Jackson Lafferty

Mr. Speaker, we currently provide funding to these facilities and establishments. That would be the daycare, the home care and so forth, other areas that we sponsor through our early childhood programming. Mr. Speaker, those will definitely be taken into consideration. We definitely don’t want to have an impact whether they be in businesses. We want to come up with a solution to deal with enrolment issues. Mr. Speaker, yes, those types of discussions need to happen now so we can resolve this issue and come up with a solution. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We are exploring all options as we can to deal with enrolment challenges that are at our doorstep when it comes to all schools. As you know, throughout the Northwest Territories, enrolment is down. This is just a preliminary discussion that we are having on possibly having the early childhood as part of the school programming to increase the enrolment issues at the schools.

Mr. Speaker, I can certainly provide detailed information once it is available to us. All I can say now is, I guess, a preliminary discussion that we are initiating and discussing. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, these schools and all schools are a priority to my department. There are no immediate health or safety issues with J.H. Sissons. So those are the areas that we are looking at; the most critical needs, the emergence of it, that we’re going to highlight in the coming months. Mr. Speaker, yes, we’re going to compile all that information and we’re going to highlight the most critical needs of the schools. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. These two particular schools will be part of the educational review that’s underway currently. That report will be done in the spring of this year. Based on the outcome of that, we’re going to highlight the most critical needs, the most emergency requirements, such as other regions’ most critical needs as well. Those two schools will be part of the discussion as we move forward after the spring.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot, as the Minister of Education, dictate where the money should be spent on specific items. It would be up to the group to give us an indication and also the inventory of where there are gaps and that’s where we’ll allocate the funding that’s been identified. Mr. Speaker, it is noted that that will be part of the discussion that we’ll be having with the group. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this will certainly fall into play with the nutritious food that has been highlighted in this House, working along with my colleague at Health and Social Services with respect to what the Member is alluding to. In the past there has been some vitamins given out to the students. When I was at Chief Jimmy Bruno School back in the old days we used to get those colourful vitamins that we were taking on a daily basis.

Mr. Speaker, this can certainly be part of the discussion that the organizations will be having as an advisory group and giving us direction as this...

Mahsi. I think that it’s important to highlight the actual true facts that the school boards will be providing. We’ve heard over and over not to hire any more consultants. We have our in-house people that can certainly deal with these challenges that are at the forefront, but at the same time working with the chairs and also the superintendents and they have valuable information that we can certainly use. So, Mr. Speaker, this certainly will be discussed in the April meeting. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We did receive a letter from various school boards identifying the costs of dealing with special needs. It is across the board in the Northwest Territories, not just one organization, but, Mr. Speaker, we did increase the inclusive schooling. Since 2005 until today there’s been a substantial increase in various locations within the school divisions. So, Mr. Speaker, we are looking at this very closely and we are currently dealing with enrolment issues that are challenging us right now and I think we need to focus in that area as well. But at the same time we’re currently...

Mr. Speaker, we’re aware that some schools are providing vitamins to some students. Not only that, but the organizations that I’ve highlighted in this House are clearly listening to the Member and I’m sure they’ll take that into consideration. We, as the two departments working closely with these organizations as well, can take this matter into consideration and if it could be part of the nutritious food programming. Then, by all means, those are the discussions we need to have. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We trust the board chairs and we trust the superintendents’ information that will be provided to us on the numbers that we need to work with. We will continue to work closely with them, because we provide funding to them and there’s accountability attached to that as well. So, Mr. Speaker, on a going forward basis in April we’ll be discussing and we’ll develop an action plan from there. Mahsi.