Tom Beaulieu

So no positions were cut in communities that we refer to as small communities. I could take that as correct. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister do that for the 2011-2012 school year? The beginning of the 2011-2012 school year?

I’m curious as to where those positions were cut. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, maybe I should clarify. I’m trying to figure out if it was small communities, regional centres or Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m not 100 percent sure this is exactly in the right section, but I can’t find another area for it. I just wanted to ask the Minister if he and his department have some sort of plan to address the issue of absenteeism. That’s been a topic where last year it was in the news where kids are losing a year by the time they’re getting halfway through elementary school just from being absent so much. So absenteeism is an issue that’s affecting the kids’ education levels when they finish grade 12 because people are continuing to pass through the system with their peers, so by...