Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm glad that the Minister has been able to confirm that the GNWT is already going above and beyond the basic court ordered requirements. What I'm trying to do is make sure that we can stay out of court. I don't understand why this department cannot work more collaboratively with these two organizations, that the proposal for the expansion that's been submitted to Heritage Canada hasn't even been shared with these two organizations, there are no letters of support that went in with it. Can the Minister amend this application now and work collaboratively with these two organizations to make sure that we can actually save some money at the end of the day? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thanks, Mr. O'Reilly. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As I mentioned earlier today, Heritage Canada hasn't even put a call out for these proposals, and, I mean, we went ahead of the game, working collaboratively with the groups to talk about making that connection in discussions with Heritage Canada. But, as I mentioned, you can't ask for money when you don't know what the plan is, and, in order to get that plan, I offered the Member to speak with staff from the CSFTNO to work with our department, our staff, to look at what kind of supports we can give to look at developing that possible design. Thank you.
Okay. Recognizing the time, Mr. Minister and Mr. O'Reilly, I shall move on to Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My questions relate to the junior kindergarten upgrades that are slated to be delivered in terms of key communities. This is a onetime budget item for 20172018, and I wanted to understand just how it is that this initiative will be delivered. So could the Minister provide some details in terms of how this initiative will be rolled out? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. In working with some of our communities that have implemented junior kindergarten right now as a pilot, we did ask them what resources were needed and what kinds of adaptations or things needed to be done to the school. In terms of details we did fund Fort McPherson $110,000, I believe, and that's to construct two additional washrooms to accommodate the extra 14 students.
In Tuktoyaktuk, where the junior kindergarten program is working very well, to accommodate them we've invested $142,500. The Hay River Reserve, the additional students there was an estimated $57,500 and in Behchoko, an estimated $90,000 for about 42 additional students. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It seems very obvious by the update that this has been rolled out already and funds committed, and the Minister did state that these were pilot initiatives in terms of trying to prepare communities for the eventual implementation of junior kindergarten. Was this scheduled for all communities? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Currently we've already been engaging the communities, the schools that have been implementing the junior kindergarten program, and we've been doing a survey of all schools and seeing what schools will need to implement the junior kindergarten moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm just trying to understand how this initiative was rolled out and how it was implemented. I understand there is a need to work with communities, so I'm just trying to understand, and maybe the Minister could answer this question. In terms of providing resources for communities to undertake minor upgrades and perhaps in preparation for junior kindergarten to be implemented in their communities, was it contingent upon them to support JK? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Minister.
In terms of implementing JK, the ones that I mentioned here earlier were based on need. Not all schools right now can accommodate additional students. For example in Tuktoyaktuk, where the school was made for kindergarten to grade nine, the school decided to go to grade twelve, but they also implemented junior kindergarten, so it's a JK to twelve school now.
You'll see that we needed to construct additional space moving forward to address that. It's based on need, and as I mentioned, we are surveying the schools to see what resources are needed in the communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think I have an understanding with $400,000, in terms of its limited capacity, to try to make improvements on a minor scale to communities that could probably receive the junior kindergarten initiative. Has the Minister contemplated the requirement for further needs in terms of further resources that they could commit in terms of ensuring that JK is properly implemented at the community level, for all communities? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, that's why we're doing the survey, and this isn't the first time that we've given funding to communities and schools to make the necessary changes for the junior kindergarten program. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Moving on. Mr. Nakimayak.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My colleague here had asked a couple of questions that I'd had earlier, but just going back to the Mangilaluk School renovation and addition, the midlife retrofit and an addition of 1,000 square metres of space, just a question to the plans and how many additional classrooms will that 1,000 square metres offer for junior kindergarten to high school students? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Nakimayak. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member is right, it is 1,000 square metres. I believe it includes high school instruction areas, a community library space, additional administration area, additional storage and improving viewing for the gymnasium. As I mentioned, the addition is based on our capital standards and criteria and school maximum capacity of 330 students. So there's quite a bit that's gone into there, including a specialized instruction space to deliver career and technology courses. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Nakimayak.
No further questions. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am going to go back to the things that are not in the capital plan but not anticipated to be in the capital plan. At this point, I'm just trying to get a schedule for it. Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask the Minister if they are looking at the 20-year needs assessment, which is, I guess, the first step to developing a five-year capital plan. In the 20-year needs assessment, in 2018-2019, it indicates that the Detah School is scheduled for replacement. I'm wondering if I can get the Minister to give me a capital update on that Detah School? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Minister.
Thank you. In terms of the Detah School, it has just been identified so we're going to work at getting into that needs assessment in the capital planning process. So it has just been identified and, as we get further updates, we'll let the Member know.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Along the same lines, in the 20-year assessment there is a capital item, the community learning centre. There's a 2018-2019 in the 20-year assessment within the next five-year capital plan time. In Ndilo there is a community learning centre scheduled in the 20-year assessment for 2018-2019. I was wondering if the Minister could give me a schedule update on the community learning centre for Ndilo.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. When you look at the 20-year needs assessment, you can see there are a lot of projects going on right across the Territory. When the needs are recognized, it's also based on priority. As I mentioned, we only have so many infrastructure dollars to go around to all the departments and to go around in our department as well, whether it's a learning centre or a school. With the schools, in terms of replacing schools or adding any additions, it is based on that utilization rate of 85 per cent. So even though it is on a needs assessment, it would have to meet a priority to get into the capital planning, five-year capital planning.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Staying with the community learning centres, there is also one contemplated in the capital needs assessment at 2020-2021 for Fort Resolution. They have a very old building used as a community learning centre. So I would like to well, no, make more comments before I ask the Minister a question.
In approximately 2009 or 2010, there was money set aside in the capital plan to leverage federal dollars to build community learning centres. I know that the Member from Mackenzie Delta and myself were able to take advantage of the federal funding and were able to get one new community learning centre built in Lutselk’e and Tsiigehtchic. I was wondering if the Minister could tell us if that money that was available from the federal government would still be available for the GNWT to leverage? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Minister.
Yes, I think that funding was only available around that time. I think moving forward plus, like I say, we're in a financial situation to try to leverage more dollars. We have to have those conversations with the federal government. But right at this time, we don't have those dollars to leverage those projects. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I wonder if the Minister could commit to having that discussion with the federal government. On the community learning centres, as we know, and in the small communities, the community learning centre, it's an active place, many people benefit from that. There is, as I've always indicated, low employment in the communities and it would be nice to be able to support adult students that are trying to upgrade their skills to make themselves more employable. I would ask the Minister if he could commit to having that discussion with the federal government to see if that money would be possibly available again and, if not, having a serious look at this as a regular capital planning item?
Both of these learning centres, Mr. Chairman, the one in Fort Resolution is scheduled for like 2021, as I indicated, and Ndilo scheduled at 2018-2019. I'd just like to see if I can get that commitment from the Minister? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Definitely any way we can increase our connection to Ottawa and build those relationships to look at how we can get extra funding to assist with our infrastructure shortages, the aging of our infrastructure in the NWT when it comes to educational institutions. I think it's something that we want to work on and I will commit to trying to have those meetings. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the response from the Minister. I think that there is certainly a lot of discussion at the federal level about wanting to develop a system, like a homecare system that will support individuals in the long run. I think these projects educating our adults and so on are something that is going to be positive. It would be programs that could be run out of there that could assist the communities.
It could defer costs in the future, social costs in the future to our government. I appreciate the Minister's willingness to have those discussions. If the federal government just doesn't have the money to do it, I'd still encourage or urge the Minister to really look at these community learning centres as they’re scheduled in the 20-year needs assessment for possible placement into the five-year capital plan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. I didn't really hear a question. But do you want to add to that, Mr. Minister? Go ahead.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the comments and the remarks. As mentioned earlier today, I've been to about 20 of the 33 communities in the Northwest Territories since being in the position of Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. A lot of those communities have gone into the learning centres, and I've done tours of the schools and there is a need out there. We only can stretch our dollars so far, that any federal support that we can get is going to be greatly appreciated and I know that the communities will want to see some extra dollars there as well. So I appreciate the support and the comments. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Recognizing the time, we'll move on. Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a couple questions here for the Minister. As he mentioned with the JK funding, I'm not sure if the Minister had an opportunity yet to visit the school in Tsiigehtchic, but you know at times we have junior kindergarten, kindergarten, grade one and two in the same classroom, so that just tells you the need that's in the community.
It's very difficult, as you can imagine, to teach four grades in one classroom. At times there is a partition there but it just goes to show the added stress that this puts on the teachers. I'm not sure if Tsiigehtchic is one of those communities slated for addition there, but it would be nice if it is. That's my first question, thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Currently, Tsiigehtchic isn't on the list but, as I mentioned, we are continuing to do that survey and it is based on needs of the community. If the Member is saying that there is a need in the school, we'll reach out to them and see what kind of resources they have in the school for the junior kindergarten. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Blake.
