Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee defer further consideration of the activity education and culture under the Department of Education, Culture and Employment Main Estimates 2012-2013 on page 10-17 at this time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. We’ll just give it a second to circulate a copy of the motion.
The motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. The motion is not debateable. The motion is carried.
---Carried
I’d like to thank the committee for consideration of activity summary under page 10-17 in the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. This has been deferred. We’ll carry on.
Page 10-18, Education, Culture and Employment, activity summary, education and culture, grants and contributions, grants, $52,000. Agreed?
Agreed.
Contributions, on pages 10-18, 10-19 and on 10-20. Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just in regard to 10-19 and community library services, it’s still the focus of the community of Fort Simpson to get back to a fully functioning library, and I continue to pursue this initiative. I was just wondering, since I last raised it, how far Education, Culture and Employment have explored and worked with the community organization in addressing this concern.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Ms. Iatridis.
We would have to get more detail on that for you.
The community library in Fort Simpson was severely reduced two years ago and is now just a resource centre. The community of Fort Simpson residents were looking for assistance to upgrade, in fact, from a resource centre to a library where there are actual books. Right now there’s just a series of four computers and older books from a library. Even though it works well for residents who are used to the system, the library, the previous library was still a central point for the community and for hosting author events, et cetera. It’s central to any community. The large communities, of course, have benefited from it. I don’t have to list the many, many benefits of having a fulltime library service in a community and it’s central to the cultural importance of any community.
I’ve been raising it for a couple years and I was just wondering at what stage was ECE at with this initiative in Fort Simpson. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I believe it’s been some time now since we last looked at this file. The Village of Fort Simpson is getting $53,000 at this point, in 2010-2011 actuals. We continue to provide that funding to the list of libraries in the Northwest Territories.
There have been some options thrown around. As I recall, when the Member first addressed this with us as a department, looking at options of part of the school, the school system, to be part of the library, we worked closely with the town council, as well, in Simpson, especially with the mayor, and they provided some options for us to work with at that time. It did not pan out at that time, but I can commit to the Member that I will follow through with where it’s at and where the talks have broken down, and we will revisit our discussions of the last time where we can take the next steps. I’ll do that as my commitment. Mahsi.
I think it was last fall or last spring, I think, we lost one of our library proponents that moved out of the community so I think that file did go silent for awhile, but it’s certainly still important for Fort Simpson and I look forward to the Minister’s commitment to continue to follow up and work to a better solution for Fort Simpson. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Contributions on, again, pages 10-18, 10-19, 10-20, total contributions. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am trying to understand on page 10-20 the difference between the contributions to the NWT Arts Council and the contribution to the new northern arts programs. They sound rather similar to me. I am just wondering why we don’t lump them together under the Arts Council so the Arts Council has control of the whole $750,000. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Minister.
Mr. Chair, there is a separate pot of funds here, as has been identified. NWT Arts Council contributions to artists and cultural groups to support and encourage creative artistic projects in the visual, literary, performing and new media arts in the NWT; and other new northern arts programs, that is contributed for northern theatre arts, northern literary arts, northern film and media arts and arts mentorships. Those are the distinctions between those two pots of funds. We can certainly look at this area if there needs to be a combination. We need to find out why they are separated. Maybe there is a reason why there are separate pots of funds. I will definitely look into this further. Mahsi.
Thanks to the Minister for the commitment to look into this. I guess I would like to ask either the Minister or his delegation if they can tell me what the distinction is, the difference between these two. I know the Minister read it out but he said that is the difference. Well, they don’t sound very different to me except the titles are different. If he could give me any more information at this time, that would be appreciated. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Lafferty. Ms. Iatridis.
Mr. Chair, the description in the document does sound very similar, but the guidelines may be very different for accessing the dollars. We can get more information for you on the specific guidelines and how the two pots of funding are administered.
Thanks for the information. I would look forward to that. I guess I would just, as the Minister stated, if these can be combined, it certainly is a more efficient way of doing business. The guidelines certainly probably could be combined to cover everything that is there. Just a comment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Contributions, pages 10-18, 10-19, 10-20, total contributions, $166,985, total grants and contributions, $167,037.
Agreed.
Thank you. Education, Culture and Employment, information item, education and culture, active positions. Any questions? Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I note that there is an increase in positions in Yellowknife under education and culture. Could I be advised what two positions have been added? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Lafferty.
Mr. Chair, when this first came up I did ask the same question as well. It is an existing position but it is in Hay River for both positions, library order clerk and library technical services clerk for headquarters for libraries.
I’m sorry. I couldn’t hear the Minister. Could he repeat that?
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. If I can get the Minister to just repeat that last part of that answer.
The two positions are based out of headquarters servicing Hay River library services such as the library order clerk and library technical services clerk. Two positions. Mahsi.
That is all. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Education, Culture and Employment, information item, education and culture, active positions. Any questions? There are none. Page 10-23, Education, Culture and Employment, activity summary, advanced education, operations expenditure summary, $46.568 million. Agreed? Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do have a few brief questions here. I note that the division provides immigration supports through the Canada-NWT Agreement on Territorial Nominees. I just wonder what activity we had on that file and how many Canada-NWT Agreement territorial nominees we have had in the past 12 years or whatever measure the department has handy. I guess associated with that, do we monitor what areas these immigrants work in, if they are associated with a particular field? If so, I would be interested in that breakdown, as well, if that is handy. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Minister.
Mr. Chair, up to May 2012, ECE has approved 43 nominee applications in critical impact worker category and also 13 nominee applications in skilled worker category. Those are just some of the numbers that we have had to date. Maybe I will just get Ms. Iatridis to elaborate more because she is more focused in this area.
Ms. Iatridis.
Just to clarify, the critical impact worker category is below skilled and the focus is on the hospitality sector. In the skilled worker category, it is the professionals. It could be trades or other professional areas.
Thank you, Ms. Iatridis. Mr. Bromley.
That’s very good to have those stats. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So these people have become residents of the Northwest Territories. I am wondering if we know where roughly, by region or something like that, if we have that sort of information and are monitoring that. Thank you.
The numbers of applicants that were approved were approved as a nominee, and through the nominee process their application for permanent residency is fast-tracked. We don’t have knowledge of whether or not these individuals have gained their permanent residency. The process allows them to do that in a faster process.
I guess I would hope that we would be able to find out eventually. I would be interested in having that information reported back to committee, if that’s possible. Thanks for that information.
I know the Minister is aware that, over a number of years now, I and committee have been interested in Aurora College programs, as many people are, and particularly seeing programs developed in the area of Sustainable Communities Administrator Program and in the area of Renewable Energy Technician Program. I was wondering if I can get an update on those.
Just for efficiency of time, I also know that there is work to put a new or revised early childhood development worker program in place. I am not quite sure that I got the timing on when that’s going to be happening in a revised way.
Also associated with that, will we be graduating nationally people that meet at the national standard for qualifications for early childhood development workers? Thank you.
In regard to the Early Childhood Diploma Program, currently the department is in discussions with Aurora College. We haven’t finalized the details.
Thank you. Is that in terms of timing or whether they would be qualified on a national, meet the national standards for qualifications? Thank you.
In terms of timing, we are still discussing what the program would look like and once that is determined whether or not it’s affiliated with another university or college in another jurisdiction would determine whether or not it meets national standards.
One of the other areas that we’ve been having some discussion on with other leaders across the NWT is occupational standards, because there are early childhood workers now in the communities and many of them take the distance learning that is offered through Aurora College on a part-time basis, but there has been some interest by some of the local community groups for us to develop occupational standards as well. So one of the things that the department has done this past year is a review of the Aurora College certificate program and there have been a number of recommendations that were made through that review. So we’re just at a discussion stage now of what the next steps will be, whether it’s a diploma program, occupational standards or other opportunities for training.
I appreciate that information. Just as a follow-up to my other two on the Sustainable Communities Administrator Program and Renewable Energy Technician Program, if I can get an update on where we’re at on those two programs. Thank you.
I would have to get a more detailed update for you. The last time we had discussions with Aurora College, some research was being undertaken and so we would be able to get you an update on that.
That’s it for now. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’ll look forward to that update. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Education, Culture and Employment, activity summary, advanced education, operations expenditures, $46.568 million. Does committee agree? Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. A couple of questions here, and my first question has to do with Aurora College. I mentioned in my opening remarks that I have some concerns about the college. I talked a bit about ALBE and I think I’ve kind of covered my concerns in that area, but I do have some concerns, major concerns with the reorganization that the college seems to have undergone in the last little while, and as a result of that reorg it’s my understanding that it is a result of the reorg that we have a lot of people, long-term college staff who have left the employ of the college.
I guess I would like to first start by asking the Minister how often he reviews the college operations. What kind of oversight does he give to the college operations? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Lafferty.
Mr. Chair, I feel the same way as the Member does, especially when we’re hearing things from the perspective of those individuals. Concerns have been brought to our attention as well. We do have a quarterly meeting with the board chairs and the college chairperson is part of that discussion, and any concerns or issues are brought to our attention and this will definitely be one of the case subjects when I’m meeting with the Board of Governors in June, I believe June 18th or 19th in Inuvik. It is a concern to us, so this will definitely be addressed at that time. We’ll be closely monitoring the events that are happening now until then, and we are getting a lot of concerns that are being brought to our attention that will be shared with the board chairs as well. Mahsi.
