Thanks to the Minister for the answer. I think you probably are going to hear from authorities in relation to this. If they’ve identified it as a problem, they’re going to continue to go after you for adequate funding to deal with these particular special needs students. I’d like to know if there’s any consideration within the department... Has the Minister considered changing the approach for funding for inclusive schooling instead of doing it as a lump sum based on total enrolment? Is there any possibility that funding may be changed so that it is applied to a particular student and the needs of that student?

The other difficulty that boards encounter is that a student may be in my school this year, so the funding gets earmarked for a particular special needs student in one year, but then the student may move in the next year and the funding stays with the old board. So is there any thought within the department to change their policy so that the money follows the child, basically? When the child moves, the money goes to the board where the child is, where they’ve moved to. So two things: is there a possible change in the approach of the department with regard to funding special needs kids and is it possible that the money can follow the child? Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, those are the types of discussions that we continuously are having within our department and also with the board chairs. Just a review of the K to 12 cost factor and the overall program review on how we distribute funds based on the enrolment. So, Mr. Chairman, we will continue to have our dialogue with the parties that we sponsor and if there needs to be changes, then those needs will be initiated. We will certainly get back to the standing committee if there is going to be some changes to the program, but currently, as it stands, we are following the enrolment funding formula, but this is up for discussion. Mahsi.

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Next on my list I have Mr. Krutko.

Thank you Mr. Chairman. My question is on the next page, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Committee, we are on page 10-17, activity summary, Education, Culture and Employment, education and culture, operations expenditure summary, $181.532 million. Agreed?

Thank you, committee. Page 10-18, activity summary. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just on 10-18 at the top of the page, grants, community broadcasting grants, $52,000. I think that I understand the importance of community radio stations. I think you have to realize, especially for communities and the people that live on the land, that is one of the main means of communication and I think that it is a vital system that we use for getting our messages out. I think the communities that I represent -- Aklavik, Tsiigehtchic, Fort McPherson -- all have local radio stations and I think the importance of those radio stations and I think that CBQM and the work that was done on that station from the National Film Board in realizing what a key piece of community infrastructure the radio station is by way of messages and, more importantly, the different government organizations who take the time and go on the radio station and have an hour in the morning or an hour in the afternoon where they give the community an update on what they do and, more importantly, what is happening in their different organizations, giving people information updates dealing with alcohol, drugs or dealing with policing in the community, dealing with nursing services and also dealing just with getting people messages. I think that we can’t lose sight of that, so I would just like to ask the Minister exactly how many communities are accessing that $52,000.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Minister Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. Currently we have eight different projects on the go, I believe it is eight different communities as well. We can provide that information. Mahsi.

Just using the number eight, I think that $52,000 for eight communities, I believe somebody was looking at a newspaper the other day which was put out in regards to something about, from the Department of Education, in regards to nutrition, food and whatnot, and I think that advertisement in the newspaper is somewhere in the range of -- and you can clarify for me on that -- $2500 for a full-page ad in a newspaper which is circulating throughout the Territories. So I think you can figure out that for eight communities for $52,000, we don’t really give them much by way of assistance. I think it is important that we as government find the systems that work in communities, the best means of communications, but, more importantly, how those systems are being used to get government messages out.

Again I go back to CBQM in Fort McPherson. Every timeslot is filled by different organizations in the community. It is either the alcohol centre, the RCMP, the DEA or the different elders councils, so I am to look at how the systems are there for communication and for how that plays, especially

for people that are on the land and for people that are on the road and whatnot, that you are still able to get that communication out there. So again for me the issue is, what is the possibility of increasing those amounts so that we can support those radio stations in regards to eight communities or basically eight organizations? But again, you figure it out, eight into fifty-two, you are only looking at somewhere around $5,000 apiece. I think for me it is a question of for $6,000 is there any way we can increase that to, say, $10,000 per group?

This is an area that we can look at where the communities that we sponsor currently, the eight communities, how is the program being run or is it a successful program. Because we do a contribution agreement through those communities on an annual basis, so if we talk about an increase, then, of course, we have to find the funds to offset that cost, but we can look at that request. Mahsi.

Thank you, Minister. To help him out I will move a motion, that way it is on record.

Thank you Mr. Krutko. The motion is being distributed. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question is being called.

---Carried

Committee, we are on page 10-18, activity summary, Education, Culture and Employment, education and culture, grants and contributions, grants $52,000, and contributions. Agreed?

Page 10-19, activity summary, Education, Culture and Employment, education and culture, grants and contributions, continued. Agreed?

Page 10-20, activity summary, Education, Culture and Employment,

education and culture, grants and contributions, continued, $159.919 million. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you Mr. Chairman. One of the things I would like some clarification from the government on is how often to assess these programs to see the uptake that is out there, because especially for the North there is a lot of great performers, you know? One of the main attractions we have in the North is the cultural events, the different types of festivals, the arts festivals and things like that. I think for ourselves as the North, that is the key component that makes us unique and I think, if anything, have we ever looked at evaluating or assessing that to see... Because, I mean, you talk to a lot of non-government organizations, you talk to a lot of performers, you talk to a lot of people that are struggling just to keep themselves involved and most of them are having to go elsewhere. I would like to just ask the Minister... I noted that most of the dollar amounts are similar year after year, so is there a way that we can do an evaluation or do an assessment or look at some sort of evaluation system where there is a high demand by way of applications or by way of intake what people want, but yet we don’t have enough money to get to all the people that need it. Realizing that there is a demand out there for these types of programs, have we ever looked at that way of having a system in place to increase the funding where we realize there is a demand and, more importantly, where we have a major uptake versus where there are programs that continue to lapse money? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Minister Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, this particular area, of course, we use the guidelines of the Arts Strategy that was developed a few years back and working close with the NWT Arts Council as well. They usually bring forward, let’s say, a request or a proposal and it does fluctuate as well. As you see here, there’s been some increase to the arts funding due to the request that has been made. So, Mr. Chair, those are the areas that we continue to make changes as needed in the communities. So what the Member is asking for is an area that I think we continue to make progress. Mahsi.