This is page numbers 709 - 738 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd 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 going.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Yes, Mr. Speaker, ECE recently hired a new arts education, trades and career, and technology studies coordinator to fill a position that had been previously filled, so it's not a new position.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

When I look at the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, I see an entire division dedicated to kids' sport and recreation. I am not saying that we do not need that at all and I, in fact, do not want that to go away, because I feel that children's activity and especially physical activity is very important as a preventative mental health support system. However, when I look at the department of education, I do not see an equally robust arts division, and so can the Minister confirm how many employees are dedicated toward youth arts curriculum development for the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

We have the one position that I just mentioned that is specifically dedicated to that. However, we do have hundreds of teachers in the territory, many of whom teach art courses.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Would the Minister be willing to work with those hundreds of arts teachers he just mentioned across the territory and the person who fills the arts curriculum role within the department of education along with people from different regions in order to develop a made-in-the-North arts curriculum that includes both cultural resurgence and art therapy initiatives, as well?

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Right now, our curriculum, many parts of our curriculum are, I wouldn't say outdated, but it's time for them to be renewed, and so that type of work is happening right now. We're looking across at different provinces to see what they're doing, because Alberta has gone through a change, Saskatchewan has changed, BC, and so we're looking at all of this. I think the Member has a great point that, if we can incorporate northern art and those types of things into our curriculum, that would be great. So I will definitely look into this.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the Minister's willingness to look into this. My final question today is in regard to the CALM courses that northern students currently complete in grade 10, and CALM traditionally is where students can work on resumes and they get their volunteer hours, but we hear frequently from northern youth that they need more than that in order to get themselves ready for real life. They want budgeting classes, and they want to know how to do their taxes, and they would like to know how to do business development training. A lot of people in the North do go out and start their own businesses. So would the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment also be willing to look at the CALM curriculum so that it includes more real-life experience and education for our northern youth? Thank you.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

That is something we're looking at. CALM has been around since I was in high school, and, frankly, there has always been talk that it could be done better, and I've heard that very recently, as well. So, for decades now, there have been desires to make it more relevant and, with our proposed pathways to education that the department is looking at, there are proposals to change what we now know as CALM, which is a three-credit course, to a series of one-credit courses, including financial literacy, 10 and 12; mental health and healthy relationships, 10; adult and child development. In addition, the current one-credit career and program plan completed in grade 9 is being replaced by a suite of career and transition plan courses to be taught in each year of high school, for a total of four credits, and these courses are meant to guide and support students in figuring out their future goals. So there are changes coming down the pipe to make it more relevant and address the very issues that the Member is speaking of. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, I just checked the coronavirus special webpage on the Department of Health and Social Services website, and the last update there is yesterday at 9:08 a.m. That's more than 24 hours that it's been without an update. Can the Minister tell us what the plans are to actually update this webpage? Look, our residents, they want timely information. We want to make sure that we instil a sense of public confidence and that we have regular updates. What are the plans to update this webpage? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just reached out to my department and I have been recently informed that the website hasn't been updated since yesterday, and we are working on that and we will have something ASAP. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Minister for that. Can the Minister tell us, though, what is going to be the regular schedule for updates? Is it going to be once a day? Is it going to be more than once a day? If the situation starts to change, what will be the schedule for updating the webpage and getting timely information out to our residents?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

We don't have a schedule now, but the website will be updated as required. So, if there is pertinent information that needs to be put out there, we will have it updated, but we will work on a schedule.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Minister for that. Can I just make a suggestion that the schedule itself actually be posted to the website, so our residents know when it's going to be regularly updated and whether it's once a day? I hope it's a little more often than that. Look, I was looking at a Johns Hopkins University website that shows coronavirus around the world. It's updated regularly, live. I want to get a commitment out of the Minister that the schedule for updating is actually going to be put onto the website itself so that our residents know what the frequency of the updates is going to be.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

I think that's an excellent idea from the Member, and that is something we will have a look at, to make sure that the residents of the Northwest Territories know when things will be updated to the website.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I hope that she more than just looks at it; that she actually directs her staff to do this. I would like to know from the Minister whether there are any changes from the last posting to the website, which shows zero cases of coronavirus in the Northwest Territories and 54 persons being tested. Is there an update that the Minister can provide us right now? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

As of now, there is no update. We still have no cases in the Northwest Territories, positive, from our results of any coronavirus here in the Northwest Territories. I would also like to let the Members know that we will have a briefing with our Chief Medical Health Officer after we're done session today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, I did have questions for the Premier, so if you could put me back on the list. Masi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of Finance regarding the coronavirus. My first question is: have all departments completed response plans?

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Finance.