Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As pointed out in a recent report from the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association, teachers are turning down job offers for small NWT communities because of a lack of adequate housing. The report goes on to say that in the past 11 years, the Department of Education has spent $13.9 million moving teachers out of these communities, and that doesn’t include the added cost of recruiting new teachers to replace those who have left.

Since 1996, when the GNWT got out of providing teacher housing, there have been many things tried but, unfortunately, most of these solutions...

Mr. Chair, thanks to Mr. Aumond for that. I have to ask the same question I asked with regard to the financial shared services. We are spending money here, nearly not as much money, but we are spending a bit of money here. Do we have expectations that we are going to have savings through the centralization? I think the Minister alluded to it a little bit, but are we going to basically… If we are spending $165,000, are we going to gain much more than that by having these services centralized? Thank you.

I have a question here with regard to the Procurement Shared Services Centre. We have an explanation here where there is a transfer of money in from various departments to centralize our procurement services, but we are taking in $515,000 and yet we are spending whatever $515,000 plus $165,000 is. I don’t have that number here. We are spending $680,000. If we are doing the job in the various departments and it is costing us $515,000, why is it when we bring everything in together that we can’t provide the same services for the same amount of money? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have some questions, as well, on this particular expenditure, the financial shared services. Mr. Dolynny has mentioned two numbers, but there’s one more number under Public Works and Services a little further on in this document. It adds up to close to $2 million. I think it’s $1.9 million, give or take. I appreciate that these are one-time costs, and I appreciate that we are doing this for the better. This is going to presumably make our financial services somewhat better. But it is a large amount of money.

I guess I would like to know from the Minister, and again, I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank my colleagues for their words of support. I’d like to thank Mr. Bouchard for seconding the motion and allowing it to come to the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS Members of this Legislative Assembly recognize that bullying is a significant concern for Northwest Territories residents, and on February 16, 2012, passed Motion 5-17(2) on anti-bullying measures;

AND WHEREAS the use of social media, smartphones, and other information and communication technologies to bully, also known as cyberbullying, has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, with tragic consequences;

AND WHEREAS recent events in Canada including, most unfortunately, suicides of young people who were victims of cyberbullying, have brought this issue to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just would like to say to the Minister, he mentioned we’ve been lucky so far. We’ve been lucky to put teachers into housing, but it hasn’t been acceptable housing. It certainly hasn’t been housing that has been to the standard that we would expect if we were living in it.

The other possibility with the Housing Corporation is that, yes, they may provide an actual building, but it does not necessarily mean that the rents are going to be acceptable.

I’d like to ask the Minister, he’s talking about working with different partners and working closely with the Housing...

I’m not quite sure why these regulations would be so far-reaching and so widespread, but I’ll take him at his word and wait to see what comes of any discussions that go forward.

Another possibility that I didn’t mention but that could conceivably be out there – and it’s something that was previously done and then was dropped, but it has happened in the past – is that the NWT Housing Corporation has bequeathed property to education authorities and has maybe even set up mortgages with those authorities.

I’d like to ask the Minister whether or not he would consider discussing with the Minister for...

DEAs and DECs who are allowed to own property can then legally set about acquiring housing for their teaching staff. Education districts need many options to help them deal with housing. One solution will not work for every one of them. The GNWT needs to be flexible and supportive, and good, strong northern housing must be available, well maintained and reasonable in price when it comes to rent.

Teacher housing in the NWT is hampered by regulations which forbid educational authorities to own properties, and this is perhaps not a solution for all of our communities, but as ECE consults with...