; and further, that the implementation plan include a timeline and quarterly progress updates to the Standing Committee on Social Programs beginning in June 2011.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize constituents of Nahendeh in the gallery here: Mr. Aaron McNabb, executive director of the Deh Cho Friendship Centre in Fort Simpson; Ms. Breagh Ingarfield from Nahanni Butte; and Ms. Shaylene Moses out of Wrigley. Mahsi cho and welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Transportation provide and make public a detailed action plan to implement the recommendations contained in the Auditor General’s report on the Deh Cho Bridge Project within 90 days. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the need for a new school over in Trout Lake. I know that the needs are mainly in our small and remote communities; however, we’ve been spending lots of our capital dollars over the last four years building super schools and super bridges, and I believe it should be time for the priority of this government to start concentrating on the schools in our small and remote communities.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Education -- he’s heard the needs of Trout Lake, he’s heard me raise it in the Assembly over the past years --...

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

I am pleased that my colleagues are speaking about the needs of the small communities today, Mr. Speaker. It is the basic expectation of communities and parents that their children will have a school to go to. While this government has been out building super schools and super bridges, it has not been meeting that very basic expectation in Trout Lake.

As I have already repeated in this House many times, Trout Lake has been without a school since the old Charles Tetcho School burned down many years ago. What was supposed to be a...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I will rise and support this motion today. In our communities I have asked many times to increase the mental health and healing programming dollars available to the communities, and always we’re limited by the health board budgets. I think it was about $5,000 per community. But this motion by the Member for Sahtu is a good solution to increase and diversify options and programs to our community. So I will be supporting this motion, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi cho.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to reiterate one more time that Trout Lake does not have a stand-alone school. It had burned down many, many years ago. Our government is on the record as saying that it will be replaced. Right now it’s being located in the community hall. That is just not acceptable. Each of our communities, our constituents, our people of the Nahendeh and the Northwest Territories deserve to have their own school. I’d like the Minister to start looking at that, start working towards that in the capital planning process this summer. I’d like to get a commitment of...

I think the Minister agrees with me that the best teaching space would be a new school. That’s what the community wants; that’s what I want. I’ve got support from the Members of the Assembly on this side of the House. I’d like to know what stage is his department looking at it in this business planning cycle of 2011 for 2012-2013. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to advise the House of the passing of a charismatic, true man of the North: Mr. Edwin Lindburgh of Fort Simpson. He was 81 years of age on May 3, 2011. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Lindburgh’s wife, Sue, his daughter, Carol, and all his family and many friends. He will be greatly missed by the people of Fort Simpson, Nahendeh, and people from all over the world who met Edwin Lindburgh over the years.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. The Standing Committee on Government Operations met on May 9, 2011, to review Bill 5, Write-off of Debts Act, 2010-2011.

Following the clause-by-clause review, a motion was carried to report Bill 5 to the Assembly as ready for Committee of the Whole.

This concludes the committee’s general comments on Bill 5. Individual Members may have additional questions or comments as we proceed. Thank you, Mr. Chair.