Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it was great to hear Mr. Moses here today talk about the new Safe and Caring Schools Regulations, including a Territorial School Code of Conduct. They'll become enforced September 1st. I would like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment how these regulations and school code of conduct were developed.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and before I begin, I would just like to acknowledge all Members for wearing their boutonnieres today in support of standing up against bullying. The regulations were worked on when the legislation was first introduced into the House during the 17th Assembly. These regulations will take effect on September 1, 2016, and a lot of consultation was held with DEAs, DECs, as well as superintendents and teachers, as well as students throughout the Northwest Territories to ensure that we got the regulations right when we developed these school codes of conduct. We also based it on the needs, the strengths, and the resources that each school and community had in their communities.
I thank the Minister for his answer. Can you please elaborate a bit on how the youth were involved and engaged in this process?
This bill in particular was very unique in that it involved a lot of our students across the Northwest Territories. In each of the communities that the standing committee travelled to in the last government, they did not only interact with adults and partnerships with the schools, but they involved some of the students in the grades. What was really neat was, I know up in Inuvik they utilized the e-learning program where they're able to speak to students in Tuktoyaktuk from Inuvik, and here in Yellowknife, they did go to Sir John School and got a lot of feedback from the schools as well as through online submissions.
When we talk about the Code of Conduct, could the Minister please provide us what kind of training the staff, and I mean not just the teachers but the administration, SNAs, and volunteers, are going to get to make sure the schools are safe.
Currently, the department has developed a handbook for all DEAs and DECs to help them understand what their roles and responsibilities are with all aspects of education, including creating that safe environment for students as well as teachers in the school community to participate in. We've also developed resources supports that are online, free training, and we've also worked to ensure that DEAs and DECs have the supports in place for when the regulations comes into effect September 1, 2016. We're also providing orientation workshops for all newly elected members within the DEA and DECs to make sure that they understand what their roles are when they're making decisions on behalf of the schools that they represent.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I’d like to thank the Minister for the answer. During my Member’s statement I talked about training for youth, and you know it's great to train the staff and you know the people that run the school and that, but have you looked at potential training for youth so they can you know stop the bullying and make sure the schools are a safe environment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Currently, there are a couple programs that we're running. First one is the Skills for Healthy Relationships program, that are targeted to grade seven to 12, the WITS Program which was mentioned earlier in the Member’s statement, and that's targeted from kindergarten to grade six. And then the other ones that we're having is Positive Behaviour Supports targeted from kindergarten right through to grade 12, as well as online resources, and obviously the Kids Help Line is another way that we can do that. Plus things that we do as well here, as we did in the Great Hall today, around creating awareness and speaking to the children, speaking to the youth, speaking to the leaders, and to the educators, that people should speak up and stand up.
Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to address my issue to the Minister of Finance on the project for the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link Project. The question I have is this Mackenzie Valley Fire Project is a P3 project of this government scheduled for completion this coming June 2016 during the 2013-14 procurement process, during that fiscal year. As you know, the completions during that period was slated for June 2016, which is only four months away and we're entering into the closure of the winter season, and my question to the Minister is: Are were going to be completed as per the procurement schedule of June 2016?
Masi. Minister of Finance.
We anticipate being completed this summer. The original project was supposed to be lights on during 2016, and that is still the plan. Of the approximate 1,200-kilometre volume, 733 kilometres have been completed up to the end of the 2015 building season, so we still have plenty of time to have the remaining line laid before June 2016.
My second question is: knowing the terrain and geography north of Fort Good Hope, it's very remote, it's only accessible by remote equipment including sleigh camps, so the logistics and scheduling is very challenging, and I'm wondering, in my question, if that section between Tsiigehtchic and Fort Good Hope is going to be completed as well?
As I said before, we anticipate being completed during the 2016 building season and they have had some challenges on the terrain, but I think that the contractors are more than equipped to deal with it. If there are any foreseen circumstances or if there is some delay of any kind, then I will be sure to let the Members of this Assembly know.
I await that information if it does come, and my next question, the final question, is: Can we receive a current progress briefing on that particular project?
I would be pleased to provide committee with a briefing, or I can compile some information as far as a briefing note goes, and submit that to committee and then they can determine whether they want to have a briefing or not.
Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Follow-up to my Member’s statement, I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I'd like to ask the Minister: what are the criteria to decide whether or not senior high school is offered to students in their home communities such as Tsiigehtchic? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to say that the department is committed to work with all of our communities to provide quality education programming for communities if they wish to do so from grades 10 to 12. In the case of Tsiigehtchic, the Members and myself would like to see the youth and the children stay in the community to get their education. What I would encourage the Member to do is to speak with the District Education Council, as well as the superintendent, to invite the superintendent into the communities to develop options into how we get grades 10 to 12 in the community of Tsiigehtchic. We do support those discussions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That leads me up to my next question. Is this decision made by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, or by the District Education Council, and are the parents consulted?
The Department of Education funds our education authorities to the tune of about $150 million every year. If the Member and the community and the parents wish to look at providing grades 10 to 12, I would encourage them to speak with the superintendents, as well as the DECs, to look at the possibility of providing that type of program in the community of Tsiigehtchic.
I'd also like to ask the Minister what options exist for students who want to stay in their home communities while finishing high school -- for example, Moodle, the program a previous Minister spoke about.
Obviously, we've been having some very successful results with the e-learning program that we have. We’ve brought it down now into some of the southern parts of the Northwest Territories. That's one option. Other options that the Member might want to look at when he's speaking in the community, or when the parents are speaking with the DEC and the superintendent, is possibly busing students to Fort McPherson, which is closer than going to Inuvik, and keeping them in their communities.
Masi. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
It sounds promising. Will the department or the Minister commit to providing funds to do busing of our students to either Fort McPherson or Inuvik?
---Laughter
At this time, we cannot commit funds to such an option.
Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I may, I'd like to correct a fact in my Member’s statement. I said that the next round of nominations for the Order of the Northwest Territories was the beginning of March. In fact, it's the beginning of April. April 8, to be specific. My questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I recently spent some time reading the feasibility study on universal childcare for the Northwest Territories and it contains a number of recommendations which are easy fixes to a system that is quite dysfunctional. My question for the Minister is about the wage subsidy that is now paid to individuals rather than to their employers. The problem with directing the wage subsidy to the individuals is that there is some delay in getting it to them. I am wondering if the Minister will consider paying these wage subsidies directly to the employer in order speed them up.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In this case, with universal daycare, it is just a feasibility study at this time that was tabled during life of the 17th Legislative Assembly. The department is looking at the study itself and seeing what options we can develop moving forward within the 18th Assembly. We are implementing the Right from the Start Early Childhood Development Framework and creating an action plan associated with it. At this time, we're looking at putting our efforts into the work that was done in partnership with Health and Social Services during the 17th Legislative Assembly, and starting up some of those early childhood development programs and services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thanks to the Minister for that answer. However, the provision of childcare is a key component of the education of young people prior to them going into junior kindergarten or kindergarten. The people who work in this sector are generally quite low paid and daycares struggle with keeping qualified staff. I'm wondering if the Minister can make a commitment to looking at providing the wage subsidy directly to the employers rather than to the individuals.
In the 17th Legislative Assembly, some of those concerns were brought forward. We do have funds that go to the daycare providers, but also to creating a Childhood Staff Grant program. We have a scholarship for people that want to go out and get trained. Currently, I believe our programs are working well, but if the Member would like to adjust that issue, it's something that, throughout the course of this government, we can take a look at.
Thank you to the Minister for his answer. What I'm looking for, then, is in order to improve the system of wage subsidies for the people who work at daycares is to have the government look at providing those to employers rather than individuals in order to speed up the payment. What I'm looking for from the Minister is a commitment to investigate making this change.
The department will look at reviewing this option and bring back those options to the Member.
Masi. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
I'd like to thank the Minister for making that commitment. I ask only when he thinks he will be able to deliver this information to us.
Early childhood development is a priority of this government. It became a priority of the 17th Legislative Assembly. Anything that we can do to ensure that our staff and our children have the opportunity to develop in the best way they can. We are willing to work in those areas. I can't commit to a timeframe at this time.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you wouldn't know that it's anti-bullying day today the way that we're picking on the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, but he's being a trooper and we thank him. Can the Minister provide the House with some information on how the Department of Education, Culture, and Employment works with DECs and DEAs to make sure that schools are safe environments for students, teachers, and visitors to the schools.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't mind the picking-on today. In terms of DEAs, DECs, as I mentioned, we have developed a handbook. We are providing orientation workshops to newly elected members. Other things we are doing are these bullying prevention and intervention strategies and resources that were developed by national experts that are available, and also ensuring that when we develop this Territorial School Code of Conduct, as well as the Safe and Caring Schools Regulations that all visitors have to abide by those rules. The department will continue to support ongoing professional development and staff training as schools develop their Safe and Caring Schools Regulations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for his answer. We know that awareness is one of the key tools to combating bullying. Can the Minister tell the Assembly what kinds of public promotion the department has taken to demonstrate that bullying is not okay?
