This is page numbers 4141 - 4178 of the Hansard for the 16th 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 housing.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We did receive a letter from various school boards identifying the costs of dealing with special needs. It is across the board in the Northwest Territories, not just one organization, but, Mr. Speaker, we did increase the inclusive schooling. Since 2005 until today there’s been a substantial increase in various locations within the school divisions. So, Mr. Speaker, we are looking at this very closely and we are currently dealing with enrolment issues that are challenging us right now and I think we need to focus in that area as well. But at the same time we’re currently looking at this and we’ll be discussing this in April at the chairs’ meeting. Mahsi.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thanks to the Minister. My point is not so much that enrolments are going down and it’s not so much that we necessarily have to increase funding. I don’t think that’s what perhaps the districts are asking for, but there is an unequal distribution of very severely high needs, very

severely special needs students within districts and the allocation of students is not even across the board. My point is, then, I think the point of YK1 is that the funding needs to be reallocated and redistributed so that severely impacted special needs students, the higher number in districts get more funding. I know the Minister has said that they’re considering the issue, and again, he said that it relies on enrolments, but I’d like to know from the Minister how this consideration that he’s talking about and the consideration that’s going to be in April, how that translates into action. What is his department actually doing? Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi. We need to get the facts from all the education board levels. We are gathering the facts from our department with the superintendents of each school board. The Member talked about unequal distribution. So we need to identify that. What is she referring to? Is it just one school board that is saying this or is it all school boards? So those are the types of discussions we’re going to have in April when I meet with education chairs. So this is the important discussion that we’re going to be having and on a going forward basis we need to gather all the facts and also identify enrolment, because the number has gone down and that also has an implication on the funding as well. So we’ll continue to discuss this on a going forward basis. Mahsi.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you. I appreciate that the Minister has made a commitment to gather facts, but I think the problem is that he’s gathering facts based from a very subjective viewpoint. Each individual education authority, I believe, is being asked to provide this information and the point of YK1 is that we need to have an independent study, there needs to be an impartial gathering of the number of high needs students in each jurisdiction. So I guess with the suggestion from YK1 to do an impartial gathering of data to get at the actual facts, will the Minister consider doing that? Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi. I think that it’s important to highlight the actual true facts that the school boards will be providing. We’ve heard over and over not to hire any more consultants. We have our in-house people that can certainly deal with these challenges that are at the forefront, but at the same time working with the chairs and also the superintendents and they have valuable information that we can certainly use. So, Mr. Speaker, this certainly will be discussedin the April meeting. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Minister, I appreciate that the department is willing to do this in house and that the superintendents and chairs are providing information, but if I were chair of a board, it would certainly be to my

advantage to pad my numbers and to indicate that special needs students who aren’t severe may be severe and that’s why I’m suggesting that there needs to be an impartial person doing this gathering. So to the Minister, I’m not suggesting a study. Again, would he commit to having an impartial, outsider gather this data? Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We trust the board chairs and we trust the superintendents’ information that will be provided to us on the numbers that we need to work with. We will continue to work closely with them, because we provide funding to them and there’s accountability attached to that as well. So, Mr. Speaker, on a going forward basis in April we’ll be discussing and we’ll develop an action plan from there. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I raised the issue of the health of our young people and ways that we could improve that. Certainly I’d like to think of it as a way that we could develop a strategy over the next little while and certainly launch an ambitious plan that would be relatively cost effective but deliver great results, and that plan is coming up with a strategy for multivitamins for our youth and it could be implemented in such a way that day homes could access this, daycares and certainly provide it to our school districts so our young kids can have access to these type of important nutrients that multivitamins provide. So to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, I’d like to ask today, because we don’t have one of these programs in place, would the Minister be willing to investigate the cost of this type of program and to see if it would be feasible if we could introduce something like this. Once again, I’d like to say, because there was a program like this in the Northwest Territories many, many years ago and I think it was quite successful. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this will certainly fall into play with the nutritious food that has been highlighted in this House, working along with my colleague at Health and Social Services with respect to what the Member is alluding to. In the past there has been some vitamins given out to the students. When I was at Chief Jimmy Bruno School back in the old days we used to get those colourful vitamins that we were taking on a daily basis.

Mr. Speaker, this can certainly be part of the discussion that the organizations will be having as an advisory group and giving us direction as this should be a part of the nutrition. So the group will certainly discuss that going forward. Mahsi.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge and appreciate the answer the Minister provided. Mr. Speaker, I know in an ideal world we’d be able to provide hot breakfasts to all our young folks and these types of programs. That’s why I’m trying to take a measured approach and possibly a program that we could provide and afford. Would the Minister ensure that in this nutritional food basket study that they’re planning to do, that this multivitamin concept gets a high priority of consideration? I’m not saying as in subject it to it has to come out as a high priority answer, but I want to make sure it gets full consideration up front. I don’t want to prejudice the dialogue and the research that may come through this study, but I absolutely want to make sure it gets full consideration and costed out and weigh the pros and cons. Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, we’re aware that some schools are providing vitamins to some students. Not only that, but the organizations that I’ve highlighted in this House are clearly listening to the Member and I’m sure they’ll take that into consideration. We, as the two departments working closely with these organizations as well, can take this matter into consideration and if it could be part of the nutritious food programming. Then, by all means, those are the discussions we need to have. Mahsi.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the faith that the Minister has that these people will be listening to Hansard, but just to ensure that they do get the message that this is an important issue that can deliver good things for our youth, would the Minister be willing to pen a letter to let this group know, that’s doing this review, that it is a priority of some people in this House and it could provide significant if not, certainly, substantial benefits for the health of our young people, noting the lack of nutritional items I noted in my Member’s statement? Would the Minister be willing to pen a letter to say, will you make sure you take this seriously? Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, I cannot, as the Minister of Education, dictate where the money should be spent on specific items. It would be up to the group to give us an indication and also the inventory of where there are gaps and that’s where we’ll allocate the funding that’s been identified. Mr. Speaker, it is noted that that will be part of the discussion that we’ll be having with the group. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are on the Deh Cho Bridge Project and they’re directed to the Minister of Finance.

Certainly we recognize now that there has been a lot of mismanagement and contractors disarray, costs are soaring, and the Minister of Transportation is working hard to stabilize that situation. I’m wondering, Mr. Speaker, what is the impact of the new costs of the bridge on the government’s debt, particularly with respect to our borrowing limit. As people know, we are obligated to stay within a limit of $500 million. I appreciate that response. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Finance

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the debt or the $15 million that’s being requested is equivalent to about 10 percent over the initial cost. So that will be $15 million added to our cost as a government. So with the $15 million factored in, as we’ve said, it will shrink our borrowing limit by that equivalent amount. Thank you.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much for those general comments. Perhaps the Minister could interpret for us what sort of flexibility we’re giving up in terms of pursuing other things that this government might have wished to pursue. Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Finance

As we look at this $15 million, the other point to keep in mind is that it’s significantly self-liquidating through the tolls and all the other arrangements that have been signed as part of this deal. But going forward, because of this debt and other debt that we’ve agreed to accumulate as part of the current economic downturn, we are going to be going down in our borrowing limit. In 2011-12, available borrowing capacity will shrink to about $85 million. Thank you.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

I appreciate that more specific information. In the immediate future, and I’m sure there are other implications in the longer term, but what is this government doing to minimize our risk? What are the additional risks that we’re facing and what are we doing to minimize those risks? Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Finance

The Minister responsible for Public Works laid out all the steps that are currently being taken to make sure that this project goes ahead. It’s 50 percent complete. It’s had some challenges, but it’s going to be, at this point we hope, the final costs will be about 10 percent over the budgeted amount. We are going to

work closely, as the Member indicated in his own statement, to stabilize this particular project, where it is right now, sort out the current challenges and then take a critical look, along with the Members, about what we’ve learned from the exercise, how do we go forward and what other particular issues that may be out there that could become major concerns for us. Thank you.