This is page numbers 4023 - 4060 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 school.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was wondering if the Minister has a breakdown of the 20 individuals that have just gone through the training program for careers in corrections. There are 20 individuals. What is the breakdown on that by priority status and aboriginal persons?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Minister of Justice

We are very proud of our training program that we have initiated. It’s very successful, focusing on the northern hires. We can have a breakdown to aboriginal perspective. I guess we’re focusing on the northern perspective, the northern people that we hire that go through the transition period to development stages. Yes, I can share that with the Member.

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. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask the Minister of ECE a few questions here on early childhood. I’m very supportive of the Early Childhood Small Communities Initiative that’s been announced in the budget. It shows some good coordination. I’m wondering what the deficit is. I’m assuming this is known. What is the deficit in the number of child care spaces in the Northwest Territories and how many new daycare spaces does the government plan to open or support in the coming year?

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. A couple questions there. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Early Childhood Program delivery is, of course, our first priority as a government and also with my specific department of Education, Culture and Employment. I do not have the

breakdown of what the Member is referring to as a deficit, but we are investing more money, as you know, within the budget that will be before us and that we’ll be discussing further on the huge investment that we’re allotting for that particular area of early childhood. So we’ll continue to invest in those areas, because this is a prime example of a worthwhile investment into a system.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

I appreciate those comments. I am, once again, very supportive of the program. I think it would be worthwhile determining what the needs are out there for number of spaces. That would help inform the program and make it more effective. I wonder if the Minister would commit to determining how many child care spaces are needed and, once again, I’m wondering how many new ones are being supported this year.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

When we talk about the early childhood spaces, we do have some throughout the Northwest Territories. We have roughly... I have a number here of 1,800 as a number. But it does fluctuate, the population on these spaces that we have. But I can certainly provide that detailed information for the Member that we have on hand on the early childhood development programming and the needs of these individuals in the communities. That can be available to the Members.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

I appreciate that commitment to determine how many child care spaces are needed compared to what we now have. The other question I have is, our birth rate in terms of annual numbers is fairly predictable. Is the capacity in place to provide healthy pregnancy, infant health, and parenting skills programming to all who are likely to need these services? I realize some of those are Health and Social Services but, as I say, I’m impressed with the coordination. Is the capacity in place to provide healthy pregnancy, infant health and parenting skills programming to all who are likely to need those services now?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

I was just chatting with my colleague here. Yes, the health centres do provide those services. Not only that, within the early childhood space the Member is referring to, capacity, we do have the capacity. If not, then the funding that’s been identified is available to organizations that would like to maybe open up a space in that area. Yes, there is a collaboration and cooperation by Health and Social Services and our Department of Education, Culture and Employment on providing more services in this area.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for that response. I would like to ask the Minister, a particular need is for spaces for infants. That seems to be the bottleneck and perhaps understandably. It’s very challenging. Is the Minister

supporting the provision of child care spaces for infants and where are we at on that? Is there sufficient provision of those spaces out there? I understand there isn’t. What is the Minister doing to provide that?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

That infant provision is part of the ongoing discussions that we’re having, whether it be the expansion of the area. But within the early childhood spaces, we do have infants in our spaces. Within the five regions, as I indicated, the 1,800 spaces available, they also have a child care area and nursery school, after-school program and family day home. So they do take in infants as well. So we’ll continue to work with that with those organizations that we sponsor.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. He’s getting his exercise getting up and down today. I was going to ask him what progress has been made and ask for an update on plans that ECE has for phase two expansion of Ecole Allain St-Cyr. He’s kind of referred to that in answering questions from Mrs. Groenewegen. He’s mentioned that discussions with the board are ongoing and he’s also mentioned there was a need for board assistance. I’m not exactly sure what that means. I know the board is onside with this project, so I’d like to know from the Minister what he thinks needs to be done in order to get this project going.

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 send off another letter to the federal Minister of Canadian Heritage in January, this last month, reminding them of the critical stages we’re at to expand the phase two of this particular school. Not only that, but we’re trying to expedite the process. As I highlighted earlier, gymnasiums and other additional administration and learning support and the building services area, that’s the phase two that we’re talking about. At the same time, we are waiting for them to give us the go-ahead.

When I said the discussion is ongoing, we are continuing the discussions with the federal government and at the same time are having an open communication dialogue with the French school and the superintendant that is actively involved in this area with my department.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

I don’t believe I heard the Minister tell me what he thinks is required. I appreciate that

a letter has just recently been sent to Heritage Canada, but I am still looking to know what it is that we need to do. I have another question, though, on a bit of a different tack.

I’d like to know whether or not the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has facility standards for NWT schools and do we have facility standards that provide for a gymnasium in any school that the department builds.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

In the past even the current stages, the schools are being built with gymnasiums usually built in the past through MACA in partnership and also with the community. There’s always been a partnership approach, because it does reflect on the recreation aspect of it. We continue to have those dialogues with the new schools as we move forward.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thanks to the Minister for the answer, but it really didn’t get to my question. At one time there were facility standards for schools. There were things that were required such as certain classrooms of a certain size, open areas spaces of a certain size, office spaces of a certain size. I want to know whether we have facility standards now which require a gymnasium to be encompassed in the building plans for any new school.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

With the specific plans of the school specs, we do go through with PWS and also other departments as required. But I can get back to the Member on the specific gymnasium that she’s referring to. Those are the discussions that we continue to have with other departments that are actively involved in this area.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I still didn’t hear that we have those standards. I’m presuming that we don’t. This expansion will provide gym space and I mentioned in my statement that I think there’s a need for the GNWT to show the feds that we’re committed to this project. I think that is also going to put pressure on the federal government and force them to be more supportive of the project than they are at the moment. I’d like to ask the Minister why the government, the GNWT, cannot commit our portion of the capital costs for this project in the 2011 budget. If we show our commitment I think the feds will produce the money that’s required, so why can’t we show the way?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

I do believe we are committed to having the school expedited, the second phase. So that’s why we continue to pressure the federal government to sponsor us as they did in phase one. They provided the funding to the schools and we’re hoping that they’ll continue to do so. Those are the discussions that we continue

to have to put more pressure on the federal government. We’ll continue to do that.