Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Heritage centres do receive funding, as well, of $491,000. Again, arts councils, culture projects, cultural organizations, when you really look at it in detail, cultural organizations, cultural projects do capture heritage because you work closely with the museum. In the Sahtu region there was a project on the go with ice. So those areas do capture heritage. It may not be upfront, but almost every one of them do capture heritage. Mahsi.
Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Ms. Bisaro, time is up. I can put you back on the list. Next I have Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just to follow up a little bit, significant dollars were committed to early childhood community outreach in response to the priorities raised in the House. I’m wondering if we can get some kind of report as to how those dollars have been spent. Will they be fully expended this fiscal year and fully renewed for the next in this budget? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Chair. The child and family resource centres, the two communities, again, working very closely with them. We had some challenges with the community of Ndilo. Their CEO left and he was actively involved with developing the proposal. So time lapsed and we continued our discussions in the early new year. He left around December. So right now, as it stands, we’ve allocated funding. I believe it was the first or second week in February. We were assured by the group that are working closely with us on this particular project that the funding that’s been allocated to them that there was enough time to complete before March 31st. So we want to make sure that happens. Again, reiterating that we are working closely with them, my department with Ndilo and also Tulita, to make it successful. To renew, that’s an area that we are currently going through as part of the Early Childhood Development Framework, which will be brought forward to this House, as well, as a tabled document going forward. So I can’t really commit today if it’s going to be renewed. It will be based on the output of the discussions that we’ve had with the stakeholders and the elders. If that is the wish then we’ll put it as part of the package. Mahsi.
Thank you. My question was activity three, early childhood community outreach, and the Minister has spoken about activity two. But obviously it would be very disappointing if at the very end of the fiscal year we provided the money for a program and then in a few weeks later discontinued it. That is exactly where government gets its reputation from.
So my question was on the substantial amount of funding on early childhood community outreach. What have we done in this area? Have we extended the money and are we going to bring that forward? Is that in this new budget?
Mahsi. Sorry about that. I was referring to option two. Number three is early childhood community outreach, $670,000 that’s been budgeted and to date we’ve spent that on various initiatives such as public awareness, elders’ sharing circle, there’s a Healthy Family Program working with the Health and Social Services department. ECD, Early Childhood Development Framework, again, working with Health and Social Services, an engagement plan, the regional committee members travelling to various sites and so forth. Children’s resources for Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, supplies and educational materials, and there’s a whole list of activity that’s been played and we’ve gone beyond the $670,000 that’s been allocated. The Member is asking if we’re going to have that renewed. Again, I have to refer back to the Early Childhood Development Framework that will be before us and it will be part of the business planning cycle as we move forward to 2014-2015. Mahsi.
Thank you. The figure I have is $300,000 for this activity. The Minister refers to $670,000. This was to be focused exclusively on the zero to three years old, the critical years, prenatal through three years old and I think there was some Aboriginal Head Start Program money in there. But anyway, I’d say it’s very difficult to get the information I’m looking for today.
Moving on, the pupil-teacher ratio we have is way beyond what’s called for in legislation and it’s been demonstrated that there’s no correlation between the performance we’re getting in education, the outcomes and this excessively low, which is generally favourable, pupil-teacher ratio. There’s an obvious opportunity for efficiency. Is the Minister planning to do anything with that? Is that being proposed in this budget? Mahsi.
Mahsi. The pupil-teacher ratio has been brought up in this House, as well, along with inclusive schooling. It is part of the education renewal when we talk about the small communities, the teachers teaching so many students in their classrooms and how we expend funding to the school boards. So those are the factors I will be taking into consideration when we’re discussing that with the stakeholders, the school boards, educators at the community level, hearing their input, and based on that, we need to make some changes. We are legislated, but it’s well beyond the legislated level. So that’s where we are at this point. Mahsi.
Thanks for that information. I’d like to see a distinct proposal come forward to committee and I hope it does.
Moving on, again, the cultural heritage arts organizations and projects, there is a real need for an arts centre – arts, cultural and heritage centre, really – in a number of regions. Certainly in the capital. This is obviously an infrastructure project, but I don’t know that the government would be responsible for a large role in that, but I would see the government playing a role in facilitating an effort by all of the groups and perhaps the community interested in pursuing that. Does the Minister see a role for helping facilitate this interest in a regional cultural, heritage, arts centre? Thank you.
Anything to do with arts, we are there. We want to be involved. Through the coordination, if it’s a centre that’s infrastructure, and we have to work closely with Public Works and Services. Other agencies are out there that we provide funding to. Whether it be the arts council, the heritage centre, the cultural projects, cultural organizations, all these different groups we have to engage. Again, it’s part of the capital planning because we are talking about centres. Anything to do with arts programming and so forth, we are willing to work interdepartmental, which we currently are going with Public Works and Services. We will continue to do that with other agencies that are out there and actively involved with arts programming.
Thanks for the Minister’s comments. I think this is legitimately discussed in an operational budget. I think we’re talking facilitation of planning from public groups in these areas and the Minister providing some leadership assistance in helping organize efforts where our partners would be the major funders, perhaps, because I haven’t seen much interest from this government for funding such centres in terms of infrastructure. Anyway, I hope the Minister will look at that as an opportunity.
The language nests that we’re doing, moving on here under Aboriginal languages, I'm just wondering, once again, are there elders and fluent language, how is it assured that the real holders of the language participate in these language nests?
When we talk about the language nests, obviously the program would have to be delivered by a language spoken qualified teacher. That is an area that sometimes we’re challenged with. To date I have seen some real success in regions that are delivering the Language Nest programming. We’ll continue to invest in those areas because they are working. When I talk about the elders in school, I want them to be fully engaged in those areas. I have made a commitment that we want that to be delivered. It probably won’t be in all schools, but starting this school year in the fall time. We want to have some of the schools to have elders as a beginner to be involved in this, whether it be the language nests or cultural language classes that they are teaching, on-the-land programs and so forth. We do have some teachers, but obviously we want more qualified Aboriginal speaking teachers in our classrooms and we are pushing for more of that through the TEP program and through the ASEP program and so forth. We will continue to push that forward and have dialogue with the school boards, with the college. We’re always emphasizing with the college that we need to produce more qualified Aboriginal speaking teachers. That is our goal.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Bromley, your time is up. Moving on with questions I have Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My questions, I’m going to get away from early childhood development. My colleague has asked some good questions around that and the dollars that we did fight for over the last two budget sessions here. I’m going to go into school contributions.
The school contribution provides contributions to education authorities for the operation of NWT schools. I’d just like to, looking at some of the numbers here from the 2011-2012 actuals and the revised estimates of 2012-2013 to this year’s main estimates, there’s been less than a 1 percent increase to the budgets that are going out to the education authorities. With forced growth and everything that we’re dealing with within the regions, speaking with some of our educators in the regions, they feel that the budgets they’re getting offered aren’t sufficient to run the proper programs and services for both staff and students.
I just wanted to get an idea of what the funding formula is and how they categorize the funding formula, whether it’s by region. Maybe if the Minister can elaborate how they come to be at the dollar amount for each authority within the Northwest Territories.
Obviously, representing the Beaufort-Delta region and working with the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority the costs of travelling in that region is very high and the cost of living is very high. I just want to know how they come up with the funding formula and if that funding formula does actually put some of the education authorities below what other regions are getting for their dollars, especially when we live in such a high cost of living area in the territory.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Minister Lafferty.
The funding that we provide to the schools is based on enrolment. Not only that, but there is indexing in pricing, whether it be the salary of those qualified people in the education system. Also, the operation costs. As you know, every year there is an increase in costs. Those are some of the areas that does capture. I’ll get my director to maybe elaborate about the process itself of enrolment and so forth, because he’s actively involved in this area.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Devitt.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As the Minister explained, the formulas are based on a number of factors. They are based on enrolments but the amounts vary, depending on the size of the school, the location. For example, a teacher in some communities would receive northern allowance and that is a factor. As well, there are additional costs of shipping and just high cost of living, and that’s indexed, as well, into the formula. The formula looks at all those factors and at the different areas of the formula. There are areas for administration, for the teacher formula for both elementary and secondary schooling, there’s funding for Aboriginal language and culture programs, for inclusive schooling and, as well, we fund for – particularly in Yellowknife – utilities and maintenance of buildings, although for other areas of the North that amount is budgeted in Public Works and Services.
Thank you, Mr. Devitt. Mr. Moses.
Mr. Devitt did speak on a few items that were taken into consideration when you come out to how we fund our education authorities. When he mentioned something like it varies on the size of the school and we get schools that are the same size in Paulatuk as you do get into maybe Kakisa or something, I’m thinking if that is put into the factor then they’re both going to get the same type of education when we know that we have longer winter months up in Paulatuk that might be more O and M class to run the school. Some things need to be taken into consideration.
Maybe if I can ask the Minister and his staff if he would commit to providing myself all the criteria of deciding how a funding formula works, and I can take a look at it, and also maybe break down how the funding is distributed throughout the regions in the Northwest Territories. That way I can get a good grasp on how dollars are spent. Especially in the coastal communities, I just want to see how those communities are getting funded in terms of their location as well. Maybe I can ask the Minister if he could commit to providing me all the details and then also breaking down how each region, not each region but how much each region is being funded.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. We can definitely provide the breakdown, how much, whether it be the regions or the schools, comparable from small communities to larger centres and the remoteness and so forth.
As it stands currently with enrolment and the price index and so forth, as part of the education renewal we are going to be looking at that. The formula funding is a big topic every time we go to the communities. Small communities feel left out. It will capture that as part of the systems and, also, accountability. That is part of the discussion that we’re going to be having with the stakeholders.
[Microphone turned off] …contributions and the formula funding, I’d just like to ask the Minister when the last time the formula funding was assessed. When was the last time that the formula funding for education authorities was assessed and renewed?
I was just asking my director, since he’s been 30-plus years. It is assessed on an annual basis but I don’t think there have been any major changes. That’s the whole reason why we’re doing the education renewal under my leadership, we want to see positive impacts in the communities based on their needs. Those are discussions we will be having over the year.
Just continuing on this page, in terms of the Aboriginal Languages Strategy, I want to say good job earlier on your Member’s statement. Very well done. I’d just like to ask the Minister where we are in revitalizing the Aboriginal languages in the Northwest Territories, as well as an update of the iTunes project application and how that’s working out. Just two updates: one on where we are on the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Strategy and if there’s anything that has been put into action today, and then also maybe an update on how successful the iTunes application project that he initiated is working.
Thank you, Mr. Moses for your kind words. Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. This is an area that is one of the priorities within our department because we know we are losing the languages in the region. As you know, we’ve developed some apps pertaining to Aboriginal languages. We have developed five already and now we’re currently working on an additional two. It was part of my Minister’s statement today that I highlighted we are working on two more Aboriginal languages so that, at the end of the day, we will be up to seven. We’ll want to capture all nine in the long term.
There’s also a symposium coming up in March over the next couple of weeks. That is an area that we want to focus on the Aboriginal Language Secretariat, and all the funding that we provide to various divisions and various pots of funds, we want to amalgamate them all into one area. Instead of going from one shop to another shop, we’re going to have a venue where the funding will be available to the communities and regions. We want to disburse that money directly to the regions, to the languages affected areas.
I know where Members are going with this, where Gwich’in is losing their language, as well, very rapidly. Now we’re focusing in those areas where it’s a key, a badly needed area that we need to come up with options and that’s what we are pursuing. When we talk about revitalizing our language, this is an area that has been geared towards those most impacted with potentially losing their language. It’s not only our department, it’s working with the agencies and working with language experts. That’s why we’re doing this second annual Aboriginal language symposium, to share the input in the second phase of our Aboriginal Languages Secretariat that would be before us. We’re thinking long term, so that’s an area that we will continue to push forward.
Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Mr. Moses, your time’s up. I’ll put you on the list if you need be. Moving on with questions I have Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wanted to just ask a question follow-through on the Aboriginal languages section and ask a question here as well. I’ve mentioned a number of times that the department has indicated, or I think they’ve indicated, that there should be some amendments coming to the Official Languages Act. There was a recommendation from committee in the 16th Assembly to amalgamate the Aboriginal Languages Board and the Revitalization Board as well. There were some difficulties, I think, with legislative amendments, I think, because of federal legislation. I’d like to get an update from the Minister on where the amendments to the Official Languages Act are at. Do we still have difficulties with federal legislation or has that hurdle been overcome?
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Chair. This is an area that we have worked closely with the federal government. As you know, they provide funding on an annual basis to both the Aboriginal language and French language, as well, on an annual basis. We will continue to work with them.
As the Member alluded to, sometimes it’s very difficult to change the overall act if they provide funding and we still have to engage with them, but we can provide the latest update to see where we’re at. We’re hoping to introduce a bill for consideration during the life of the 17th Assembly, working closely with the federal government and making this a reality. It was part of the SCOGO, I believe, recommendation that amalgamating the Revitalization Board and the Official Languages Board into one language board. That’s a target date that we have and we want to get it done during the life of this Assembly.
Thanks to the Minister for that update. That’s good to hear. I know there are difficulties with dealing with the federal law, so I’m glad to hear that it’s on the radar and hopefully it will happen in the next couple of years.
I wanted to ask the Minister a question about inclusive schooling. It’s been a hot topic in the last couple of weeks, but in the Minister’s opening remarks he spoke to the department is working with education authorities to improve the delivery of student supports provided under the Inclusive Schooling program, and at the end of the paragraph he said it will help us build a more effective evidence-based program.
I think I’d like confirmation, again, from the Minister, but I think the Minister and the department are finally starting to hear Regular Members and realizing that the Inclusive Schooling programming and the Inclusive Schooling funding formula are not doing the job that they should, and I’m really pleased to hear that there will be an evaluation of both of those aspects of our education program. I’d like to get confirmation from the Minister that, yes, that is happening and it’s going to be an in-depth review.
The other question I’d like to ask the Minister, again, is in questions earlier today I believe he said that the changes will not be ready for September 2013 at the start of that school year. I’d like to ask the Minister, as well as confirming that the review is underway, can we speed up this one section of the review so that changes to the Inclusive Schooling programming and funding can be effective September 2013.
This Inclusive Schooling is an area that we are going through some review process as part of the education renewal. As I stated before in this House already, the $26 million that we contribute to school boards and there is a reporting mechanism, but we really don’t know the numbers of special needs out there. That's an area that we need to identify to work with. Members have indicated that this whole Inclusive Schooling should be reviewed. Even the general public. So that’s what we’re doing now. I’ve made a commitment in the House by late fall, early winter, and if we can expedite one piece of work. It is a very complex document that’s before us. The $26 million is even complex, as well, so we’ll do what we can, but at this point I can’t really promise if it will be delivered prior to the school year this fall. We’ll do to the best of our ability to deliver that, but one of the target dates, of course, is late fall and early winter. We’ll expedite inclusive schooling as much as we can in that regard.
Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that it’s difficult, but if this one section of the review can be removed and sped up, I think that would certainly be well appreciated, I think, by all education authorities, and I think by the schools and by the teachers as well.
I do have a motion, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. I believe the motion is just being distributed right now. The motion is in order. To the motion. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’ll just speak briefly to the motion. We have had a lot of discussion about inclusive schooling, and I think one of the things that this motion tries to address is that the current Inclusive Schooling funding does not work. Providing a percentage of funding according to population to schools is not recognizing that there are certain schools and/or certain authorities who have a higher need for funding for special needs students. It’s been suggested that maybe the funding should follow the student, and I’m not so sure that that’s the exact way to go, but certainly we need to have something that’s halfway in between the funding following the student and a percentage amount going to every school and every authority.
This motion is talking to that, about redefining or reorganizing and reassessing and redefining the Inclusive Schooling funding. It’s also talking, though, about providing funding to education authorities to properly diagnose and assess students with special needs. One of the things that Members hear quite often is that it’s very difficult to get students diagnosed; it’s very difficult to get students assessed. There are two things in this motion. Those are the two, and I think that’s all I need to say.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. To the motion.
Question.
Question is being called. The motion is carried. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wanted to ask a question on a bit of a different topic. In his opening remarks, he talked about a statement: The department will implement and provide supports for a territorial safe schools plan along with anti-bullying legislation. The Minister has talked about safe schools. He’s talked about anti-bullying legislation and they are kind of referenced in the same breath sometimes. I would like to know from the Minister what is the difference between the safe schools plan and the anti-bullying legislation which is presumably on its way. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Currently, there was a motion brought forward by yourself, the Members in this House to look into possibly anti-bullying legislation brought forward within an 18-month time frame. That is an area that we have been working at since the motion was introduced. We are hoping to introduce that this coming spring session. That’s the time frame that we have. It does cover a broad area of anti-bullying legislation.
When I talk about the safe schools and the comprehensive plan that we are working on, there is a plan that we are working on on anti-bullying, working closely with the school boards and agencies and doing a lot of research in this area capturing what is in existence in the schools and building on that. If we can have a policy or legislation, anti-bullying legislation in general and then have the schools… We know that a lot of schools have their own policies, as well, and building on that. Those are just the two that we have introduced, unless I have my deputy maybe elaborate a bit more, if she has more detailed information, which I believe she has. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Ms. Eggenhofer.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think they are two separate tools to deal with bullying prevention. One is a plan that sets out measures, and tools and resources that would be available to schools to deal with bullying. The other one is really an amendment to the Education Act or a stand-alone anti-bullying legislation that sets out provisions in legislation about the government’s tolerance around bullying.
I think the two of them don’t necessarily have to go together. That’s what we are examining at this stage, whether a comprehensive plan in and of itself that has the input from the stakeholders would be a sufficient tool to address anti-bullying in school or whether legislation is required.
We have received some feedback from the NWTTA and I think there is a bit of nervousness around having provisions in the Education Act that deal with bullying because the question of enforcement always comes up. We have done a cross-jurisdictional check to see how many jurisdictions in Canada actually have legislation alone or a plan or both and it’s kind of an even split. But the only way to deal with bullying isn’t just legislation. A lot of jurisdictions have looked at the development of comprehensive plans. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Eggenhofer. Before we continue with questionings, committee, we are going to take a quick five-minute break.
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Okay, we will come back, committee. We will continue on questioning here with Ms. Bisaro. Go ahead, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thanks to the deputy minister for her comments. I want to say that I am a little concerned that safe schools and anti-bullying are mentioned in the same breath and they seem to have the same focus. For me, safe schools or a safe schools plan or policy encompasses far more than just anti-bullying. In my mind, it should look at safe schools in terms of students, the safety of the students. It should look at the safety of the teachers and it should look at the safety of other staff within the school. Bullying is one aspect, but there certainly are other things which happen to make the workplace unsafe for teachers and which happen to make the school grounds and the environment itself unsafe for students.
I would strongly encourage the department, when they talk about safe schools, to look beyond bullying and look at all aspects of keeping a school safe. All users, all components of the whole school program should be considered in dealing with a safe schools policy.
