The aging school and gymnasium in Dettah need to be replaced but the GNWT is failing to consult with Yellowknives Dene First Nation leadership on those needs, says Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh MLA Richard Edjericon.

Kaw Tay Whee School was built out of four trailers in 1970.

"The gymnasium that supports that school is not attached and is far too small," Edjericon said in the legislative assembly on March 4, noting that the undersized gym is approximately 275 metres from the educational facility. "Dettah students therefore must bus into Yellowknife if they want to get proper exercise and enjoy recreation activities students in Yellowknife have."

Meanwhile, J.H. Sissons School, formerly standing along 51A Avenue, was built around the same time as Dettah's school but it was completely demolished and rebuilt in 2022, Edjericon noted. It is now known as Ecole Itlo.

He also mentioned that the gymnasium in Ndilo, which doubled as a community hall, "has been long outgrown." The community has been calling for a new, larger gymnasium for years, he said, adding that he and his predecessor as MLA, Steve Norn, have both been stymied in their efforts to get that project added to the GNWT's capital plan.

"My communities know what's best... what they need for the community but, so far, they have not been listened to," said Edjericon. ""I am now calling on the minister of Infrastructure to get these projects onto the capital plan to build as soon as possible." 

He also cited Article 23 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was endorsed by the previous legislative assembly. It gives Indigenous people the right to be actively involved in developing and determining health, housing and other economic and social programs.

"However, the Department of Infrastructure and ECE [Education Culture and Employment] continues to not consult with Yellowknives Dene First Nation leadership on the capital needs, especially when it comes to upgrading and replacing their aging school and gymnasium," the MLA stated. 

He inquired with Infrastructure Minister Caroline Wawzonek about the status of a 2018-19 study to assess Kaw Tay Whee School.

Wawzonek said she wasn't familiar with the study and would need time to track it down, as it may have been filed with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. 

"When it comes to the capital planning for educational facilities, it is a team effort," she said. "We rely on ECE to determine their programming needs and then, of course, the team at Infrastructure supports them with respect to capital planning standards and then moving through the process."  

After locating the study, Edjericon wanted to know if the minister would be willing to start working with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation chief and council and the local district education authority to examine Dettah's needs for the fall 2025 capital plan. 

Wawzonek responded that the chief had not raised the issue of Kaw Tay Whee School directly with her, but said she'd be happy to have that conversation.

"The capital planning process is a fairly detailed one. There are several criteria by which projects are judged to determine which ones move forward," she explained. "Existing schools go through regular assessments every five years to determine where they might fall in terms of their needs. New capital projects similarly go through an assessment. There's standards and criteria that apply to all educational facilities. So there's... certainly a very robust system to ensure that we are ensuring that all the 33 communities have access to good educational facilities."

Edjericon emphasized that education is a treaty right and asked how soon a meeting can be held involving the minister and local leaders.  

Wawzonek didn't commit to a date, but gave an example from Behchoko, where the community desires to see the school changed and moved. She said the minister of Education, with support from the Department of Infrastructure, is working with the Tlicho Government and they are going to Ottawa to "advocate for better education."  

"I would be very happy to see that we can get to a place where another Indigenous government, together with the GNWT, are able to advocate for better education in their community, and I am happy to meet with the chiefs to work towards that goal," Wawzonek said.