We continue to work with each district education council on the enrolment issues and also having those students enrolled and also being successful in their programs. We continue to strive there. We continue to provide funding to them to make that a successful program in the communities. So, Mr. Speaker, I can commit today to continue to work with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council, what the status is of those eight students who have been identified here and what the board of education is going to do as we go forward. We can continue monitoring that and we can get back to the Member on that particular item. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Education with regard to my Member’s statement, similar along the lines of Mr. Jacobson. We have a similar problem in Tsiigehtchic and I believe in all small communities with populations under 200. Using the student/teacher ratio does not work to get another teacher in the community. To be fair to those students who are having to go up to Inuvik and elsewhere to get their high school education, the reason they are going there is because the teachers are in those larger schools which provide the ability to provide that curriculum. Because of that situation we have in the small communities where you only have two teachers in Tsiigehtchic to provide an education program for the communities, you need extra teachers on the ground in order to make those programs work.
Mr. Speaker, when they had the home boarding in Inuvik, they were spending almost $500,000 for 20 students out of Inuvik; $500,000. You could have taken that $500,000 and given $250,000 to Sachs Harbour, $250,000 to Tsiigehtchic, offered them two teachers apiece, you would have solved your problem. Will the Minister consider looking at an option of putting more money into those communities over and above the exact formula that is there now to offer high school education in those communities?
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We are looking at various options on how we can enhance our services in small, isolated communities such as Tsiigehtchic or Sachs Harbour and Ulukhaktok and other communities. Part of the ongoing discussion we’re having with the education council is identifying those resources. There is also the enrolment issue. We’re dealing with an enrolment that is going down, and that doesn’t help in small communities. So, certainly, those are the strategic thinking that we are having with our departments and with the community organizations. We need to find a solution. One solution is to increase funding. How can we do that? Where can we find the funds? Those are options we are currently exploring.
If the Minister would be seriously considering the cost right now that is being borne by the divisional board of education in Inuvik for home boarding or for a hostel, which is already part of their budget, take those dollars and give it to those communities so the community students don’t have to leave their home communities and put it into those communities so they can hire more teachers.
This particular discussion can be undertaken by my department with the education council in the Beaufort-Delta. I definitely wouldn’t want to dictate on where the money should be going. It was their decision. Like I stated earlier, those are the experts around the table. We need to get the advice from them. We can certainly meet with them to identify where we should extend it, whether it be home boarding or other areas. Those are the types of discussions that can certainly be undertaken.
So what happens to the students who have dropped out? Are they basically going to lose their whole education because of having to go back to their home communities and having no high school education or programs there to assist them? Like Mr. Jacobson, I’d like to know if there is a support mechanism in the Department of Education to assist those students who have gone back to their home communities, by way of funds for tutoring, funds to work with them to make sure they don’t lose their whole school year. Are there ways we can salvage the school year so they can move forward with their education?
Again, that type of discussion needs to happen at the district education council with our department, identifying funding or resources within our department and also within the board department. We’ve already allocated funds for this school year operation, and those eight students or other students that Mr. Krutko is alluding to, we need to look at their status. The funding that’s been allocated to Inuvik, certainly they will lose that if the students are back in Tsiigehtchic. We need to adjust in those areas as well. The board needs to make those decisions as well. I have to respect those decisions. Certainly we can discuss that at the board level as we move forward.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Presently they’re spending about $180,000 in regard to the home boarders. I’m just wondering if that money could be given to the community so they can maybe hire a few extra teachers in those communities to assist these students to keep them in school and get them into the classroom and keep them there to try to salvage the year end. There is money still in the budget no longer being expended. It was for the purpose of home boarding. Can those dollars be reallocated to those communities and get those kids back into school?
That is the type of discussion that we will certainly be having. I would advise Members to try to meet up with board members on the educational factor, because it’s the board of education that is telling us where they are going to expend their money a year in advance. Sometimes we hear complaints or issues or opportunities that we move forward with, but those are discussions that we need to have with the board of education.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. It goes back to my Member’s statement where I talked about the future of the delivery and provision of business services here in the Northwest Territories.
Since I became a Member in 2003 this has been an issue. During the business plan review last fall the Department of ITI commented in their business plan that they were interested in a one-window service delivery model, something that’s been talked about for a number of years. I’d like to ask the Minister when exactly the department will have a presentation in front of committee to have a look at this service delivery model.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is the first indication I’ve heard from the Member that he wanted a presentation to the standing committee, but we’re quite prepared to present at the committee’s convenience.
For obvious reasons that I cited in my Member’s statement -- the lack of business start-ups, creation, the lack of any real economic diversification in our economy -- I think that time is of the essence that the department and the government move on this. I’d like to ask the Minister what the future is of the Business Development Investment Corporation in the rollout of this new plan.
I guess I’m a bit surprised at the Member’s line of questioning since he was involved with developing legislation for BDIC and also the standing committee was consulted extensively in setting up the SEED program, which I think is working very well.
I guess whether it’s working really well or not, if less than a third of the overall funding of the SEED program is actually going into businesses, then it’s debatable whether or not that’s actually working. I’d like to ask the Minister -- and I know I was around when BDIC was created and everything -- how it is that we allow the BDIC to have a board in place and do the work on behalf of that corporation when it appears that they’re under direct and immediate control of the Department of ITI?
I think if you look at the legislation establishing BDIC you would see that they are an independent board. There is no opportunity for political interference with approval of loans and the only avenue is for me to provide general direction to the board, and that is according to the legislation.
With regard to the SEED program, which is Support for Entrepreneurs in Economic Development policy, in the consultation we were, with committee it was very clear that the focus should be on what we call level two communities. I’m pleased to report that since its inception, the SEED program has been oversubscribed. Last year we gave out $2.9 million. This year we will be giving out $3.3 million. To date we’ve allocated approximately $2.9 million. I think the SEED program is working very well for what it’s intended. The money is going out to the smaller communities and it’s allowing the people at the small community level to get involved with business.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we have to make sure the money is getting into real businesses and diversifying our economy. Again, I think if only one-third of that funding is actually going to businesses, that is debatable.
The Minister talked about political interference and I know the BDIC was before standing committee late last year. The presentation they gave committee that day was quite vague and void of any real numbers. I’m just wondering, was that presentation vetted through the Department of ITI before it was given to standing committee?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was provided with a copy of the presentation. I don’t believe it was vetted by myself. But basically when we make a presentation to committee, we tried to respond to what the committee wishes to be briefed on, and unless they give us some very specific direction, generally we would give a very broad presentation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Premier in relation to a number of the Strategic Initiatives committees. I spoke in my Member’s statement about my concern for the lack of accomplishments of a number of these committees and the lack of reporting from those committees back to Regular Members. So my first question to the Premier is to try to get some information about one of the Strategic Initiatives committees which is near and dear to the Regular Members’ hearts and where we haven’t seen any accomplishments that I’m aware of. So I’d like to ask the Premier if he could outline the accomplishments of the Cost of Living Strategic Initiatives committee and what they’ve done over the last year. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Strategic Initiatives committees have been continuing to do their work. Just the other day the Member asked about the program review office. That’s that office feeding the work, for example, the Refocusing Government Initiative. Some of the work that we had ongoing feeds into that. For example, the electricity rate review one could have an impact on the work within the Cost of Living committee, for example. I can provide the Members an update, a sheet of the work that’s been undertaken and is ready for presentation to committees and the work that is ongoing. So I’ll get that prepared for Members. Thank you.
I guess if there’s that much work that is ongoing and there’s a sheet that’s available, I’m curious why the Premier can’t provide that information to Regular Members on an ongoing basis. I guess I also want to say that if the information that we’re getting is the same information that’s already in the budget and in the business plans, I’m aware of that. I want to know specific actions, specific plans, specific programs that are being undertaken relative to these committees. So I’ll ask the Premier again: are there any specific accomplishments that the Cost of Living Strategic Initiatives committee has managed to complete in this past year? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, much of the work that we do do feeds the system that we operate under and that’s a budget system. So, as the Member stated, she’s aware of the budget process and has that information. Ongoing work in the Strategic Initiatives committees, there’s some of the program review areas that are still needing to be completed and done. So as I stated, I will get that information to the Member.
As well, the Member, in her Member’s statement, talked about it seems like we’ve slowed down, there’s nobody in the offices to do the work. Well, simply, the fact is that not all work gets done behind a desk in Yellowknife; Ministers travel to their constituencies, work out of their offices there, as well as travel with Members to their own constituencies at the request of Members or take part in F/P/T. We have to be careful what we say here and the language we use in the sense of describing what’s happening, because I could talk about the mornings I’ve been here when I go down the hall and who do I have a chance to speak to or bounce ideas off of, but we won’t go there. Thank you.
That’s an interesting challenge. I guess I would like to know from the Premier what time of day he’s coming up and down the halls, because I tend to be there most mornings. I have another question for the Premier. I’d like to know, relative to all this information, or all these accomplishments, all the work that’s going on that the Premier has referenced, how is that our public and our residents can become aware and be informed about the work of our Strategic Initiatives committees? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, there are a number of processes that we would inform the public for a change in direction that we would do. For example, we would incorporate many of our initiatives into the budget process. Members are aware that budget items that are brought forward feed that system. Our energy work that’s been done is fed through that system. The work that we have then approved as an Assembly gets put onto our website, either policy changes, program changes and updated in that manner as well. So we can look at how to expand that. But simply and first, those Strategic Initiatives committees are looking at how we do business and will feed the budget process, the policy process and the program process we have available. As we as an Assembly decide that it is time and there’s enough information to make a decision for further changes, then we would go out either for, as committees take bills out that are changed or, when we need to, an initiative where we take a process out and go with committees or a department goes out with initiatives to get feedback from people across the Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Your final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hesitate to… Well, I won’t. The information from the Premier is pretty vague. It’s nice that that information is there. It’s nice that the information is in the budget, but our public does not have access to the business plans as we do. What is in the budget really doesn’t reference the activities of the Strategic Initiatives committees, so there really isn’t any way for our public to become aware. The Premier also didn’t indicate where on the government’s huge number of websites this information is located. So I would ask the Premier if he could be a little more specific. Where is information posted relative to the accomplishments of Strategic Initiatives committees that our general public can access? Thank you.
I’ll get the information for the Member to follow the chart of how we work with Strategic Initiatives committees, how that feeds our existing system, how that works into our planning process, that builds the budget that Members will be taking the months to look at and pass, hopefully, as we get through this. But I will provide that type of information for the Member as we get into our budget process as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Mr. Speaker, I’ve been listening, with interest, to the responses from the Minister of ENR. I want to ask the Minister of ENR in regard to the Bathurst Inlet caribou population, which was 120,000 in 2006. The Minister indicated that in 2009 the population dropped to 30,000, so 90,000 caribou disappeared somewhere. I want to ask the Minister regarding his consultation on the ban in this specific area. Is the Minister willing to look at possibly the ban in terms of giving the aboriginal hunters a percentage of caribou in that area, maybe a half percent or 1 percent in terms of providing that to the aboriginal hunters?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. They say at night when it’s dark and cold outside and the stars are glittering like diamonds in the sky and you’re away from the communities, if you listen closely to the wind and the whispers of the wind you’ll hear the caribou asking us for our help, reminding us for centuries that they have helped provide life and subsistence to the people of the North. Now they are in a time of need and they’re asking us not to forget all that they have done for us over those very many centuries. Our job is to now come to the aid of the caribou in this, their time of need, to avoid the destruction of this particular herd because of various, very many causes. The numbers are so low, Mr. Speaker, that right now biologists and all the folks that do this indicate that any further taking of this herd or diminishment of this herd could imperil its very existence. We have to be there for the caribou. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the lifting of a small percentage of the caribou, I believe that because the issue here is it’s so large and so huge to the people in the Mackenzie Valley here, it would divert a political volcano, I guess, in terms of the issue of aboriginal rights, conservation, who’s right, who’s going to win. It’s going to impact long-term relationships with the aboriginal people. I want to again ask the Minister if he would consider a small percentage of the total amount of herd, as we’ve done in the Sahtu, at least look at this issue in terms of the bigger picture, in terms of relationship building with aboriginal people and having some consideration to look at this.
Mr. Speaker, who has to survive is the caribou. The big picture is the caribou. That has to be the big picture. When you talk to every co-management board and every aboriginal government, the issue is the caribou. Back in 2007, even the Dene Nation said the Dene Nation leadership has identified the decline in caribou stocks as a crisis situation, a top priority to be addressed by all the nations within Denendeh to preserve caribou for future generations. That is the big picture. That is the issue. We are working hard to do that. We are very willing to come up with ways to accommodate the impact on hunting rights. There are other options, but we have to focus on why we are doing this. It’s to protect this Bathurst herd whose numbers have dwindled very, very precariously. Thank you.
In my discussions with the elders -- and I’ve had a few discussions with them, Mr. Speaker -- the elders say the animals on this land are there for us to survive as human beings. I believe if the Minister wants to quote more traditional knowledge, I think it needs to go to the people, to the real hunters, the real people who use caribou, people like Colville Lake, people in Deline who say this is not right. Why are our calves being born two weeks late? Something is wrong. Again, people who know this, it’s not the government. So I’ll ask the Minister again, in terms of the ban here, the people know what’s right. I believe that this government is going to be in a lot of trouble if they continue on with the attitude of ignoring what the people are saying. Will the Minister again consider lifting the ban to the aboriginal hunters, a small percentage, not everything, the aboriginal hunters so they can practice their hunting and their way of life as they were given by the Creator of this land?
We are very aware of our priorities and what is important. It’s the caribou. We know very clearly what the numbers tell us. The Member knows that. We have done a full documentation. We’ve laid out all the work we have. We’ve worked collaboratively with all the co-management boards across the land including in this part of the country. We’ve involved communities and hunters when we’ve done our counts and census. The issues tell us that the caribou here are in trouble. This Bathurst herd is rocketing its way to extinction unless we take some interim emergency measures to get us through this hunting season to allow that broader process to engage fully the Wekeezhii board, the Metis and all the other appropriate stakeholders to help with a longer term management plan. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Your final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If that’s the case, the aboriginal people would have agreed. Why is it that when I call my leadership in the Sahtu, they say this is not right, this is wrong. The Wekeezhii board has to make a decision and it has not yet made a decision. The government, in its wisdom, jumped the gun. Mr. Speaker, was there an agreement to say, yes, we’ll come back? Is that part of the consultation? Sometimes I hear consultation in terms of this is what you shall do and that is it. Was there an agreement in terms of putting a ban here and waiting for people? You should really come to the communities and talk to the elders. Why are the elders saying I would like to come and talk to the government as to what they are doing with this issue?
Let me restate the two separate issues: the broader issue of the long-term management plan for the Bathurst that’s going to flow the Wekeezhii process tied in with working with the Akaitcho, the Yellowknives and the Northwest Territories Metis.
The process was supposed to flow to certain deadlines. Those deadlines slipped. We had a situation where it was clearly identified that this herd is in very dire straits. Because that process had slipped, there was a gap. There was going to be full hunting going to happen this winter when the herd cannot survive further hunting at this point requiring interim emergency measures tied to the completion of the Wekeezhii process. We are committed to that. We have to remember the caribou are asking for our help. The numbers tell us they are in trouble. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
