Jackson Lafferty

Throughout the Early Childhood Development Framework there has been a lot of engagement and the forum that we held in Yellowknife and surrounding communities. The superintendents have been involved, during the transition period of the discussion, about what kind of initiative should be undertaken by the department. One of them was junior kindergarten, the discussions that we’ve been having, and I presented to the board chairs of what our approach would be, part of the Early Childhood Development Framework, working along with Health and Social Services. The superintendents have been involved...

We have to keep in mind that we’re rolling out the junior kindergarten for all the children in the Northwest Territories. We talk about the larger centres and the smaller centres. We’re here for the Northwest Territories, so we are providing those benefits to those communities and, more specifically, those 10 communities that do not have licenced child care programming, daycare programming, and the preschools and so forth. At the end of the day, we’re serving the children of the Northwest Territories and it will benefit the whole Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, there has been preliminary discussion with the child care operators when we started talking about the early childhood development, the overall framework and the action plan. Part of that was introducing the junior kindergarten. All regions have early childhood regional consultants that are available to answer any questions or ideas that they may have or any assistance for these operators.

Under the Early Childhood Development Action Plan, my department has come out with having a comprehensive communication dialogue and also a plan. Within the plan, we’re developing a toll-free...

Mr. Speaker, my department, as I have stated, is developing an action plan to help support licenced programs that may be affected during the transition of bringing the junior kindergarten into our school system. Both Education, Culture and Employment early childhood consultants and also headquarters staff will be working very closely with all the daycare operators throughout the Northwest Territories and during the introduction of junior kindergarten will provide options for parents, and in particular for our communities that do not have licenced child care programming. Those are just some of...

Mr. Speaker, this continues to be a very exciting time for education in not only the North but the entire country. Through our Education Renewal and Innovation work, we are recognizing how people learn, what supports are needed to help them learn and how we can improve education for all students.

We developed the Education Renewal and Innovation (ERI) Initiative to make that improvement happen. Our newly released framework, Directions for Change, highlights the potential initiatives we know can make a difference in the lives of our students. A world leader on self-regulation, Dr. Stuart Shanker...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, titled “Education Renewal and Innovation Engagement Update 2014.” Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

I did highlight the actual numbers of the pupil-teacher ratio for year one, year two and year three. The PTR is still above the legislated mandate, so we are working towards that. We just have to be mindful that we are beyond the legislated mandate. I can also provide to the Members the breakdown with the actual numbers of the phase-in approach for year one, year two, year three, starting this fall. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize some of the people in the gallery. First and foremost is Ms. Joyce Rabesca of Behchoko. She’s also an entrepreneur in the community of Behchoko. I’d like to welcome her. Also, the honourable Mr. Paul Okalik. He’s also responsible for Culture, Labour and Immigration and Official Languages. Welcome. Mahsi.

WSCC is dealing with the workers that were exposed, to ensure that they have all the information that’s required to deal with the exposure.

The low-level arsenic exposure is not a substance to cause any instant illness. It can manifest over long periods of time. That’s the information that we received. WSCC is also ensuring that it is not manifesting to a latent disease of the workers. Those are some of the areas that we are currently monitoring. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Part of the mandate of the WSCC is to first deal with the workers and the employers. In this instance, the general public were not at risk of exposure but were confined from the contaminated zone on the Giant property. The general public does not have access to the mine site or the contaminated zone. Worker/employer information is confidential and cannot be disclosed, so that’s part of the reason why it was kept confidential to the parties. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.