This is page numbers 5399 - 5430 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 5th 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 northwest.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank my colleague Mr. Hawkins.

Recommendation 3

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment review both the aboriginal language and culture-based education directive and the inclusive schooling directive in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of both initiatives.

Recommendation 4

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department

of Education, Culture and Employment report performance according to major categories such as education council, ethnicity and gender, with a recognition that it may sometimes be necessary to aggregate data to protect the privacy of individual students.

Adult and Post-Secondary Education

Forty percent of Aurora College students are enrolled in the Adult Literacy and Basic Education Program (ALBE). ALBE has had consistent enrolment numbers for four years but during the same time period the total of all Aurora College graduates decreased by about 33 percent. This is attributed mainly to the discontinuation of welding and other apprenticeship programs.

The OAG identified gaps in the measurement of the performance of adult and post-secondary students.

The Auditor General found that ECE and Aurora College have reasonable performance indicators including rates of completion of certificate, diploma and degree programs; graduate satisfaction with the quality of the college programs; and graduate employment six months after graduation. However, the OAG observed that ECE has not developed a strategy to achieve established targets. Further, the method of determining program completion rates is inaccurate. Rates are expressed as a percentage of students in their final year and thus there is no accounting for students who leave programs earlier.

OAG Recommendation (Paragraph 67 of the OAG Report)

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment should:

work with Aurora College to establish

consistent performance indicators and targets for adult and post-secondary education; and

clarify how it intends to achieve its

performance targets.

In its action plan to address the OAG’s recommendations, ECE has committed to working with Aurora College in 2010 to develop an accountability framework that will support the establishment of consistent performance indicators and targets. Annual and multi-year program plans will be adapted to reflect these indicators and targets.

The OAG observed progress in identifying labour market needs and coordinating training.

The OAG expected ECE and Aurora College to assess territory-wide labour market needs to inform its training delivery decisions but no such process happened. To its credit, ECE used many methods: partnering with industries such as mining to produce sector-specific needs assessments; working with the Bureau of Statistics to develop

comprehensive territorial labour market reviews on employment and unemployment trends; hosting forums and promoting the establishment of regional training coordination committees. Still, the OAG observed that the market needs of some key sectors and regions were neglected.

OAG Recommendation (Paragraph 84 of the OAG Report)

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment should:

complete an assessment of labour market

needs for all major sectors and regions; and

use the assessment information to determine how best to design and deliver its programs to help fill gaps in the labour market.

In its response to the OAG, ECE reports it is working on a Labour Force Development Framework that will address training needs and coordination through the development and implementation of specific strategies to support the NWT labour market based on the assessment of needs.

The OAG advises that the Department’s monitoring and assessment of its post-secondary education and training programs is incomplete.

ECE and Aurora College regularly collect data on the delivery and results of education and training but there are significant gaps. There is no tracking of adults who complete part of their training at the college and then transfer to programs at southern institutions, or take training provided through partnerships with organizations such as the Mine Training Society. ECE:

does not analyze data collected to improve

program delivery;

does not regularly evaluate the results of

existing training programs; and

cannot demonstrate what progress has been made or if existing training programs should be maintained, modified, or new ones considered.

OAG Recommendation (Paragraph 87 of the OAG report)

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment, in consultation with Aurora College, should:

identify and collect relevant data on the results of training delivered through partnerships;

undertake a more rigorous analysis of the data in order to assess the success of adult and post-secondary education and training programs; and

undertake improvements to these programs.

ECE reports that once the accountability framework is developed in 2010, it will work with Aurora College to improve the monitoring, reporting and review processes for training programs, including those undertaken through partnerships.

The OAG advises that monitoring of compliance with the adult literacy and basic education directive is inadequate.

Adult Literacy and Basic Education (ALBE) is an education directive meant to increase low literacy rates among adults in the Territory. Aurora College delivers ALBE programming ranging from basic literacy to grade 12-level courses at all campuses and community learning centres. Reporting requirements for the college include basic information on ALBE programs, including numbers of individuals enrolled and results achieved. However, Aurora College provides limited detail and incomplete information, making it difficult for ECE to assess compliance with the directive.

Mr. Speaker, I will now pass the remainder of the document of Mr. Yakeleya. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues.

OAG Recommendation (Paragraph 92 of the OAG report)

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment, in collaboration with Aurora College, should:

establish key performance indicators and

targets for expected results for adult literacy and basic education programs;

review the reporting requirements of the adult literacy and basic education directive to ensure that key information is being collected;

ensure these reporting requirements are

coordinated with those of the literacy strategy;

monitor adherence to these reporting

requirements, and take formal action in cases where requirements are not met; and

periodically assess gaps in performance,

identify root causes and establish detailed action plans to help close the gaps.

ECE’s action plan indicates it will be conducting a formal evaluation of the Adult Literacy and Basic Education program in 2010. Results will be used to determine further actions related to this recommendation.

The Department is developing a tool to track planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of advanced education activities, and a youth literacy gap analysis is being completed.

The OAG states that reporting on the post-secondary system is not timely.

Four years has passed since the post-secondary version of Towards Excellence was issued with details on performance indicators like enrolments and number of graduates by program.

Reporting makes ECE and Aurora College accountable to the public for student performance.

OAG Recommendation (Paragraph 96 of the OAG report)

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment, in collaboration with Aurora College, should:

review the performance indicators it reports

publicly; and

publish these indicators regularly.

ECE has stated it will work with Aurora College to review performance indicators and to coordinate the publishing of reports.

SCOGO looks forward to the tabling of the 2009 Towards Excellence report.

Recommendation 5

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that when the Department of Education, Culture and Employment plans and designs a new program or initiative, it identifies the means to be used to assess, measure and report on the program or initiative.

Conclusion

Having completed its review of the Report of the Auditor General on Education in the Northwest Territories, the committee acknowledges the commitment and dedication of education councils and Aurora College. It recognizes the many challenges facing ECE and suggests that it is not a matter of offering more programs, but a matter of focusing on improving delivery of basic programming as well as improving delivery of programs that prove effective in achieving higher student success rates. Members are hopeful that the organization is willing to rally its staff to address these challenges. If these challenges are not addressed, children, youth and adults in our education system will suffer the consequences.

Recommendation 6

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment provide periodic updates on the progress of the implementation of the Auditor General’s recommendations through status reports to the Standing Committee on Social Programs.

Recommendation 7

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a comprehensive response to this report within 120 days.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Committee Report 6-16(5) be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Question is being called.

---Carried

Committee Report 6-16(5) will be moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration.

Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Premier

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Letter of Instruction to Commissioner George Tuccaro. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Finance

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Geographic Tracking of Expenditures for the Year Ended March 31, 2008. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Waste Reduction and Recovery Program, 2009-2010 Annual Report. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled NWT Business Development and Investment Corporation, 2009-2010 Annual Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre. Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table the Arts Professions Act by the Saskatchewan government. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Pursuant to Section 5 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, I wish to table the Summary of Members’ Absences for the Period of February 27, 2010, to October 13, 2010.

Item 15, notices of motion. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, November 3, 2010, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that this

Legislative Assembly recommends that the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation undertake a regional analysis and policy changes needed to establish a significantly lower maximum rent schedule for public housing units;

And further, that the Minister provide the proposed changes to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure no later than April 1, 2011.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, November 3, 2010, I will move that Bill 21, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2009-2010, be read for the first time.

Bill 22: Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 5, 2009-2010
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills

October 31st, 2010

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, November 3, 2010, I’ll move that Bill 22, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 5, 2009-2010, be read for the first time.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, November 3, 2010, I will move that Bill 23, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2010-2011, be read for the first time.