Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do not have a timeline or implementation plan yet. The Minister hasn't even started the required work to address the deficit and outstanding issues. So that work needs to be done. There may likely be some changes required to the hamlet programs and services, including the water and sewer rates. However, we don't know that until we look at it. Municipal and Community Affairs is aware that several hamlet programs and services are not currently functioning at full capacity, and there will likely be changes needed to ensure that residents are receiving these municipal services.

Again, I would encourage the residents of Fort Res to provide support to the administrator as he undertakes the work required to help the hamlet to set work on a stable and financial path. This includes discussions, issues, and concerns with the administrator once he starts on March 5th.

But, Mr. Speaker, yesterday I had an opportunity to talk to a former superintendent for Municipal and Community Affairs, and we were having a conversation about administration and what the role is and how it's going to be done. So we are working on that, and I will work with the Member to explain some of the ideas that we're looking at to make sure this administration is a short period of time. We, I, want to make sure we have an elected council in there as soon as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Teachers need time and training to roll out the new and adjusted BC curriculum here in the Northwest Territories. Teachers may be expected to complete five 2-hour courses over the summer. Apparently, these courses aren't ready yet. This information was found on social media, not in formal announcement from the department or their education authorities. So can the Minister tell us when the training materials will be ready and delivered to teachers? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This month, they'll be ready. There is a plan for the training. It was released on May 23rd and so the actual plan is out there. I understand what the Member is saying these materials are not immediately available. There's no expectation that teachers will have to work over the summer. You know, that's the benefit of being a teacher. You get that little bit of time off in the summer there so we're not trying to burden teachers with anything.

I will say that in the upcoming school year, there will be some teachers who will be trialing the new British Columbia curriculum. So teachers of grade 4 to 6 classes as well as grade 9 classes. Schools were given the option of trialing some or all of the curriculum in those years. So some schools are implementing the full curriculum for four to six and nine, and others are just doing certain parts of it. So this is not all teachers in the territory; I just want to make sure that people were aware of that. The information about, you know, the curriculum and the resources, we provide that to the superintendents who then disseminate that among their school staff. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. It's very helpful to get this information on the record and out there.

Another issue is that the department says transition must happen before the contract with Alberta Education ends for the administration of diploma exams. But, Mr. Speaker, this really shouldn't matter. Students did not write diploma exams while learning remotely during the pandemic. So will the Minister look at revising the timeline for this exam's requirement or eliminate it? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I think there might have been some miscommunication. There is no expectation that we need to fully transition to British Columbia's curriculum before the contract with Alberta Education ends. The contract ends in 2025-2026, marking the last year of diploma exams and the last year that students in grade 12 will use the Alberta curriculum. Implementation of the BC curriculum in all grades is anticipated for the 2027-2028 school year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister again for that. It's helpful to get this information out there. It's not clear, though, how colleges and universities that still base their entry requirements on percentage grades will treat NWT students applying for admission when we start to switch to a proficiency scale. So it's also not clear how this proficiency scale grading will impact scholarships and it's not clear how parents are going to be informed about the new assessment scale either.

So can the Minister tell us what implementation measures ECE has developed to make sure students can continue to apply and be competitive for entrance into colleges and universities? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you. One of the nice things about partnering with a large jurisdiction like British Columbia is that colleges and universities recognize that the way that BC does its curriculum and its grading, and so BC does use percentage grades for grades 10, 11, and 12. It's up to grade 9 where there is the proficiency scale that the Member is talking about. So there will be percentages for grades 10, 11, 12. As for grades 1 to 9, we're still working on what that might look like, whether or not we're going to fully adopt British Columbia's scale. Thank you.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thanks the Minister again for that. It's really helpful to get this information out there because clearly there's different views out there or whatever. So professional teachers, though, on the frontline are telling me that they're not ready for this rollout and they're not prepared.

So how is the Minister going to act now to address these concerns and determine whether an implementation delay on the new BC curriculum is needed? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for Minister of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, I know that there are 21 RCMP detachments in the NWT. And the smallest NWT community with a population of 104 has a RCMP detachment so therefore I have a question for the Minister. This week we have been reviewing the supplementary estimates. There is $1.5 million to expand the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program. That's good. But, Mr. Speaker, I want to know does that funding include any new officers for Gameti or Wekweeti? Thank you.