Statements in Debates
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I again spoke about employment rates in small communities. To get a feel for whether or not this topic is on the government radar, I’d like to ask the Minister of ECE if there is any dialogue between departments specifically on the low employment rates in the small communities.
I cannot lay out what the Employment Strategy could consist of, but I feel that the very first step to providing much needed employment and income into the small communities is a strategy for the betterment of the entire NWT.
I’d like to thank the Minister for that answer. I thought that the building was going to be decommissioned. There is a critical need for tradespeople and opportunities for the people in Lutselk’e to be employed at the mines. Does the Minister think that if there’s not enough money in the budget for the local district authority that the Department of Education would be able to assist in the operation and maintenance and custodial services to provide in the old community learning centre to be used as a shop?
I wouldn’t advocate for income assistance to be increased to make it easier for people to stay on income support, but in the cases of need and cases where we want people to work their way off the system I think that increasing the earned income threshold would be a positive move towards getting people off of income support.
My third question is on the seniors’ home heating subsidy. My issue is a little bit different. It’s more of asking the department to review the adult children supporting aged and disabled family members, whether they be grandparents or parents. Right now the alternative is...
The bottom line is that this building can still serve a vital purpose in the community of Lutselk'e.
Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment questions on this at the appropriate time. Thank you.
I’d like to ask the Minister to review the financial thresholds on this subsidy program. I think it’s too low. I think that students that are in Aurora College from my home town are struggling with this policy. Daycare or child care costs are about $50 per day and I do not believe that they’re netting enough money to pay for that. So there’s something wrong with the system when what they’re netting from student financial assistance is lower than their daycare costs. It’s almost equivalent to their daycare costs, I would say. Individuals are forced to work part time. Which is okay, I don’t have...
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My first question is in the Child Care User Subsidy Program. Financial assistance to parents that help child care so that they can go to school. I’m wondering if the threshold of income... I guess my first question is what is the income threshold in order for students to access. I’ll just put some context to that. I’m wondering if two students on full student financial assistance would be over the threshold.
I’m wondering if the department has done any work with other departments in the sense that... Let’s use the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Maybe a more common one could be the Housing Corporation or possibly Public Works and Services or any of those works departments. I’m wondering if the Department of Education, Culture and Employment works with any of those departments in the creation, using, like, I guess I use the term sort of like a critical mass I suppose, to use the various things that have to happen in the small communities and around the small communities. An example...
I’m very pleased to hear that. I have a question for the Minister on the same area, employment development. I’m wondering if the Minister or the department has an employment development strategy for each of the small communities like… That’s good for now. I’ll ask that question now.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This may not be something that’s directly the responsibility of the department, but maybe the Minister could deal with the college on this. One of the things that we’re finding just in general in the workforce is that a lot of the students that are completing the courses, they’re going into all kinds of different work environments and I’m wondering if there could be some sort of course that is preparing these students for work environments that they will encounter as they graduate from these programs. Thank you.