Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Greg and Sharon Hopf, a family originally from Fort Resolution.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
I’d like to recognize a former sparring partner of mine during the Dene-Metis claims days, Dan Murphy, who was the federal negotiator. Also I’d like to recognize former Chief Fred Sangris. Also someone from Fort McPherson, Maria Itsi from Fort McPherson. With that I would like to thank and recognize former Speaker of the House Sam Gargan.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. If we’ve missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. It’s always nice to have an audience in here.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t like to be critical, of course, and I certainly don’t like to be unkind to our Minister of ECE, but when I saw this ad today, I’m sorry, but this is the kind of thing that gets me upset. We have a school board in the South Slave that’s running a deficit, and I know you can say it’s all different pockets of money, but really it’s all one department. I have always said I have no problem spending money, I have no problem investing money, I have a problem wasting money. I consider this ad campaign to be a major waste of money on top of the fact that it is a little offensive: a picture of a brain that says “Empty stomachs make empty brains.”
I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about this today. I’d like to ask him who is the target audience of this advertising campaign.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The target audience, of course, is the youth. It was the youth that gave us the direction and also the feedback on what should be advertised in the newspaper. A lot of the youth are spending a lot of their quality time, free time, in front of the TV. That’s a clear message that we’re getting from the youth to say do a different advertisement in the newspaper, on TV commercials, so it’s targeting the youth. It may not make much sense for us as adults, but it came from the youth to focus on what their intentions are. This is focused on the youth.
Well, that makes it even more curious, because if it’s youth that are developing this, I’m quite certain they’re probably old enough to go to the fridge and have a breakfast for themselves before they go to school so they don’t have an empty brain. And I don’t even believe that’s... I think that’s an offence to say empty stomachs make empty brains.
Anyhow, my question is this ad campaign, which is being paid for by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, I’d like to know what the price tag is on it.
I did request the information and it is coming to our department through the communications department that we’ve initiated this with an outside source. So as soon as I get that information I will certainly share that with the Member.
However much it is, it’s too much. Because I don’t think you can buy a full-page ad in the News/North for much less than about $2,000 a hit. So I would, if I could suggest, think it would have been better if you were trying to instil in young people the idea of having a healthy breakfast to help them do better in school, maybe a poster contest or something where the kids could get involved in expressing their ideas as opposed to something like this.
Under what initiative does this eating breakfast so that you can think better in school, under what initiative of the GNWT and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment does this program come?
This is under the direction of the youth, the feedback of the youth. It’s under the education plan, part of the educational plan of going forward and promoting students to stay in school, the healthiness of our students. Promoting more of that into the communities, Members have alluded to where maybe other work with other departments, whether it be the recreational program or other promotional programs. We are currently doing that as the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. We are working with Municipal and Community Affairs and other health departments, as well, to promote even more of that. We have all these different role models that we’ve highlighted through our posters campaign, so we’ll continue to promote that.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.
I was wondering if the department did any research on the readership of the News/North. Not to offend News/North, but I would suggest that the majority of school kids are not reading News/North. Perhaps $2,000 a week might have been better spent on samples of nutritious breakfasts that could have been taken into the schools and handed out for free. Does the Minister agree?
I do agree that students with full stomachs learn better in school. So we’ll continue to support in that respect.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask the Minister of Health and Social Services, given that we were lined up for major capital work on Stanton Hospital but have now let that opportunity slide, how long will the planning, budgeting and construction process take, in her estimation, to get what is needed in place, major redevelopment? When will that be actually in place?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I’ve indicated in the House previously, we anticipate that it will take at least two years to finish the Master Development Plan for Stanton.
Perhaps I’m not speaking clearly. I asked how long the Minister estimates it will take for planning, budgeting and construction to take so that facility is where we need it. How long? When can we expect that to be in place?
The Member is familiar with our capital planning process in this House. A capital infrastructure like that would go through a master development planning process, which would be used to get into the planning process. It’s the planning process that would determine where that capital ask would fit in. Once it’s approved it will depend on what the building requirements are and depending on how big of a capital project it will be, it will take multi years.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister is being quite modest in her estimates. I would say, at the rate we’re going, the pace the Minister is setting, we will be talking a decade or longer. This is totally unacceptable for this territorial facility, which is brimming over and desperately crying out for action. Everyone knows the territorial facility is overdue. Given that the Minister recognizes this need, what effort is she putting in to pushing to get this process shortened in an exception to the normal planning process? Everybody in this room, in this House, understands this is needed. Will the Minister push to get this done in a much more timely way?
Since the Member and the committee have toured the Stanton Territorial Hospital, perhaps next they could do a tour of the Norman Wells Health Centre or Hay River hospital. My point being, Stanton Hospital is a very important piece of infrastructure for us and it provides very important territorial health care programs and services, but it is not one of the most aged buildings we have. It does require a midterm retrofit. It’s about 25 years old, but the Norman Wells facility is 40 years plus. The Hay River facility that we are working on right now, I believe it was built in 1966, plus the renovations. So, Mr. Speaker, I want to advise the Member and the House that a lot of work is being done to redesign the programs and services at Stanton.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Your final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are no doctors in those facilities. The doctors are at Stanton Territorial facility. It’s there where people are sent from all over the Northwest Territories. This Minister is completely ignoring that fact and the desperate need here. Those other facilities are not brimming over. This facility is facing, really, a critical situation -- a quick tour behind the scenes and even her own staff will tell her that -- even comparing to other facilities that we have. So I ask again, Mr. Speaker, what effort is the Minister taking to actually get some work on the ground and recognize the need that’s there, the desperate need? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I think the Member knows that we are here to work for the entire Territories and, for his information, the Hay River hospital has seven doctor positions. They have 50 doctor locums that come and go. Fort Smith and Norman Wells have doctors’ offices.
Mr. Speaker, I understand the need to make sure that the Stanton Territorial Hospital is renovated and, more importantly, that the master development is done. I’ve explained before, the master development plan is more than just a footprint and square footage. It’s about what services will be provided at Stanton for years to come. With the opening of the territorial dementia centre, the consolidated clinic and other facilities, we are looking at a territorial plan that would fit into Stanton Territorial plan. We are doing a lot of work and I’m optimistic that we will have the plan in place and planning money that will have Stanton Territorial Hospital become bigger and better than it is now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you; Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today my Member’s statement was on Mangilaluk School. Recently, Don Kindt Consulting conducted, completed and released a report identifying serious deficiencies and inadequacies with the Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk. Will this government commit to implementing the improvements to all of the problems identified in this report? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the report that the Member is referring to we received just recently. My department is going through the overall review. The recommendations were brought to our attention and, clearly, we need to work with the community; we need to work with the Member on a going-forward basis. This could be part of the business planning cycle for next time around. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, we did receive a letter from the Member’s constituent school asking about the education planning regarding their school and, certainly, we are committed to working on that. There is also an invitation to the Minister and also Assembly Members. So I would commit going to the Member’s riding. Mahsi.
I wanted a commitment from him to build the extension, not for a visit, but I’ll take that too. Thank you, Mr. Minister.
Mr. Speaker, you know, about a year ago I put a motion on the floor of the House that was passed. With so many reports that we go through in the government, Mr. Speaker, I need commitment from the Minister in regard to, like he said, a go-forward on getting this…enough reports and getting some action done on the building of the extension in Tuktoyaktuk, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, this is all preliminary. We just received the recommendations. They are recommendations for us to consider. We may not cover every aspect of the recommendations that are brought forward, but the most critical need we’ll certainly consider that into our business planning cycle.
Mr. Speaker, we may not be able to have the upgrades as we speak today, but certainly that’s a going-forward basis for the next business planning cycle. I am committing to looking into this further with the Member and with the school board education council to develop an action plan. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, considering that the government once promised all students across the Northwest Territories would receive equal, quality education, this government should finally develop an aggressive strategy to address all inadequacies and implement recommendations to make the real improvements on that report.
Mr. Speaker, I totally agree that we must meet all the students’ educational standards across the Northwest Territories. In fact, our main targets should be far-reaching to try and be ahead of the other jurisdictions such as the southern jurisdictions. We are developing the plans and implementing those areas and we will continue to improve in those areas.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Minister for committing to come to the community; well, actually, the tour of Nunakput, to see all the inadequacies we have in the school system in all of the communities that I represent. Mr. Speaker, we have to action this sooner than later. The school system has to be really looked at in a way that, like from the South. You said the south is different than… We’re no different than the South, Mr. Speaker. We just want the Minister to commit to making sure that the quality of education is brought to Nunakput. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I may not be bringing a hammer and saw with me when I go to the communities, but certainly that is a starting point. The next phase will be the business planning cycle. I assure the Member that ongoing discussion and an in-depth discussion will take place and we’ll start planning for next year. 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. It’s in regard to my Member’s statement and the Minister’s statement he made here in the House about the number of absences we’re seeing in our schools and yet, Mr. Speaker, the Sport North organization is having to take a student out of school for some three weeks just to make the trials and also to take part in the trials and then, from there, wait until they have to go to the Arctic Winter Games because of the location where the trials are being held. But yet, Mr. Speaker, other sporting events have taken place over the weekend. They got the students to those events. They flew them back home. They are going to fly them to the Arctic Winter Games where they are not missing any school. I would like to ask the Minister of Education why is it that you are making statements in this House, but yet government agencies aren’t following those statements from this government to ensure the students are being able to sustain as many school hours as they can and not miss three weeks of school. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Member referred to our statements in the House. They are important statements. Having an organization, whether they be NGOs or territorial government organizations, promoting more sporting programs, whether it be Arctic Winter Games trials or Canada Games trials, Winter Games trials, we fully support students participating in those events, Mr. Speaker. At the same time, we are not ignoring the fact that they are missing school or being absent from school on a number of occasions but they go with their homework. They go with their guidelines of what needs to be done. They have a tutor system. They work closely with the teachers. Every opportunity they get in the community, they attend the schools as much as they can in their home riding or wherever they are travelling to. Not only that, Mr. Speaker, but teachers are always on standby. They are available for these students at any given time. Even though they may be absent from school, the work has been done. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I understand if you miss four days of school you are basically not allowed back into the school. I think this government has to, if someone is missing three weeks of school and is a high school student, basically it will affect their grades and possibly have them rejected from that class. As a Minister who is responsible for ensuring that attendance there and working with other government agencies to ensure that we do not see students out of the classroom for more than a couple of days and to find out it is three weeks, I would be concerned too. Would the Minister consider talking to Sport North or the department responsible to ensure we find a solution to this problem and students don’t have to be away from school for three weeks?
Mr. Speaker, such as the Arctic Winter Games, the decision is made way in advance. Sport North, if we continue to work with them through MACA but the dates aren’t even set. We are given opportunity to have our northern athletes. We do have true talented northern athletes that we want to be represented at this national level. At the same time, yes, we continue to work with NGOs or territorial organizations for the territorial government to meet the standards of students’ education factor. While they are out doing trials, they are still educating themselves. Mr. Speaker, we must assure that in this House we continue to make those successful recreational programs and at the same time education factor is part of the overall play. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I was hoping through the Minister I would be able to find a way to work around the situation with the students. They don’t have to be out of school for three weeks. They can have the sporting event over a weekend. They can fly them to the event, take part in the event, fly them home and then basically, if they qualify for the games, fly them to the games after the qualifications, but don’t keep them in the South Slave for two weeks because the event is happening in Grande Prairie. That is what I am asking of the Minister. Would he seriously consider talking to these organizations to try to find a way that those students could go back home and also be able to complete their studies in their home community in regards to their schooling and not have to stay in the South Slave for over three weeks? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, yes, I would follow through with that with organizations. At the same time, we do have representatives here as well. The Aboriginal Sport Circle and also the sports organizations are clearly listening to us as we speak. So, with that mindset, we will certainly collaborate together and move forward. But this is a great opportunity for our representatives to be at the national stages, so we will support them, as well, through our educational system. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
