Alfred Moses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First off, I just want to say that our NWT Student Financial Assistance program continues to be one of the best financial aid programs throughout this country, and we do assist a lot of students going on to get their post-secondary education.

Now, with travel, Student Financial Assistance will assist any resident in the Northwest Territories who is eligible under the basic grants with travel expenses by air or by land from their home community to the nearest approved institution offering their program. Students are notified of their travel entitlement once their...

As I have travelled over the Northwest Territories and been to career fairs, NWT Skills, our department does a great job of highlighting the labour market information needs assessment. The opportunities with Skills 4 Success, immigration strategy, ATOC strategy, a lot of the good things that our department is doing, and ensure the Member that we are getting out there, giving that information to residents and to our partners. However, any resident in the NWT can access our website as well. It has a lot of good information on all of our strategies and how to apply to them, and see what kind of...

Mr. Speaker, in 2013 we tabled the Education Renewal Framework, a 10-year strategy to help us and our partners rethink the way our education system supports the teaching and learning of our students. We have been methodically transforming the education system in the North, and I would like to share with the Members some of our successes.

Junior kindergarten is now a part of our territorial education system. I would like to thank Members for their oversight and input in this important initiative. Junior kindergarten is now available to every family, in every community within our territory. I had...

We have a small community employment strategy as well that we are working with. We have our apprenticeship, trades, and occupational strategy that we're trying to see how we can work with our small communities in our regions. I would have to see specifically what is coming out of our regional office in the Sahtu and how they have been working to get the skill force up, and people certified so that they can enter the work force and be part of the building and ongoing staffing at the health centre in Norman Wells, so I would have to talk with my colleague as well as look at what our regional...

Over the course of this government and the end of the 17th Legislative Assembly, a lot of work has gone into early childhood programming. This government made it a mandate and a priority during the life of the 18th Legislative Assembly, and we continue to try to address high cost early childhood program needs. I will take that suggestion back to the department and see what we can work on and look at. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm proud to say that currently we have 23 communities across the Northwest Territories that offer early childhood programming. In the last little while we worked with some of our smallest communities to incorporate daycare programs, day home programs, and we're continuing to work with the other communities to get that up and running, and working with them on how we will do that.

We have made significant increases to the daily rates for early childhood program funding that came into effect October 1st of 2016. We do have start-up costs for people, groups, organizations that want to start up...

We are not even a month into the school year, and we have to look at some of the data that we are collecting from our education authorities. We did provide the education authorities with their funding targets. They gave us their operational plans. The education authorities also have a responsibility to roll out their plans within the partnerships that we have with them and the contribution agreements that we have with them. We will wait until we see that data to address it. I have mentioned that education authorities can come back and look at extraordinary enrolment formulas to address some of...

During the first year of the territorial implementation of JK, which has just started this school year, specific needs for children with exceptionalities are unknown. After the first full year of territorial JK, ECE will review the needs of the children who are in attendance so we will have a better understanding.

Now, should enrolments increase this year, the education authorities are eligible for additional funds through an extraordinary enrolment formula. We will ensure that a 12:1 staffing ratio exists for junior kindergarten students. As we roll out junior kindergarten, we will have a...

Our Student Financial Assistance Program must abide by the act and regulations when determining a student's eligibility. We also strive to treat all students fairly and consistently, and decisions must be made in accordance with the regulations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Once again, it is really up to the student whether they go by air or by land. Airfare travel is based on the cost from the student's home community to the nearest approved institution offering that same program. If they decide to go to post-secondary by land, then land travel is reimbursed based on mileage only.