This is page numbers 5221 – 5256 of the Hansard for the 17th 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 development.

Topics

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it’s Take Your Kid to Work Day, not take your kid to school day, but anyway, I just wanted to recognize Gayla Thunstrom and say that I appreciate all of her good, hard work and congratulate her on her recent re-election. Congratulations.

I also want to recognize Ms. Tracy St-Denis, who does so much good work not only for the department of ITI but also for the United Way. Thank you.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Bromley.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to recognize Tracy St-Denis, a Weledeh

constituent and very active in all kinds of areas, which I very much appreciate. Mahsi.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. I’d like to welcome everybody here in the public gallery. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings, and it’s always good to see Ms. St-Denis back in the Assembly.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Mr. Moses.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to acknowledge Mrs. Barb Lennie and her company, DL Services Ltd., on receiving the 2013 Business Development and Investment Corporation’s Outstanding Business Performance Award.

DL Services Ltd. was incorporated in 1997 and was owned and operated by Barb and her late husband Dennie Lennie. When Dennie passed away in 2004, Barb became the sole owner and has been operating the business on her own.

Barb also works for the GNWT full time, for 37 years, as the nurse in charge for public health and home care and continues to find time to manage the business as well as make time for her five grandchildren.

DL Services Ltd. retails petroleum products under the Esso banner, has a car wash and sells tires. Barb wanted to mention that she has great employees that have helped her in receiving this award. She also wanted to acknowledge and say thank you to all those amazing and wonderful people who have helped her along the way.

I have personally worked with Barb in my first GNWT position as a community health representative and would like to acknowledge her professionalism and compassion that she has for her employees. She has been a mentor of mine and helped motivate me and empower me to do the work that I do.

Please join me in acknowledging a compassionate and strong community leader in Inuvik, Mrs. Barb Lennie. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Moses. Item 7, oral questions. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I referenced that the Yellowknife Education District No. 1 is deciding its fate this Thursday on the findings of a commissioned in-house facilities report cleverly orchestrated by the GNWT.

Fact 1: The department has clearly passed on its legal obligation to deal with a constitutional obligation on the back of YK1 board trustees to modify their school programs and/or decommission one of their schools.

Fact 2: Some say GNWT’s actions border on exploitation. Bureaucracy defends this is merely good housekeeping.

My questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. It is a fact the GNWT was to have alternative arrangements between itself and the Commission scolaire francophone be brought forward to the Court of Appeal for consideration by March of 2014, yet the GNWT directed the YK1 to establish the YK1 Facilities Committee after this date.

Can the Minister explain why did the GNWT continued full steam ahead with this sacrificial lamb program, knowing full well that the results had not satisfied the appeal process or deadline? Thank you

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. First and foremost, we did not direct the YK1 to establish a steering committee, or the committee that is looking into the infrastructure in Yellowknife. It was YK1 that decided on that.

When we met with them back in 2013, prior to March, March was the deadline that we needed to act on with the Commission scolaire legal action. So we passed beyond that. Now it’s up to YK1 to decide what to do with their infrastructure. We’re obviously concerned about the low enrollment and the best utilization of those facilities.

Those are discussions that we’ve been having since 2012, 2013 until today. Mahsi.

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

Thank you. There’s a definite possibility that even with all the disruption and concern, YK1 could offer up the school and the Court of Appeal could still direct the GNWT to honour its original obligation. Can the Minister clearly articulate what steps will be taken should this occur?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

There is a proposed public meeting that’s going to be happening tomorrow. Then I believe the decision comes down on December 9th . We are just waiting for the

outcome of the parents’ engagement pertaining to these areas that have been brought to our attention. I believe there are four options for the general public to consider, the general public of the schools. At this point in time, we are just awaiting the results of those meetings.

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

We know that strained enrollment and aging infrastructure plagues YK1. That said, many feel we’ve failed the school board by not living up to the needed capital expenditures over the years. No matter how one views this, this utilization review comes at the beginning of what is the 2,000 population growth strategy from this same Cabinet.

Can the Minister inform the House, how can we be predicting growth and strategy yet somehow justify removing infrastructure for this anticipated population expansion?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Again, the infrastructure that we’re discussing here today, it is the ownership of YK1. They own these schools, aside from Sir John Franklin High School. The decision lies with YK1 to decide what to do with that infrastructure based on the feedback they get from the parents. I realize that enrollment is down. We, as the GNWT, continue to contribute to their O and M costs on an annual basis. We continue to do that.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Range Lake North School has been a neighbourhood K to 8 school of utilization well over 80 percent for many years, and the options before the school and the parents are now significant, changes that I know are flat out not acceptable.

Can the Minister assure the people of Range Lake and the parents that send their kids to Range Lake North School that he will see that status quo remains?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

I believe some of the options that I highlighted earlier will be discussed at the public forum and the parents will be raising their concerns to YK1, and then we will be hearing feedback from YK1 with the outcome. We are looking forward to those discussions as we move forward.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member’s statement today, my

questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I was pleased to hear the Minister’s statement this week saying that his department is going to meet the training needs for high demand trades in the Northwest Territories.

I’d like to ask the Minister today if he could provide some concrete examples of how the department is going to do this. For example, are government departments of the GNWT that require tradespersons going to increase the number of positions so that they can serve apprentices there? I’d like some concrete examples.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Yes, first and foremost, obviously, is to congratulate all those apprentices throughout the Northwest Territories. We are very proud of them, and obviously, we would like to see more of those individuals successfully completing apprenticeship certification and journeyman ticket holders. Part of specifically the training division, apprenticeship, is improving employment success through adult and post-secondary education and skills training. That area is being re-evaluated so we can capture four key areas of categories. That is to better understand the current and future labour markets needs and demands. Even throughout the Northwest Territories, we’ve heard over and over, even from the Sahtu region, the question in the House of the needs assessment. Those are some of the areas that we’ll continue to push forward and ensure that support and incentives are relevant, effective, and also aligned with evolving labour market needs and demands, and ensuring that the NWT residents have access to adult and post-secondary education and skills training that is required even through the Pathways Program and strengthening economic diversification. Those are key objectives that my department is going forward with and engaging the major stakeholders. Mahsi.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you. I was hoping the Minister was going to tell us that he was going to increase the funding for private sector employers to hire apprentices or that the government departments were going to make a whole lot more positions available for apprentices within their department, but that’s not what I heard. I can only hope.

Can the Minister please explain or please tell us if there is going to be any emphasis on increasing and encouraging apprenticeship training in the Northwest Territories and if there will be any emphasis on attracting women to apprenticeship positions? Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, that’s a very valid question the Member is asking, and it is a very important question as well. If you look throughout the Northwest Territories – I can only

speak to my region, as well – we have a high number of females in high school and also post-secondary, upwards of 90 percent. Obviously, those individuals will enter either the skilled trades area or even the professional development area.

Yes, that is one of the prime focuses because we know the stats that are out there, that we have a majority of females in K to 12 and even in post-secondary, so we need to identify those individuals and push them forward in the system. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Yes, it would be interesting to actually get a statistic on how many apprenticeship positions in the Northwest Territories are currently filled by women.

With the high rate of unemployment in small communities, what is the Minister’s department doing to ensure that there are students from these places that get a real footing in the skilled, high-demand trades? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, one of the areas, obviously, is the Small Community Employment Program that has been established by this Assembly. It has been very successful to date. They’re providing funding to employers so they can hire those individuals who are interested in various skill set positions. Not only that but there is other programming, whether it be apprenticeship training programming.

I just signed off with the federal government, as well, on Canada’s Job Fund. The funding is available to the employers through my department to identify those individuals. Once they’re trained, they should have job availability. That is the overall mandate of the Government of Canada and that also reflects on the GNWT as a whole.

This is an area that we are closely monitoring and working very closely with the federal government as well. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.