Inuvik Boot Lake

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 51)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the past year, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has implemented new initiatives and improved existing programs and services to help meet our mandate commitments to address the cost of living for NWT residents.

We all understand the importance of reducing poverty and providing our residents with the tools necessary to achieve their goals and live healthy, productive lives. The work under way at the department supports those goals.

Actions in early childhood development, in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Services, have been...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

Public Works and Services is the facility maintainer. They do not typically undertake assessments specifically for asbestos; it is done as part of the routine preventative maintenance procedures. ECE is aware of asbestos in the crawl space and on the piping elbows, and it is contained and in good shape. The next annual inspection is scheduled for May-June 2017.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we can commit to getting that information for the Member and all Members on the other side of the House. I just want to let the Members know that we also have approximately 33 NWT students attending teacher education programs outside the Northwest Territories, and we continue to support them through our Student Financial Assistance program; 13 are coming from communities outside Yellowknife, so we're getting students from the communities outside Yellowknife attending this. Additionally, there are approximately 19 NWT students presently attending social work...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned earlier, with the development of that new overarching legislation for a postsecondary education here in the Northwest Territories, that is the beginning of it, and that is the initial step that we have to do before we can start having those talks. So hopefully, we will have that legislation brought to committee soon.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

I mentioned a little bit of this yesterday, as well. The current students of these programs will be given the opportunity to complete their program at Aurora College, but there will be no new intakes, as was mentioned. Former students will also be given the opportunity to complete these programs. Aurora College staff are providing students with the support staff they need to ensure that they have the best chances for successful completion of the program that they're in. Potential future students, as I mentioned yesterday, we are meeting with our access program students to help them align with...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

We will get that information to the Member as well as with the report, when it is finally done, and get committee's comments on the report, as well as looking forward to the future work of all our postsecondary institutions here in the Northwest Territories. That includes Dechinta as well as College nordique. We do have partnerships with them. We do fund them.

As I mentioned, we will be developing a new overarching legislation for postsecondary education here in the Northwest Territories that will have positive impacts on all of our postsecondary institutions.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this moment, I can't commit to putting anything that has any dollars to it in the House here, but we will have those discussions, moving forward from when we see that report and what is needed and then look at, if we do decide to do a pilot, which community it is. Inuvik would be great.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

Currently, we are going through the Aurora College strategic plan, and we have yet to see what the outcome is with that report. The discussions can continue from there. Once we see that report and it is tabled in the House, then we can have those discussions.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have made those investments, fully funding junior kindergarten moving forward, so it's not on the backs of children. We work with the school boards to ensure that they get the support they need for student best outcomes, best student success for Northern residents, right from our smallest communities to here in Yellowknife. Those decisions are also made by the school board, how they take that funding that we give them and allocate it in the school system.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 50)

As I've said in the House on many occasions, we do give $152 million to all the education boards. How they choose to budget line items within those dollars that we give them is up to the education board.