Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation is working to provide residents, communities and businesses of the Northwest Territories with a safe and reliable source of electricity that is both cost effective and environmentally sustainable.
NTPC’s renewed strategic plan is aligned with a number of this Assembly’s key strategies, from the Greenhouse Gas Strategy, the Biomass Energy Strategy and the Solar Strategy, to the Energy Plan and Power System Plan that will soon be tabled in the Legislature.
NTPC plays a critical role in our government’s plan to move the territory’s energy supply away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources which are cleaner and less vulnerable to price fluctuations. We are starting to see real success in this area at the community level.
Take the 100 kilowatt Fort Simpson Solar Energy Project, the largest solar installation in the North. The project demonstrated that solar technology can work in the North, and delivered on the objectives of the NWT’s Solar Strategy. The energy output is equivalent to powering 17 houses in the community and removing more than 76 tonnes of CO2 from the air. It also strengthens the case for NTPC’s net metering program which provides the tools for customers to benefit from supplying surplus solar power into the grid. NTPC is also working with communities to explore other renewable energy sources, including small hydro. Over the past year we have installed a water monitoring station on the
Kakisa River which will help to define the hydro potential that could one day power the community.
In Colville Lake we are now in the design phase of a project that will see a solar/diesel/battery system that will shut down the diesel plant for extended periods in the summer. It is anticipated this hybrid energy solution could significantly reduce diesel use and related emissions by supplying most of the community’s energy requirements during the summer. This initiative is of interest to communities in the NWT and is being watched closely by utilities in other jurisdictions such as Alaska.
In addition to advancing renewable energy projects, NTPC continues to transition towards environmentally-sound and cost-effective energy choices. A territory-wide program to replace traditional streetlights with LEDs will convert one or two communities per year and cut operating costs of the lights in half. Those savings will be shared with customers. Gameti was the first community to benefit earlier this year. Lutselk’e and Jean Marie River are next on the list.
Mr. Speaker, as we build momentum with these community-based power generation and conservation initiatives, more communities and customers will start to see how they can help improve the energy future of the NWT.
The storage facility for liquefied natural gas, or LNG, is nearing completion in Inuvik. Construction commenced in the late summer, with tanks and equipment arriving in September. The facility will be operational by the end of November.
LNG is cleaner with more than a 25 percent reduction in emissions and a lower-cost fuel that will displace diesel in Inuvik. LNG shows promise for reducing emissions and lowering costs in our road-connected diesel communities. Since 1964, LNG has maintained the best safety record of any fossil fuel. It is safer to transport and store than diesel and it leaves no trace in the event of a spill.
We are hopeful that following a successful transition to LNG in Inuvik, we will be able to expand use of LNG to other road-connected communities like Fort Simpson, Fort Liard, Fort McPherson and possibly Jean Marie River. Feasibility of winter road communities – Deline, Tulita, Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope, Tsiigehtchic and Tuktoyaktuk – will also be explored. Despite its exceptional safety record, Mr. Speaker, we must recognize that LNG is new to the NWT and that communities will need more information and dialogue in order to feel confident about its potential.
In Yellowknife the key issue remains reliability. NTPC is committed to making improvements and has pledged to achieve a 70 percent reduction in the frequency of power interruptions over the next three years. This would bring the average number of NTPC interruptions down to five or less per year in Yellowknife. This fall the corporation reported significant progress, with 47 percent fewer outages than last year. While there is still much work to be done in comparison with the national average of 2.5 outages per year, I have confidence that the 15-point plan developed by NTPC will result in ongoing and noticeable improvements.
Mr. Speaker, NTPC is also keeping the big picture in mind. The corporation is actively investigating the potential for a transmission grid project that could transform the electricity industry in the Northwest Territories, stabilize and reduce the cost of power and significantly improve the conditions for economic development.
The vision is to build an integrated power transmission grid between the North Slave and South Slave hydro systems that attracts industrial customers and connects to the Canadian grid.
Mr. Speaker, this represents a big undertaking, with big potential benefits for the NWT and for Canada. Securing our energy future by providing much needed infrastructure would allow us to dramatically reduce reliance on diesel generation, including industrial loads. It would also mean we could provide residents and businesses with power at a lower cost, which would in turn stimulate economic activity.
Such a system would provide an energy highway for us to move existing hydro power around the territory in response to demand and to import electricity from the South when northern demand exceeds supply. In the future this would also position the NWT to expand our hydro potential to better meet our domestic needs while moving our cost of electricity more in line with the rest of Canada over time.
We have initiated discussions with the federal government to remove financial barriers and invest in energy infrastructure to make this project a reality. We are in preliminary discussions with Saskatchewan and Alberta with respect to connecting to their grid. I am looking forward to seeing where these discussions lead.
Mr. Speaker, NTPC is also striving to keep power affordable for all its customers. The general rate application process is winding down, and while no one welcomes the resulting rate increases, I can assure you that we have worked to lessen the impact on customers, by avoiding large increases and spreading smaller increases out over time.
As an employer, NTPC continues to make the development of a northern workforce its key human resource priority. This year NTPC hired four local apprentices: an apprentice power lineperson and an apprentice diesel mechanic in Fort Simpson, an apprentice electrician in Fort Smith and an apprentice power lineperson located in Inuvik. The corporation has also recently recruited an apprentice electrician in Fort Simpson, has an offer pending to an apprentice diesel mechanic in Yellowknife and competitions closing for apprentice power linepersons in Fort Smith and Inuvik.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the overall level of collaboration I am seeing between our government and NTPC. This has resulted in better alignment between GNWT and NTPC goals and objectives.
NTPC will continue to work in partnership with government, communities, industry and its customers. Given the critical role power plays in the future prosperity of the NWT, this type of collaboration can only strengthen the position of our territory today and in the years to come. Thank you Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Colleagues, before we go on today, I’d like to welcome to the House our Clerk of the Assembly. It’s Take Our Kids to Work Day. Ms. Hannah Schauerte is with her father here today, Doug Schauerte, who is our Clerk.
---Applause
Welcome to the Assembly, Hannah. Minister of Public Work and Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, effective and efficient government is one of this Assembly’s goals. One of the ways that the Department of Public Works and Services will be helping to support this goal is by hosting the 14th Project Management Conference from December 3rd to 5th. This conference draws together project management experts to share their experiences and discuss best practices and innovative approaches to managing infrastructure projects more efficiently and effectively. Every two years representatives of the North’s project management community gather for this conference. Over three days, 250 to 300 delegates from community governments, the construction and consulting industries, and other professionals from the private and public sector will come together to share their project management knowledge.
This year’s conference theme is “Helping Northerners Prepare for Tomorrow.” An impressive team of national and northern experts will share their experiences and best practices, from hands-on project-based advice on managing risk and construction tendering, to expert advice on adapting projects to climate change.
The range of topics and quality of presenters provides capacity building and professional development opportunities for design consultants, contractors and project management professionals from all sectors of the industry and all areas of the North.
Mr. Speaker, one of the most important opportunities that the conference offers participants is the ability to network and strengthen the North’s project management community. This focus on networking and capacity building makes the conference a great option for those in our communities who might be thinking about attending, and I would certainly encourage them to do so.
As in past years, Public Works and Services will be partnering with the NWT and Nunavut Construction Association who will be sponsoring the Northern Construction Trade Fair.
It allows consultants, suppliers and manufacturers to connect directly with the project management community. This networking opportunity strengthens the community and supports the expansion of highly skilled and professional sectors. The GNWT relies on these sectors to deliver the projects our residents need. They are our partners and I look forward to meeting with them next month at the conference.
Mr. Speaker, we face unique challenges when it comes to building in the North. We have to deal with a short building season and remote construction sites. Climate change has meant we’ve had to change our approach to planning, and building and taught us unique lessons. This conference will be an opportunity to recognize and share the expertise of our northern professionals and increase public and private sector capacity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On October 17th the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association celebrated 60 years of service to northern educators. The NWTTA, as it is commonly called, had its humble beginnings in 1963 when it was founded by 63 teachers who attended the first NWT Teachers’ Convention in Fort Smith. For six decades this association has served as the professional voice for teachers across the Northwest Territories.
To put the significance of this achievement into perspective, consider this: dedicated teachers in the NWT were advocating for a professional development of teachers for a full 14 years before the seat of government for the Northwest Territories moved from Ottawa to Yellowknife. This is a remarkable achievement by any standard.
Today the NWTTA continues the strong tradition of leading and serving northern educators through professional development, partnership and communication. The association represents over 800 members, including teachers, school administrators and educational assistants, delivering programs in 49 schools to more than 8,300 students with diverse educational needs. It represents teachers in the collective bargaining process for three different employers, participates with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment in the NWT Teacher Qualification Service program and promotes teacher excellence through initiatives such as the Thank You for Making a Difference Initiative, which has collected and delivered over 20,000 messages of thanks from our children to their teachers.
The NWTTA represents over 50 hardworking educators who make Hay River home and whose hard work makes our schools, Diamond Jenness Secondary, Harry Camsell, Princess Alexandra and Ecole Boreale, places that are safe and enriching environments for our children to learn. I want to take this opportunity to personally thank each and every one of these for their dedication to the growth and development of the children of Hay River.
I hope that all my colleagues in this Legislature will join me in congratulating Ms. Gayla Meredith, president of the NWTTA, and all teachers that make up the membership of this important association for the work that they do daily on behalf of all students across the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of hundreds of concerned parents in my constituency, I’m delighted to see the government moving forward with the Education Renewal, but I have two tough-minded messages for the department that’s heading up the overhaul. The first message is that parents want to be involved. The majority of NWT schools are in small communities and the Department of Education needs to be listening to parents in these places. Their hearts are broken when they see their children’s poor results.
Their grief is deep when they discover their child’s high school diploma is not adequate for entrance into university or college. Their frustration is beyond measure when they discover courses offered in small community high schools are not academically rigorous.
Their desire is to do everything in their power to maximize their young child’s readiness for kindergarten.
To be sure, it is commendable that the department consulted with numerous groups, including district education councils, Aboriginal governments and community organizations. That demonstrates a real openness to hearing what needs to be fixed and ideas for moving forward.
But more has to be done to reach out to parents for advice. Parents want to be treated as vital partners in the renewal effort.
The second message is that we need decisive leadership. It’s the only way to turn the ship around. We need to show true leadership in education renewal, make some real changes for real results.
It is a travesty when top students in our small communities aren’t passing the departmental exams.
The situation is abysmal when only 11 percent of Grade 9 students in small community schools meet the standard of excellence on the Alberta achievement test. This 11 percent figure compares to 77 percent of similarly aged students in Alberta.
The document tabled last week certainly contains valuable material, but some of the language is woolly and vague. We need to do more than support initiatives and provide opportunity and enhance programs and ensure better supports are in place.
Enough is enough. We need to fix the education system. I implore the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to get connected to parents in our small communities and show decisive leadership that will bring real and lasting results.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like many of my colleagues today speaking on the recently tabled report, Education Renewal and Innovation Framework: Directions for Change, it is abundantly clear that our education system is in need of a shakeup. Of course, with any initiative report of this magnitude, we are hoping that this truly serves the department needs for the next 10 years and that the report does not collect dust on a shelf.
Although I don’t want to overshadow some of our successes, it may appear our failure rates as leaders, educators and society pales in comparison to our students’ low test scores and literacy rates. Change starts with the right framework and is measured by the right investment. The recent Auditor General of Canada report reminds us of that. The cliché “you can’t measure what you can’t count” may be surprisingly more appropriate for a Wildlife Act debate but, unfortunately, equally holds true in education.
In my first couple of days in office almost two years ago, I stumbled over a statistic that was alarming, and it remains an issue echoed in this ERI Framework. I would like to draw your attention to page 11 of this framework document, “by Grade 4 the average NWT student has already missed half a year of school, or two full years by Grade 10.”
What this statistic is saying is that the most we could aspire for a large number of our NWT students is that they have no higher than a potential Grade 10 upon graduation. One can maybe now comprehend why our Grade 12 Alberta test scores are so low. You can’t be academically at Grade 12 levels if you miss two years of school.
To the question of truancy, which is clearly one of the most serious barriers to our education system and I’m glad it was mentioned in this framework; however, this is just one page dedicated to this issue and it clearly does not give the statistic justice.
Let me be blatantly clear: School attendance is not the problem; it’s the end result of other issues. We need to understand why a large majority of our students stay away from school before we can affect positive change. Regrettably, this framework fails to realize these opportunities or even provide meaningful solutions.
In order for the Education department to break the socio-economic divide between small community and urban students, we need to address this barrier immediately and get them to attend school daily. Clearly, this framework report points out a serious red herring in our education system and yet offers little in the way of potential initiatives to address this.
I will have questions later today for the Minister of Education.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our education system may be performing poorly, according to the recent reports. We are the ones who can do something with our education system. Clearly, education in the Northwest Territories is not up to par and we need to get it back on track. There is a big problem that requires bold solutions and decisive actions.
It is our children’s future that is at stake, and the stakes couldn’t be any higher. If we want our children to succeed, then we need to create a learning environment for them that encourages success. The standard wisdom holds that graduation rates are increasing because we are offering high school in smaller communities, but if our children are graduating and their performance is poor, what are we really achieving? If they get their diploma but can’t get a job or enter into college or university right after, what sort of success is that?
I have given this problem a great deal of thought. I have spoken to my constituents in the Sahtu, who, like all parents, simply want their children to have the very best opportunities that life can offer. I believe we need to challenge the conventional wisdom and reconsider the possibility of a regional high school in the Sahtu. If we look at some of today’s brightest northern leaders from the Sahtu, people like Stephen Kakfwi, Paul Andrew, Ethel Blondin-Andrew, George Cleary, Danny Gaudet, Sarah Baker, or Dora Duncan, and there are many others, one of the things they have in common is their acquired education. Today’s leaders are educated together in a learning environment where they can challenge one another to think, to be motivated, to inspire and to grow.
Obviously, I’m not suggesting in any way a return to the old residential school system, but I’m saying that with devolution, decentralization and resource development, companies are looking for educated professionals in the regions and we need to do everything we can to prepare our children to answer that call.
This includes encouraging them to attend a regional high school where we can focus our education dollars on a centre of excellence, with a focus on math and science with many other programs aimed at getting our children ready for post-secondary learning or in a trades institution.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
As we hear more from the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about this summer’s concentration on education reform, I hope we hear bold and creative solutions aimed to drastically improve the education in the Northwest Territories. As we consider this, I challenge all Members of this House to think outside the box and to legislate seriously to turn this situation around and get education moving in the right direction. It’s what you do with education that counts, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Education Renewal and Innovation Initiative is a huge undertaking and an admirable action on the part of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. I appreciate the work that they have undertaken, that the ERI team at the department is doing. The work and the resulting renewal are necessary. There are changing trends in education and we see poor results from our current approach to NWT education, particularly in the Alberta achievement test scores and statistics around graduation rates for our students.
The Minister tabled the Education Renewal Initiative document last week, and good as it is, I have a number of concerns with the document as it has been presented. The framework has nine commitments, and I will focus on number four on my limited time today.
Commitment number four says, “ensure that learners experience supported and personalized quality education.”
It’s well documented, the science proves that investment in early childhood development – that would be the early childhood programming – reaps rewards later on. Early results from the Early Development Instrument, which is a test of kindergarten children for school readiness, shows that on average, NWT children are developmentally delayed compared to others in Canada. Indeed, the framework document says, “Many Kindergarten students across the territory exhibit poor learning readiness and are significantly behind in their development.”
It is imperative that we address this issue and the framework sets out some ways to do it. The Minister has referenced several times in the last few weeks that junior kindergarten will possibly be implemented in the NWT education system. The framework suggests it as a possible initiative, initiative number 4.3.
There is no doubt that our kids need to be ready for school in order to succeed, but to start programs at age four or five in junior kindergarten or kindergarten is much too late. We need to establish early childhood development programs for kids aged zero to three and then junior kindergarten won’t be needed. We have full-day kindergarten now. I’m not suggesting we change that, but I am saying do not institute junior kindergarten.
Take the considerable dollars required for junior kindergarten and use it to develop the child earlier. If the government is looking to provide daycare in our communities, then call it that, don’t hide behind the junior kindergarten name.
Mr. Speaker, I see unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Quality early childhood programs with trained early childhood educators available to children from birth will guarantee the development of the child that is now missing in many of our NWT pre-schoolers. If done right, it will benefit both children and families. If the Education department is serious about supporting student success, then ECE must work with Health and Social Services and re-profile the money earmarked for junior kindergarten to early childhood development. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I began reviewing the Education Renewal Initiative, anticipating a statement detailing its failures. Wrong. In fact, I was impressed and offer my compliments to the people who have worked so hard to develop it and bring it forward.
The plan draws on research which reveals the need to teach, or a competency-based model that works better with how a child’s brain actually functions, with more integration of learning across subjects. Self-worth is recognized as essential for success in school for everyone.
More than knowledge and skills, learning involves the integration of thinking skills, creative abilities, attitudes, motivations and values. With the teachers’ guidance, this can be well-served using today’s access to information and through connections and relationships.
The document also lays plain our failure on early childhood development and, it breaks my heart to say this, gives shocking statistics like 35 to 60 percent of our five-year-olds in small communities entering school are developmentally delayed.
Authors state the need to put supports in place, even before children begin school, is evident, and go on to recognize the critical role of parents, families and communities. But here’s the thing, the plan fails to acknowledge that without successful child development, much of the ERI is destined to fail. In a sense, given our current failure with ECD, it is five years too early.
We know that early childhood development success must be realized before we can expect gains sought through education renewal. I support the need for education renewal based on the reasons referenced above, but without healthy children entering schools, the conclusions of Aboriginal Student Achievement, quality of small community education and culturally based education can be improved through the ERI are not warranted.
Given that up to 60 percent of new students are underprepared for learning, how can we wonder why grad rates are stuck at 50 percent, the students are graduating without Grade 12 proficiency and so on? How can we expect success at programs like Aboriginal Student Achievement when the foundation for such accomplishment – healthy early childhood development – remains unaddressed?
For now I support going forward with the ERI, using existing resources.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted
For now I support going forward with the ERI, using existing resources. In order to achieve any success, an absolute imperative is to steadily and intelligently build our early childhood development initiative to a seven to 10 million dollar program annually. Assuming we can make measurable ECD progress in five years, then and only then would be the time, based on sound evaluation of progress, to consider supplementing resources to the ERI.
Let’s get it right from the very start. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I came into this Legislative Assembly, I had a strong background in health and social services and working with youth. Being new to the Assembly and being privy to all the information that Regular Members receive, statistics on where government is, what really grabbed my attention was where our education system is. Although I did have a strong interest in education, all the information that I get as a Regular MLA tells me that the education system is not doing what it’s supposed to be for residents of the Northwest Territories.
Right from the start, from kindergarten, we’re already failing our people of the Northwest Territories, with having up to 60 percent, as my colleague Mr. Bromley stated, of youth entering the kindergarten system developmentally delayed in the small communities. Six out of 10 kids going into kindergarten are not ready, and not ready to handle school at a very young age. Then you go through to Grade 12 where four out of 10 Aboriginal students graduate. Four out of 10. Yet we talked about getting our Aboriginal people into the workforce when they’re not ready.
Right from the start we’re failing them. When they do graduate, they’re not academically ready and the education they have is not sufficient for them to succeed in post-secondary, where often you see some failures or extra years of studies.
Then we go on to adulthood where we have low literacy rates within the NWT and that’s stated in the document. Right from the start, we’re putting our children and youth at risk and we continue this practice throughout their educational lives as we continue to practice social passing. We continue passing our youth and students that are not ready for a higher academic of learning and yet we say here and continue to do it year after year after year.
In the document, it says for decades – decades – Aboriginal leaders across the NWT have been saying we need something that’s concrete that’s going to affect the education of our students and our children. This is Aboriginal leaders. It’s been decades. It’s about time that this government starts to listen. We do have a tabled document, but we must ensure, as Members have said, that it doesn’t get shelved like past documents and that we have to take the first steps and make sure we implement everything that’s in this document, starting with early childhood development and getting them ready for kindergarten. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to start off today’s Member’s statement by referencing a document that’s been before the House. It was the NWT Standing Committee on Social Programs did a review of the Child and Family Services Act and it was authored by Cindy Blackstock – she was a PhD – back in April of 2010. The reference of her document was called I Want to Grow Up in My Community and it’s a review.
The good work done in that report, I feel it’s necessary to highlight the very first line because I think that’s what really becomes the most shocking and hopefully powerful, and it will resonate through this statement. It says: “Aboriginal children account for 95 percent of children in child welfare care in the Northwest Territories, while representing only 50 percent of the population in this territory.”
Those factors, of course, are driven by neglect, poverty, housing, substance abuse, domestic violence and many, many other issues. If there’s one thing I certainly got immediately by reading that first sentence, I was shocked and dismayed and I thought, in what type of world is this normal. This can’t be normal here, and if it is normal here, what are we doing about it.
I’ve often been told about social workers who come to the Northwest Territories and I’ve often even heard about social workers employed in the Department of Health and the high turnover. The question is: Are we hiring the right types of social workers? Are they culturally shocked? Are they unfamiliar with the territory? Are they unfamiliar with the residential school legacy, the people, the small communities, the language?
Many social workers will travel up here on the circuit of experience, thinking let’s come to the promised land of challenge. When I get my bag of opportunities so full with tools and experiences, I can then challenge and go get a better job somewhere else.
The question I have for today more is built around training. I’m not going to blame this Department of Health and Social Services for what may not necessarily be their fault; on this one, that is. I’ll say that maybe training the right people has not been our true fight. Where has our crusade been to challenge this mountain? I view this as sometimes it’s have we asked ourselves the tough questions, are we providing the training access that we need. Aurora College provides a diploma program, but is that enough?
When I go back to the reference of 95 percent of the children in the Northwest Territories under custody are Aboriginal, I’m asking: Are we training the right people? Are we training Northerners? Are we training Aboriginal people? Are we training the people in the communities to help their own folks? I assert to you, I’m not sure we are and I think the statistics speak for themselves.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you. This is actually the first time in this term, I think, I’ve asked for more time because I feel it’s such an important topic to ensure my statement fully gets out.
I ask ourselves: Is the diploma program enough? I will tell you the diploma program itself is great, but it’s not enough. Have we done all that we can? I don’t believe we are doing all we can. I believe if our government is serious about training social workers who are in touch with the people, who are in touch with the culture, who are in touch with the communities, we should be asking ourselves: Why aren’t we leaning towards a Bachelor of Social Work Program?
As such, later today I will have questions for the Minister who is in charge of Aurora College, about asking what it will take to get this program appropriately done just like we did for the teachers and just like the nurses. Let’s do it. I believe we can. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Shane Clark. I can’t really see if he’s still up there, but Shane is the proud father, I know, of a couple of our Pages here, twins Sophie and Grace Clark. Welcome to the House.
I’d like to also, at this time, express appreciation to our Pages once again for all the service they’ve provided during this very busy session. Our long-suffering Pages in particular from Weledeh, besides Sophie and Grace we’ve also had Shiri MacPherson, who is the daughter of our Law Clerk, Sheila MacPherson. We’ve also had Niva Stephenson and Jacob Schubert. Again, thank you very much. And that could be Hannah Schauerte up there, as well, and I’d like to recognize her. It was a pleasure to be able to speak to her today.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize some Pages. I didn’t get an opportunity yesterday to recognize Anne Thomas. I don’t think she’s working here today, but there are a number of Pages from Frame Lake. Anne is one of them. Today I believe we have working here for us Jeff Harbin and Aaisha Hashi, and I’d like to compliment them on the work that they’ve been doing for us for the last, what, three weeks, I guess.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to also recognize two Pages from Hay River that have been helping us out in the Legislative Assembly this week: Hannah Courtoreille and Tori Blake. I’d like to thank them for good work.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Also, I’d like to welcome my first cousin, Mr. Cameron Wolki-Jacobson, sitting as a Page, from Inuvik. Welcome, Cameron, and thank you for all the hard work that you’re doing.
I’d like to welcome here a good friend of mine, Mr. Jai Zachary from Summerland, B.C. He’s visiting us here for a few days in Yellowknife. Welcome to the House, Jai.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement earlier today with questions to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment specifically related to the Education Renewal Initiative. I’d like to focus on the latest research on how our children are doing. We have been testing young children approaching school age with a test called the Early Development Indicator. Could the Minister confirm that the latest data from the Early Development Indicator work is showing that 35 to 60 percent of children approaching school age in our smaller communities have development delays that may cause a reduced capacity to learn?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Those are some of the assessments that we have conducted throughout the Northwest Territories, working very closely with Alberta Education. As part of the process, of course, we need to find out where the students are at. There are some challenges, as the Member alluded to. Due to that reason, we have developed two of the biggest files, the Early Childhood Development Framework, along with the action plan being developed, and also the Education Renewal Initiative and Innovation Framework and action plan to follow, which involves those DEAs, NWTTA and other parties from the Northwest Territories, so we can make this an effective mechanism for early learning, and then also for the students across the Northwest Territories.
Sad news indeed. I know we want to work on those statistics and improve them. The latest research shows that development of the brain and its neural pathways are largely established by age three.
How does this scientific evidence compare with the Minister of Education’s understanding of how a child’s mind develops and how does he think this evidence should change the way we educate our children or assist them in development? Mahsi.
We have conducted various research across our great country of Canada, even outside, internationally. What the Member is referring to is some of the research that he would have on his file, if he can share that with us as well. We have all these different research that we conducted through our engagement with the committees as well. We have to try and use the best practices that are out there available to us instead of reinventing the wheel or the challenges that we are faced with today. In my view, we have all those documentation, the data, the stats. Now we need to move forward and develop an action plan towards that. That’s what we’re focusing on with our partners across the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the data are crystal clear. The research is crystal clear. Brain development primarily takes place by age three and development of the neuro pathways takes place by age three, so the focus needs to be in the ages zero to three. Research is also showing that starting kindergarten at age four with junior kindergarten does not provide net benefits to learning over normal kindergarten programs, as my colleague Ms. Bisaro has outlined.
Given this evidence, does the Minister agree that, because the most important brain development occurs from age zero to three, that establishing junior kindergarten for four-year-olds is not the best investment to improve the mental development of our young children? Mahsi.
