Wendy Bisaro

Thanks to the Minister for that long answer, good answer. The Minister mentioned that drafting instructions were given to the legislative drafters. One of the major concerns that I think all of us have with regards to certain patients is that they go off their meds and they create dangerous situations for themselves and for other people, family, public and so on.

I’d like to know from the Minister what was in the drafting instructions that he gave to the legislative drafters that will look at that problem in terms of clients and patients who create dangers for themselves and the public. Thank...

So $400,000 is earmarked in this next budget year for wage top-ups? Is that correct?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that we have health and safety committees, and I’m very glad to hear that employees are taking advantage of the services that are available for them. But I’m talking a bit more about something that is broader. I’m talking about a culture in the workplace. We have tried to promote a culture of safety. I think we also need to promote a culture within the workplace where it’s okay to talk about mental illness and mental health problems. The Minister mentioned a campaign.

I guess I would like to know from the Minister: What are we doing...

Thanks, Madam Chair. A couple of questions on this page. We’re on page 66, right? Thanks. The first one has to do with the Early Child Worker Grant Program, and from 2014-15 to 2015-2016 it’s almost doubled, and I’m wondering what the extra funding is being used for.

Thanks to the Minister. It may be that every employee is allowed 12 sick days per year according to their Collective Agreement, but I’d like to know from the Minister, because the Public Service Annual Report presumably looks at all aspects of our public service, and I would hope that they would also be looking at costs of certain actions of our public service, does the Minister have any idea what the cost is for 12.3 days of absence per employee in a calendar year? Thank you.

I’m really struggling with this. If we take Yellowknife Education District No. 1, for instance, I believe it was $450,000 that they had their budget reduced by last year, and you’re now telling me that they’re going to again get a reduction in the ‘15-16 school year. We’re not increasing the JK Program. The money that was collected from the reductions in the education authorities for the first year of implementation of junior kindergarten, the ‘14-15 school year, that money you already have. It’s in your base now because you’re not giving it out to the education authorities. So why is it that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Standing Committee on Government Operations held a public hearing on Bill 12, in Yellowknife, on September 25, 2014. The committee anticipated that there would be some degree of stakeholder interest in Bill 12, owing to the importance placed by most individuals on matters related to their pensions. However, the turnout for the meeting exceeded the committee’s expectations. The committee wishes to thank everyone who attended the public hearing, especially for their forbearance regarding the somewhat crowded committee room.

The chair of the standing committee opened the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m really confused. This is a one-year course, I think, or less. I’m not sure. It may be recognized as being part of a course in the South, but can I get a certificate here in the NWT, go to a daycare or an early childhood facility in Alberta, for instance, in Edmonton, and be accepted as a fully trained early childhood educator and meet the requirements of an Alberta certification to be an early childhood educator? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m pleased to hear that there’s an uptake on that dual track or whatever course that you talked about. The Minister, in his response, totally used future tense. We want to be portable. We want to be equal. I’d like to know where we stand right now, whether our early childhood education certificate – I think it’s a certificate – whether it equates to any other certificate or diploma or degree elsewhere in the country. If it does not, when are we going to get to the status that the Minister referred to in the future? Thank you.

Thanks, Mr. Chair, and thanks to the deputy minister. I haven’t seen the response. If it’s been written, it hasn’t gotten to my desk yet, so I’ll look forward to that.

I wanted to ask a question, as well, with regard to the training that Aurora College does for early childhood educators. I’ve not managed to figure out exactly the length of the program and I guess the viability of people who are educated under that program if they transfer to another jurisdiction.

My first question would be: What is the length of the Early Childhood Educator Program that we deliver through Aurora College? Thank...