This is page numbers 449 - 470 of the Hansard for the 15th Assembly, 4th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was education.

Members Present

Honourable Brendan Bell, Mr. Braden, Honourable Paul Delorey, Honourable Charles Dent, Mrs. Groenewegen, Honourable Joe Handley, Mr. Hawkins, Honourable David Krutko, Mr. Lafferty, Ms. Lee, Honourable Michael McLeod, Mr. McLeod, Mr. Menicoche, Mr. Ramsay, Honourable Floyd Roland, Mr. Villeneuve, Mr. Yakeleya

---Prayer

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Good morning, Members. Welcome back to the House. Members, before we begin today, my office has been informed by one of our colleagues, Mr. Pokiak, that he has lost one of his older sisters, Ms. Annie Noksana, who passed away quietly and peacefully in Tuktoyaktuk. I would like to pass on the House's condolences to Mr. Pokiak and his family on the loss of his sister.

Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Good morning, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, in June of this year, communities throughout the Northwest Territories honoured their high school graduates. At the time these events were taking place, members of education authorities and educators told me that this was a banner year in terms of the number of students meeting graduation requirements. Now that the official numbers are in, I can confirm that, indeed, graduation levels were higher during the 2004-2005 academic year than they have ever been.

For reporting purposes, graduates are counted as of September 30th each year. During the past year, there were 343 high school graduates in the Northwest Territories. This is an increase of more than 50 graduates over last year and, based on preliminary population figures, represents a graduation rate of 51 percent. Previously, the highest rate for graduation in the NWT was 45 percent.

It is important to note that the increase is primarily the result of more students graduating in our smaller communities. In 2004, communities outside of Yellowknife, in the regional centres of Hay River, Fort Smith and Inuvik, produced 69 graduates. That number increased to 107 in 2005. Legislators, educators and administrators can be proud that the actions that have been taken to enhance community-based education activities and to complete grade extensions are resulting in more students accessing high school programs and completing their studies.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to note that the number of aboriginal graduates from our schools has increased substantially. In 2000, 30 percent of all graduates in the NWT were aboriginal. This year, 49 percent of all graduates in the Northwest Territories were aboriginal.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the students, their families, educators and education authorities in the Northwest Territories on their successful effort. Their collective contributions have demonstrated how commitment and hard work can pay off.

I look forward to working together with our partners to build on the successes of the 2004-2005 academic year and to continue to improve and strengthen the results of the school system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have heard a great deal in this Legislative Assembly, since the beginning of this session, about the need to invest in early learning and childcare programming. The Report on Pre-Budget Consultation, prepared by the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight, discussed, in some detail, the needs in our communities with respect to these programs.

When the Prime Minister addressed his caucus last May, he made special mention that Canadians across the country were eager to participate in a national childcare system built on the principles of quality, accessibility, universality and developmental. The three northern territories fully support these principles and are anxious to participate fully in a national system on that basis.

Like most Canadians, northern residents welcomed the federal government's commitment to provide funding to enhance the early learning and childcare environment. The promise of funding to achieve a national vision is exciting. It was our intention to utilize this funding to focus on increased training opportunities for childcare workers and increased eligibility for parents wanting to access day care subsidies.

This week, I attended the federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Social Development meeting to discuss the early learning and childcare negotiations with Minister Ken Dryden. Unfortunately, our negotiations with Ottawa have been very disappointing. Despite our significant efforts to secure an adequate funding arrangement, the federal offer remains unchanged and, therefore, unacceptable to

the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut governments.

To participate fully in this program in a way that ensures we can provide a level of comparable service to our residents, the Northwest Territories needs funding based on the fiscal reality of delivering programs and services in the North. The federal offer, as put forward by Minister Dryden, based on a per capita allocation, is woefully inadequate and is based on a lack of understanding of the realities of northern life.

Mr. Speaker, the position of the Government of the Northwest Territories on this issue is consistent with the approach we have taken since the inception of this Legislative Assembly two years ago. We believe that this program should be provided on a base plus basis, similar to other federal programs.

Mr. Speaker, without a funding agreement that provides an adequate level of funding, residents of the Northwest Territories will not see the same level of improvement in early learning and childcare that will be seen in other parts of the country. Mr. Speaker, this is completely unacceptable.

Mr. Speaker, the government will not accept an agreement that means our residents will not be treated the same as other Canadians. It is clear that we have gone as far as we can to resolve this issue with Minister Dryden and his officials. The next step is for Premier Handley to raise this issue with Prime Minister Martin at their next meeting. We are hopeful that the Prime Minister will take steps to resolve this issue so the children and families of the Northwest Territories will receive the same level of service as all other Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the support of, and advice from, the Members of the Legislative Assembly as we work to resolve this issue. Thank you.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Joe Handley

Joe Handley Weledeh

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Michael Miltenberger will be absent from the House today to attend a federal/provincial/territorial Ministers of Health meeting in Toronto. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Colville Lake School
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I tabled a letter from the Colville Lake District Education Authority on October 18, 2005, in the House. That letter outlined several concerns that the district education authority has with the adequacy of the program space, classrooms and lack of sanitary facilities in the Colville Lake school.

There are 41 people, 36 students and five staff, in that building approved for an occupancy load for 40 people. One room teaches kindergarten to Grade 12. The lack of space is such that one teacher teaches in the cloakroom, just a few feet away from the honey bucket. Mr. Speaker, I would maintain that this is not conducive to a good learning environment, nor is it really healthy. In fact, it's outrageous in this day and age. It's a crying shame, Mr. Speaker.

Colville Lake School
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Some Hon. Members

Crying shame!

Colville Lake School
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

A crying shame that we have to put our students in this type of building.

In examining the history of an addition for the Colville Lake School, I know the project has been delayed, and reduced in scope, since 2000-2001. That's five years, Mr. Speaker. It went from a $1.5 million addition to be concluded in 2005-2006 in the 2000-2001 Main Estimates, to a modular classroom, at the cost of $448,000, to be delivered in 2007-2008 in this year's main estimates. In fact, Mr. Speaker, at one point in the 2003-2004 Main Estimates, the project did not even appear in the books for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

The capital standards state the number one priority is life, safety and health concerns. I think that a -- and I do note the word "a" -- honey bucket may qualify as a health concern in schools. Also note that the capital standards also called for separate bathrooms for each of the sexes, built to current building concerns.

Mr. Speaker, with the amount of concerns that the DEA from Colville Lake has with the current school, I am expecting to be one awesome modular classroom. Just so people understand, modular classroom is just another way of saying portable classroom. I don't believe it's possible to complete a portable classroom to meet the program requirements in Colville. A portable...

Colville Lake School
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Mr. Yakeleya, your time for your Member's statement has expired.

Colville Lake School
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Colville Lake School
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Yakeleya.

Colville Lake School
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. A portable classroom may have a lifespan of 20 years. It makes more sense to renovate and put an addition onto the existing structure. I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Colville Lake School
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Alzheimer's Society Of Alberta And The Nwt
Item 3: Members' Statements

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David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to talk about a disease that affects an estimated 280,000 Canadians and can strike adults at any age. It

affects one in 13 people over the age of 65, and there is no known cause or cure. The disease I am referring to, Mr. Speaker, is the most common form of dementia, known as Alzheimer's. This dreaded affliction is a progressive, degenerative disease that affects the brain and, eventually, all aspects of a person's life, from mental abilities, emotions and moods, to behaviour and physical abilities.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to know that there is some help and support for people in the Northwest Territories who may be affected by this disease. The Alzheimer's Society of Alberta and the Northwest Territories was created in 2002, due mainly to the efforts of Marjorie Sandercock, who is currently the chair of the Yellowknife chapter. Other members I would like to mention include: Krista McLean, Jan Stirling, Linda Henry, Barb Bromley, Esther Braden, Wendy Carter, Lib Lowing and Mabel Collinson.

One of the main aims of the Alzheimer's Society is to develop awareness of this dreaded disease. Last year, the YK chapter partnered with the city library to create an Alzheimer's Disease Research Centre at the Yellowknife Public Library. These resources, which were funded by Health Canada, are available throughout the NWT.

The Yellowknife Alzheimer's chapter has also been part of an annual fundraising event across Canada called Coffee Break. For a few hours during the day, all proceeds from coffee sales at various venues are donated to the Alzheimer's Society. This year, the group has brought in close to $1,300 from coffee breaks at BHP, Diavik, the Gourmet Cup and at the Baker's Centre.

This coming January, the Yellowknife chapter will be promoting a stage play to heighten Alzheimer's awareness. Directed by Chris Foreman, who will also be acting along with Erica Tesar, Strangers Among Us is a play about Alzheimer's disease. It will be presented at the Baker's Centre, and I encourage everyone to go out and support this worthy group at that time by attending this event.

On a much larger scale of support, Mr. Speaker, I encourage this government to continue to move forward with its plans to build a dementia facility next to the Aven Centre. This is a much needed facility in the Northwest Territories that will specifically cater to those affected by Alzheimer's disease and other dementia. Currently, these people are housed in the hospital or other facilities that do not meet their needs. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Alzheimer's Society Of Alberta And The Nwt
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Ramsay.

Alzheimer's Society Of Alberta And The Nwt
Item 3: Members' Statements

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David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The dementia centre is a much needed facility not only for the people with these diseases, but for the caregivers who, over time, can face burnout from the constant care and vigilance that is often required. I would like to thank you, Mr. Speaker, for your time today.

---Applause

Alzheimer's Society Of Alberta And The Nwt
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Calculation Of Workers' Compensation Benefits
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Bill Braden

Bill Braden Great Slave

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. The issue of unresolved workers' compensation claims of injured workers has been the subject of many of my statements and questions. For some injured workers, Mr. Speaker, through our process, it has become a never-ending treadmill of appeals and systemic process. For a number of these workers, when they think they are getting ahead, wouldn't you know it, but along comes some rule changes.

Mr. Speaker, just to explain briefly, if a worker is injured on the job, they expect to receive a disability pension, or allowance, depending on their injury, for the time that they are not able to work. In order to determine the amount of this compensation, the WCB takes into account their finances for a year, and a calculation is done on whatever their earnings or remuneration were.

Now in the NWT, Mr. Speaker, and Nunavut, we have a lot of seasonal jobs, like firefighting, mineral exploration, fishing and trapping, and they are the only sorts of income for some people. As I said, a lot of them are very seasonal by nature.

I am advised that Newfoundland and Nova Scotia do include employment insurance earnings in the remuneration calculations in the case of workers who may get injured on seasonal jobs.

Mr. Speaker, there have been a number of cases before the WCB Appeals Tribunal on the issue of whether or not to include employment insurance earnings. In fact, this tribunal has ruled in favour of some workers, with regard to the inclusion of EI. Once again, when workers think they are going to receive fairness and justice, guess what? Those rules get changed.

The WCB Governance Council, in September of this year, revised a policy redefining remuneration that specifically excluded employment insurance from the calculation for these workers. In addition to that, they backdated it, Mr. Speaker, all the way back to 1977. Mr. Speaker, this action flies in the face of tribunal decisions and, indeed, in the face of the high number of seasonal workers in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, and it's time that this policy was revisited. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Calculation Of Workers' Compensation Benefits
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Day Care Service In Lutselk'e
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Robert Villeneuve

Robert Villeneuve Tu Nedhe

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the day care arrangements that the residents and the children of Lutselk'e are faced with every day. This issue has been brought forward by other Members, and also is an important topic in the pre-budget consultation report that was tabled in the House earlier this week.

Mr. Speaker, I will again talk about, and remind the Members opposite about, the unsafe, unhealthy and unstable conditions these kids and staff are dealing with every day. Unsafe conditions exist in the large community

hall that these kids are brought into every day, and at times there is still heavy equipment left out from the previous night's meetings. There are many hiding places small children can find interesting, and there are many other distractions the staff have to be wary of just for the safety of the children. It's healthy because, at times, the hall is not cleaned from the previous night's late meetings, leaving this task to the day care staff. It's unhealthy because of the detection of radon underneath the building several years ago that has still never been addressed. It's an unstable environment the day care has to be concerned about during the day.

The community may have unscheduled meetings that require the use of the hall that day, leaving the day care with no options but to close the doors for the day, disrupting the work schedules of these working parents who are trying to earn a living in a small community.

Mr. Speaker, I want these concerns not to be taken lightly by this government. It is not only an important concern of Lutselk'e, but in many other northern communities that are struggling to make day care service a reality. In Lutselk'e in particular, Mr. Speaker, there are empty housing units that have not been occupied for at least a year and may be empty for another year or two. I hope that this government, the Housing and Education Ministers in particular, can put their heads together and hammer out some temporary arrangements to allow the use of an empty housing unit to be converted and utilized as a day care facility. It would eliminate many of these unsafe, unhealthy, and unstable concerns, and put parents' minds at ease, even if for a few months, while, at the same time, a long-term arrangement can be developed and implemented to the satisfaction of the Lutselk'e residents. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Day Care Service In Lutselk'e
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.