Shane Thompson

Thank you. I'd just like to follow up on some questions from Ms. Green here that she proposed to the Minister. The Minister talks about the college being autonomous. Can you give me the definition of what "autonomous" means? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That is great to hear, and I am hoping we will get feedback from the parents and that as we move forward. Coming back to distance learning, on the floor here I talked about, you know, it is very much about the peer courses and that, and then we are talking about getting it out there to the schools there, but what about the schools, i.e., in the smaller communities that only go up to grade nine? Right now, that is all they offer and after that, grade 10, 11, and 12, they either have to go to Fort Providence or Fort Simpson to go to school. How are you trying to work with...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the NWT and, in particular, the Nahendeh, many residents require academic upgrading, even after finishing school. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment: how is the department working with Aurora College to meet the needs of adult learners in the region? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. In other words, individual A has to go ask for SFA first, and, if he doesn't, then he has to get income support. Correct? Is that what I am understanding from the Minister? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I agree that people come and go, but Fort Liard hasn't had that position filled for a long time, so that is a concern for me, and especially the community. I would just like to go on to the SCIP. We are on to our third year, so what have we learned for the last two years? Are we waiting until the very end for a three-year pilot project and then we will move forward to do an evaluation? Have we done an evaluation on the last two years? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, when we are talking about basic needs, we are talking about accommodations and food. Correct? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess my concern is: has the department been coming back or evaluating this? Right now, my challenge is I am hearing different things. I know two positions aren't filled. Then there is a demand on the staff. Will you be looking at making sure this is the proper process? Because, again, we have come out with this great idea, but if it is not working, what are the mechanisms in place that you can guarantee that this stuff is working? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

You can see where I am going with this. If they live in a small community, would they be able to apply and access income support, but they have to move into one of the larger centres to access where the learning centres are? Would they be able to do that? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'll go on to this one here. In regard to the teaching certificate and learning management, is this the area that we talk about it for this one?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess my next set of questions is just in regards to positions being lost. Right now, we are seeing a decline of 60 students in the Deh Cho, so we are going to see positions being lost. Right now, we are bare bones. You know, when you talk about extraordinary circumstances, that is after. Has the department looked at setting up to look at these situations where we are going to lose 60 students and it is going to have an impact on the education system? Have you looked at it, and are you willing to work with that board to get it to be successful? Thank you, Mr. Chair.