Kevin A. Menicoche

Certainly, a community like this that experiences disaster, the community is still not together and the last thing you’ve got to give them is guidelines, procedures and reasons why we cannot help them.

I’d like to ask the Minister one more time: Will he review these certain instances and see if he can help the residents that have lost small personal gas equipment that would help them with their harvesting, hunting and trapping?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to ask some questions on disaster compensation to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, only because that some of the replacement items belong to hunters and trappers in the community of Nahanni Butte. I’m actually a little bit confused, though. I thought disaster compensation for that horrible flood in Nahanni Butte would be under MACA, but it looks like ITI has taken over some of the hunters’ and trappers’ skidoos, chainsaws and quads that got damaged. Recently, three residents were denied assistance to replace those items.

I’d like...

Mr. Speaker, I am sure that criteria works well if it is a school, but this is not a school. It is one room in the community hall. I keep impressing that on government. Why do our children deserve less in the smaller communities than others? I would like the Minister to explain that to myself and everyone in Trout Lake. They have to recognize that this is not a school. It is actually a room in the community hall. When will this government replace that school in Trout Lake? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Trout Lake school Member’s statement earlier this afternoon. During my last visit to Trout Lake and with the recent letter received, they have indicated that parents and council, the chief has indicated that the Charles Tetcho School is too small. This fiscal year alone, there are 19 students listed in the morning, and in the afternoon there are 16 students. There is a big open class. I have always said it is like the one-room school. There are too many distractions from the kindergarten class all the way up to the Grade 9 students, as...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to, of course, continue my dialogue and actually ask a library question, as well, in my dialogue about replacing the school in Trout Lake. I know that government, we do have a 20-year needs assessment, so maybe I can ask the Minister if he can show me that list and show me where the Trout Lake school is on the 20-year needs assessment, and maybe we can start that dialogue there and if he can make a commitment that we can meet sometime this week to look at exactly where the Trout Lake school is on the capital needs assessment.

We had a good debate in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Where is the replacement for the Trout Lake school identified in the capital plan?

Given the number of children attending the school, what are the department’s long-term attendance estimates for Trout Lake?

What are the parameters and guidelines required to ensure a planning study for a new school in Trout Lake is undertaken?

Is there a portable school in our education or government system that can be used in Trout Lake?

Certainly, in this case in Nahanni Butte, it was an act of God. It was a new issue. I was over at the Dehcho leadership meeting and the chief and the band manager from Nahanni Butte brought this to my attention. But some of the parameters, some of the guidelines are making it difficult for people to claim damaged hunting and trapping equipment. I’d just like to ask the Minister of ITI: Can he review this, because there must be a way around it?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That eventual reality of getting a new school is why I am up here and been raising the issue for years and years. When will that school be replaced? You have ECE standards versus the substandard. That is my point. That is not a recognized school by that community. The government promised to replace that school. They never did. When are they going to do that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee wishes to deliberate Tabled Document 64-17(3), NWT Capital Estimates 2013-2014, with a continuation of Health and Social Services, Justice, and perhaps get into Education, Culture and Employment.