Kevin A. Menicoche

The idea came from Mr. Sean Whelly, the mayor of Fort Simpson, and I’ve been pursuing it since last year and I have raised it with NWT Tourism. It’s a huge opportunity, I think, for international exposure, so if we could get the department onside and look for some resources. What kind of resources would the department have to fund such an international event?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased that the government is investing additional funds into the NWT Tourism Marketing Strategy. Showing Canada and the world that NWT is a world-travelled destination is key in developing and diversifying our tourism economy in all regions.

I’m working with the mayor of Fort Simpson, Mr. Sean Whelly. He has an idea of a man that can swim the entire Mackenzie River and bring along international exposure. His name is Mr. Martin Strel, but you can call him Big River Man. He has swum most of the world’s longest rivers. In February 2007, Martin Strel began...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s time for small schools in small communities and enough of building big schools in big communities. I’ll take up the Minister’s offer to come to my riding, and I certainly look forward to meeting with the leadership of Trout Lake and to show him the exact needs. The community actually disputes the numbers that he’s using. They’re actually saying that there are about 25 students already and growing yearly.

I’d like to ask the Minister, will he commit to start the work to do a planning study for the community of Trout Lake for a new school. Thank you.

I’ve also long made the case that that is not a school in Trout Lake. The old one had burned down. The school is being housed in the community centre right now, and our government has committed to replace that school, and that’s what I’m asking the Minister today.

So I’d like to ask the Minister, given that, when will this government replace that school in Trout Lake.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It can be extremely frustrating to be an MLA for a riding with small communities and see the government put aside their needs. I was hoping to see the planning study for a new school in Trout Lake addressed in this budget, but there’s nothing yet.

We are in the 21st century, all of us; the people in Yellowknife, Inuvik, Fort Smith and the people of Trout Lake. You might not think it’s the 21st century if you dropped into the school in Trout Lake. It is a one-room school in the current community centre. A little partition was put up last year, but it’s still...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. The Minister has the much touted “hold the line” budget. One of the things that the hold the line budget does is, when you start concentrating on big ticket projects, it impacts the delivery of projects to the smaller regions and communities. But I just want to say upfront, high on my agenda would be the highways, particularly Highway No. 7, Trout Lake school.

However, I wanted to discuss a little bit about new and emerging issues, and that’s the oil and gas development that’s happening up in the Sahtu. It definitely impacts my region. I also feel that despite...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that the Speaker be authorized to set such sitting days and hours as the Speaker, after consultation, deems fit to assist with the business before the House.

Mahsi.

I’m trying to point out to the Minister that, for example, if a school had burned down in Yellowknife and they put them in the community hall, how long would it take them to replace that school.

So I’d like to ask the Minister once again, when will that school be replaced for a new stand-alone school in Trout Lake. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’ve long stood up here and debated with the Minister of Education about the need for a new school for Trout Lake. I think our last discussion in this House was last October. I would like to ask what the Minister has done to advance the Trout Lake new school replacement project since then.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The committee would like to consider Tabled Document 9-17(4), NWT Main Estimates, 2013-2014.