Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, next week is NWT Social Work Week. Today I rise to recognize the valuable contribution of social workers to children, families and communities in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, the strength and wellness of a community is most clearly reflected in the care and concern it places on the most vulnerable of its residents. The practice of social work in the NWT reinforces this premise as the profession is dedicated to building community connections and family supports that ensure our most vulnerable individuals, including children, seniors, persons with disabilities and people in crisis, have safe, respectful and nurturing environments.

The social work profession is as diverse as the people who fill the positions. Social workers bring their strengths, their skills, their education and their life experiences to their work. In addition to child protection services, social workers provide services in a variety of specialty areas including:

• • community corrections;
• • community development;
• • addictions services;
• • seniors and disabilities services;
• • mental health services;
• • adoption services;
• • family counselling; and,
• • crisis intervention counselling.

As you can see, the social work profession offers much to the well-being of our communities and to the NWT society as a whole. The profession, particularly here in the NWT, is all about working with communities in partnership with other frontline

professionals and support workers. This partnership is key to building on family and community strengths in a proactive manner and to providing the necessary supports during times of crisis or need.

The Department of Health and Social Services has a leadership role to promote and nurture the profession of social work within the health and social services system. As Members know, Mr. Speaker, the department continues to work in partnership with health and social services authorities to implement an action plan that responds to recommendations of the child and family services review done in May 2000. Our accomplishments include:

• • providing funding for social workers to access professional development;
• • increasing the number of social workers in the GNWT workforce by 20 positions in the past two years;
• • creating a new mentorship program for the social work profession;
• • improving the electronic information system that social workers use to deliver child and family services;
• • developing system-wide standards of practice as well as guidelines of best practices;
• • supporting the development of a territorial Foster Parent Association; and,
• • supporting non-government organizations to provide services and to advocate for community members.

I am also pleased to announce, Mr. Speaker, some new resources that are being released as part of Social Work Week. The department partnered with the Association of Social Workers in Northern Canada and Aurora College to develop career booklets, an interactive CD and a toolkit to market the profession of social work in the NWT.

These resources are being highlighted during the social work conference and AGM that's being held today and this weekend.

Mr. Speaker, this year's theme for Social Work Week is aptly titled "Social Work - Leaders for Social Change." Join me in recognizing social workers throughout the NWT who bring positive social change to NWT families and communities every day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I recently had a chance to visit the staff and students of Koinonia Christian School in Yellowknife and I invited them to visit our Legislature and I am pleased to see them with us today. In their honour, I would like to say a few words about this unique school.

Koinonia opened its doors in August 1996, only weeks after legislation allowing for its development became law. The founders of the school were seeking alternate Christian-based education for their children. From those small beginnings of six students to a high of 28 in 1998, the school has continued in Yellowknife. This year, the school has 12 full-time students in grades one to eight. The school's motto is excellence in education, excellence in living, excellence in service. Their goal is to educate children in a way that emphasizes the need to do their very best in what they pursue, in the adults they grow to be and in their service to the community and country.

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the staff and students at that school take that motto seriously judging from some of the activities the school has taken part in. In 1998, and again in 2002, students from the school have won the Heritage Day contest and they have represented their school in the NWT at Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa. Almost without exception since 1996, the students have won or placed at various levels of the Royal Canadian Legion Remembrance Day Contest. Most recently students were involved in the Queen's Jubilee Commemorative Book presented to Her Majesty in 2002.

Mr. Speaker, this unique school also attempts to stay on the cutting edge of education delivery. This year, it embarked upon a new pilot project in virtual education. Students in grade six and eight participated in some of the traditional classroom programs and received their major instruction online through North Start Academy Canada online programs, although supervised in-house, teachers based out of Alberta are available to students online at any time. Recently, North Star Academy Canada has signed an agreement for a pilot project with the Alberta Distance Learning Centre whereby that centre is contracting with the academy to deliver its Christian alternative program for grades 11 to 12. If this pilot project proves successful, the centre will contract the academy in the coming years to deliver grades 6 to 12 Christian alternative programs as well as other grades as they are developed. Mr. Speaker, may I seek unanimous consent to continue?

The Member is seeking unanimous consent. Do I hear any nays? You have unanimous consent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, the school staff comes to the school not merely as employees seeking employment, but as people who feel that teaching at Koinonia is their calling. Their investment shows in their children, in the quality of education that is provided and the spirit in the classroom.

The students at the school come from a mixture of ethnic backgrounds, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal. Currently, the school is looking to acquire property in which to place the portable classrooms obtained through government tender 18 months ago. Also, this is a high priority for the school to go and develop and they need to have a permanent home. They have been operating out of a classroom in Mildred Hall School. I know this is how Ecole Allain St-Cyr had its beginning and we now know that dreams like this do come true with dedication, commitment and perseverance.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud the work the staff and students of the school have been doing and I ask my colleagues to wish them continued success in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about an issue that affects our constituents' right in their pocketbooks. Mr. Speaker, the cost of getting electricity pumped into people's houses has continued to grow throughout the Territories and I refer specifically to my constituency. Mr. Speaker, just over the Christmas break and into the new year, I was contacted by a number of concerned constituents and businesses in the community about the increased power bills they were starting to receive. There was a short fall rate rider that showed up on their bills plus a demand charge that was there and bumped the power cost significantly in my constituency. I raised this issue with the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation and I have to thank him for getting back to me with some information.

Mr. Speaker, I am still concerned with the increased cost of power in my community. For example, right now for residential use in Inuvik, 38 cents per kilowatt hour and on top of that, the monthly service charge and if you're a general user, there is another demand charge. Mr. Speaker, when the community of Inuvik switched over its generators to gas turbines, there was talk of saving money because the big cost of providing for fuel for those generators would drop significantly from that of the bunker C fuel they were using prior. Mr. Speaker, we were told at that time that there would probably be no reduction in cost because we had to pay for the cost of replacing the old generators with the new ones. Mr. Speaker, in the information provided it says, through those gas turbines, we've probably lowered the cost of service in Inuvik by 15 percent.

So, Mr. Speaker, even though we were told we are saving money and it is costing less to generate that power, residents of Inuvik are finding they are having to pay more for the same service. So, I will be asking the Minister which is it? Are we

actually saving money and, if so, why isn't that being passed on to the customers? Thank you.

---Applause

Members' statements. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as this is Education Week throughout the Northwest Territories, I thought I would keep with that theme and bring acknowledgement to a wonderful event held this past Tuesday in Hay River. Mr. Speaker, I am referring to the 24th annual Hay River science fair. This science fair is an event that attracted science projects from 80 students from four Hay River schools. The Hay River Science Fair is an annual event that has always been eagerly anticipated by a number of budding Einsteins in Hay River for many years.

Mr. Speaker, the format for the science fair this year was a little different from past years, in that students' participation was not mandatory. The fact that 80 students chose to participate in the science fair was fantastic, Mr. Speaker, and the organizers' hope is to reach a participation rate of 100 students for next year. This is so encouraging, that our young people are choosing to enter their science projects in an event like the science fair, when there is no pressure to do so.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organizer of the Hay River Science Fair, the assistant principal of Princess Alexandra School, Mr. Chuck Lirette and the many volunteers that commit countless hours to the success of the science fair in Hay River. The names of the winners are too numerous to mention here, Mr. Speaker, but I would like to sincerely congratulate all the participants in the 24th annual science fair in Hay River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Members' statements. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I started to give a rather lengthy statement and I decided not to conclude it. So I would just like to recap a little bit of what I was trying to say. A number of weeks back, this government signed an MOU with the Gwich'in and, at the same time, announced the appointment of a regional director for the Beaufort-Delta. In these two items, which were perceived as changes in the way this government does business, in my statement yesterday, I was trying to say that we shouldn't be surprised by that because we've been on a long continuum of political evolution, and these things should make sense.

So, when I conclude my statement today, I would just like to speak to those issues again and just try to bridge the gap, I guess, to show that it really isn't that big of a change but with proper communication, people would see that and not be alarmed by them. So, Mr. Speaker, I will just continue with my statement.

We are all here to do a job. Leaders of community at regional levels are also trying to do a similar job serving the people that they represent. Sometimes we need to think about how these functions can be accomplished in an efficient and transparent way that ensures the decisions are responsive to the needs of the people. I don't think we should turn it into a turf war or contest that leaves some people feeling that the effectiveness of their input might somehow be less important or threatened.

With respect with to the contracting portion of the MOU, again, this government has a fairly long standing precedent of negotiating contracts. It's maybe not as pure a form of economics as supply and demand and let the market dictate the price but, in the past, if there were arguable benefits, such as promoting economy and commerce in smaller communities and regions and there was political support and it wasn't going to bring a project in at a significantly higher price, negotiated contracts were employed as a means of accomplishing a goal. The MOU may formulize and articulate that concept but it certainly cannot be argued as being new or foreign to this government's way of doing business.

As for the hiring of the new regional director, in consultation with various governments that need to serve a cohesive way in the Beaufort-Delta, again, this government has a longstanding practice of using public service employment as a means of achieving a goal. It's been called the Affirmative Action Policy and Direct Appointments. It has caused its share of concern because, again, it's probably not as pure and as objective as hiring the most qualified person. However, it has been a policy of this government and, in many instances, it has achieved what it set out to accomplish. Our public service has become more representative of the people it serves, so it is not a huge leap from selecting and approving affirmative action candidates or direct appointing senior officials for government positions to consulting with Aboriginal government on who they think could best serve at a senior level of government to fulfill a particular mandate. Mr. Speaker, I am really almost finished. I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement, please.

Member seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? You have unanimous consent, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you colleagues. I would like to refer to that kind of consultation as the politics of inclusion and yet, when these items became public knowledge several weeks back, there was little if any attempt to explain what was happening and put them in context of where we've been or where we are going. Granted, it is everyone or anyone's right to disagree or argue about any government policy or direction and even seek to change it if they have a better idea. But, in fairness to the people who are often left to speculate or draw their own conclusion about what this government is up to, I would like to see a more proactive effort in communicating broad strategic directions by this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Members' statements. Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and good morning. Mr. Speaker, on February 26, 2003, the Northwest Territories Status of Women Council announced the winners of the Wise Woman Awards for 2003. Mrs. Lena Anikina, late of Tuktoyaktuk, was selected for the Beaufort-Delta region. Mr. Speaker, Lena was a highly respected and knowledgeable elder in her community of Tuktoyaktuk, who dedicated her time to the preservation of her culture and the Inuvialuit way of life. She assisted with translation of oral history documentation, traditional place names and assisted with the Inuvialuit dictionary as well. Mr. Speaker, Lena will be dearly missed by her family, friends and relatives. She passed away on February 15, 2003 but will always be remembered as a kind, gentle and wise woman. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Members' statements. Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today marks the last day of Education Week in the NWT and earlier this month, I accepted an invitation from the NWT Teacher's Association to job shadow. I had the good fortune to spend the day with the principal of Mildred Hall School, here in Yellowknife, Adrien Amirault. Working that day with Mr. Amirault and his vice-principal DiAnn Blesse, a Dene teacher with a Master in Education, I found that they lead a very strong team of teachers and classroom assistants and administrators in a school of about 300.

I certainly found that the school environment has changed a lot since I went to school, here in Yellowknife in the 60's and 70's, Mr. Speaker.

One of the things that's really changing, especially in Yellowknife schools, is the turnover. This school, even though it has a relatively small population compared to other schools, has a very high turnover. There is a turnover of 100 percent in the school population. This does not mean that all the kids are changing every year, but there is a small number of students who are turning over many times within the year. This is driven by people who have to come to Yellowknife and are perhaps taking courses at Aurora College or they are here for medical reasons and need to bring their families along.

So this is one of the things that's making conditions in that school very dynamic and quite complex for the teachers and the students who are there.

I found, too, Mr. Speaker, that these schools are assuming a far greater role in the daily lives of the students and the families, doing things that range from serving breakfast to a much, much broader curriculum and sports program and also trying to make the best of the policy of inclusion that this government is adopting which I believe is the right one. It certainly does make for a lot of changes in dynamics in the classroom.

The school is an old one, Mr. Speaker, and is one that I am very thankful is up for renovation over the next couple of years. This is something that means a lot.

I wanted to acknowledge the good work of the people of Mildred Hall School, of the invitation I got to job shadow and wish them all the luck in the coming school year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Being Education Week, I thought I would speak about a topic that I have spoken about many times in this House relating to education, and that is the adequacy of student support funding.

Mr. Speaker, I recently had the opportunity to review the latest Towards Excellence report put together by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. In it, I read some fairly disturbing statistics.

Mr. Speaker, we are still failing far too many children with special needs. The report reads that of the 9,619 students for whom data were collected, teachers reported that 47 percent or 4,487 needed one or more supports. However, 26 percent, or more than 1,000 of all students who needed some type or level of additional support, were not receiving any support or service beyond that provided to students as part of the regular classroom program.

Mr. Speaker, of the number of students needing specific supports, roughly 10 percent of them were falling through the cracks and receiving no support. Ten percent of all the students who need support aren't getting anything.

Mr. Speaker, in assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of the supports provided to children with behavioral issues, those requiring the most time, energy and resources to support, almost 2,872 were identified. Eighty-one percent were identified as not receiving enough help. Only 13 percent are seeing substantial progress and more than 40 percent are seeing very little.

Since we have a higher proportion of students in need of special supports in the Northwest Territories, shouldn't we increase the funding to allow those special supports to happen?

Mr. Speaker, we know that inclusive schooling is the right policy, but for it to work we need to give adequate support to the teachers to make it work. We've increased our student support funding to 15 percent. Mr. Speaker, some southern jurisdictions claim they offer 24 to 25 percent of their total funding to student support.

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. is embarked on an initiative which is called No Child Left Behind. I think we have to take that phrase to heart ourselves. Mr. Speaker, I urge the government to continue finding ways to increase the funding for special supports and special needs to give all kids in the NWT a fighting chance to be the best that they can be. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.