Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to nutrition in the Northwest Territories, the Department of Health and Social Services through Public Health is trying to educate people across the Northwest Territories on healthy choices, healthy eating, and how it relates to overall health and wellbeing.
As far as a food security policy, we don't have a food security policy within the department. We're more focused on education and having people understand the value and importance of eating good food. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That's interesting to know, because I think that as a territory in understanding food security we need to kind of get off just nutrition and understand a little bit better what the broader scope of food security is. To that effect, I'll just talk about food in general.
Does the Minister know some of the challenges, or I'll refer to it as "gaps," that are currently in food security as a determinant of health for First Nations communities, particularly in the area of nutrition?
I don't think we are differing in our opinions around the broader scope of food security and the value of that as it supports health for residents across the Northwest Territories. As I said, we focus on encouraging people to live healthy lifestyles. We do that through our Healthy Family programs. We do that through the education that we are supporting in the Department of Education in the schools around healthy living, healthy eating, and the value of nutrition.
Mr. Speaker, in the information that we provide across the Northwest Territories when we are attending our health fairs or our community health fairs, we are also talking about traditional foods and eating the foods that are available in our communities, whether it is wildlife or some of the other product that grows in the territory, so we're trying to encourage people to live their traditional means when it comes to food, as well.
We understand as a government that there are food security issues and challenges across the Northwest Territories. ITI has been progressive in supporting different programs to help start up community gardens and other mechanisms to get kids out hunting, get people pursuing game when appropriate, when it's available. I know we are facing challenges around caribou. Those things exist, and we are working together as a government. It's not just one department. It has to be all departments working together.
I thank the Minister for his reply. He is doing a good job today at answering forthcoming questions. I want to thank the Minister because he, in fact, did answer my question, which was about what contribution traditional knowledge is playing in food security. I am glad to hear that a number of the initiatives that they are putting out with regard to educating folks on nutrition and good health and well-being is around traditional foods, especially for our First Nations communities. That is very welcomed commentary from the Minister, and it is well appreciated. Thank you, Mr. Speaker
I heard that as a comment. Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of ECE. Mr. Speaker, in his statement today, the Minister said, and I quote, "we will make the money they need to implement junior kindergarten available to them when it is needed." Could the Minister please tell me what the phrase, "when it is needed" means? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Those discussions, we are having right now with the departments and all the boards. If it is needed this fall, we will make sure that that funding is available, as I mentioned in the statement. We could be coming back for a sup to make sure that funding is available. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Is the Minister aware that hiring and layoff plans need to be in place by the end of March? Money will need to be in place to make those decisions. Is the Minister aware of that?
As I mentioned, staff at the department have been meeting with the superintendents to make sure that it is a smooth transition as we roll out junior kindergarten moving forward. All those are being discussed right now, as I mentioned earlier.
The district education authorities and school boards were looking at making a cut of 3.6 per cent to their budget for the next school year in order to fund junior kindergarten from within. Now the government is fully funding junior kindergarten, will this cut be necessary?
As a government, we fund all our education authorities to the tune of about $152 million. What they do with that money is decisions based on the board. That is something that the board is going to have to make, that decision, moving forward.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I didn't hear an answer to my question. My question is whether the school boards will still be required to use their own resources to implement junior kindergarten as they were required to do prior to the budget being announced last week, including a cut of 3.6 per cent of their K to grade 12 funding. Is this cut still going to be necessary now that full funding for JK is in place? Thank you.
As we have all heard here, this government is committed to fully funding junior kindergarten. The reductions that the Member is asking is a decision on the school boards themselves, and that is something that they are going to have to go back and look at. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Nailing down this junior kindergarten funding issue is almost as slippery as a dead fish. Congratulations to the Minister; he had a good statement today about full funding. That full funding for junior kindergarten, is it going to include two things, inclusive schooling money for junior kindergarten students and busing costs? Will it include those two things? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, we have staff at the department, after this announcement was made, reaching out to the superintendents as well as the school boards to start having those discussions about safety, about busing. Those discussions, as I mentioned, are happening right now, so we are going to have to wait to see what comes out of that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Can the Minister tell us, this magical mystery meeting of ECE staff and the education authority chairs, has this actually been scheduled? What is the date of this meeting?
Just day-to-day operations. We always meet with our organizations that we do fund. This is just day-to-day operations and meetings. Once the announcement came out, we had to go out and talk to superintendents to get input on this new budget announcement that was addressed earlier on in this sitting. They are just day-to-day operations that we always have, meetings with superintendents.
I believe I heard the Minister say last week in this House that he was going to personally attend this meeting. Is that the case anymore?
Yes, when we have time, I will be getting out and having discussions with the superintendents as well as the boards to make sure we do have that smooth transition and roll-out of junior kindergarten.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. It doesn't sound like there is going to be one meeting where everybody is in the same room. I will try it one more time: how can the Minister say that junior kindergarten is going to be fully funded by GNWT when there are still these two outstanding issues, whether there is going to be inclusive funding for junior kindergarten students and the busing issue has not been resolved? How can the Minister say that it is fully funded? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
As I mentioned, we give out about $152 million to all the boards. Those budgetary items that the Member is bringing up, those are decisions made by the school boards themselves on how they allocate the dollars that we give to them. Those are decisions made by the school boards. As I mentioned, our staff is meeting on an ongoing basis with the superintendents to make sure that this roll-out of junior kindergarten is as smooth as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have questions for the Minister of Education on the cuts to the Teacher Education Program, although it is not recent and I know that the cuts were determined last year. However, it is now that the students are getting word that the cuts are there, that the program will be shut down in the future. What needs to happen in order for the department to reconsider cutting that program out at this point? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, Aurora College does have the autonomy to make these decisions when they are looking at reductions. As I mentioned earlier, when we have low enrolment rates, low graduation rates, but we still have a full staff, those are decisions that we have to look at, how we spend our dollars more efficiently, the tax-payer dollars. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
No one from Aurora College with their full autonomy is here to answer questions on why they are doing cuts, so I ask the Minister. Because the process is a longer process and we were looking at it last year, and we are looking at 2020 as to when the TEP program would end. That's not even in this government. Although they have autonomy, my understanding is that there would be some sort of a strategic plan in place. Prior to finalizing these decisions, if the strategic plan is completed by the college and there's some indication that this program could be saved, would the department work with Aurora College to continue the Teacher Education Program?
We are still waiting for that strategic plan, so we're not sure what's in it yet. Once we do find the strategic plan is developed, we will share it with committee to move forward. I still have to say that we do have one of the best Student Financial Assistance programs in the country, and we continue to support our students who want to go and get an education to other institutions and give them the support that they need to succeed, as well.
I recognize that this Teacher Education Program could be a little bit of a departure from the standard teacher education programs that may be offered in the South because many of the students are from the North. They're individuals who can be housed at Fort Smith. They have opportunities there that they may not see in the South. I recognize that there is a good SFA program. I'm wondering if the Minister could tell us how we would be able to get teachers to teach in the schools in a small community, which has proven to be very valuable, if this program gets cut?
As I mentioned, we do have one of the best Student Financial Assistance programs in the country, and we do support our students. We've made improvements to that program. The students who are impacted with the reductions that were brought forth through the Aurora College system, those things are still going to get the support that they need moving forward. Any transitions that are going down south to another institution, they'll continue to work with University of Saskatchewan to make sure that the students get that education and can be teaching here in the North.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Education has made several statements about a need to ensure value for money at Aurora College, and I need to ensure we have adequate programming to support our fiscal bottom line and the contribution agreements -- the government's and Aurora College's fiscal bottom line. I wonder if that's not part of our strategy moving forward. I've asked questions in this House, to the Minister, about an apprenticeship strategy, and I was told money will not be allocated to that until the plan has been put into effect. Do we have a working draft of that plan from our side in how we're allocating money to Aurora College, or is it, as he says, he has no idea what the college is doing, they're completely on their own recognizance, and there's minimal contact between staff at ECE and Aurora College in working on this long-term strategic goal for the college? Thank you.
Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We currently have a contract with a third party consultant that's going out talking to key stakeholders on what they want to see presented to Aurora College programming and the strategic plan that they're developing. We have a third party consultant that's doing all that work. Once that report is done, it will be presented to Aurora College, the board of governors, as well as our department. Once we get that strategy, that report, we will share it with Regular Members to get their input, as well. I do know that Members have been asked to do a questionnaire and a survey with the third party consultants, so we're already hearing some of these inputs from the Regular Member as well as key stakeholders. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The plot thickens, it seems, with this third party consultant. When was that contract signed with the consultant, and how long has this work been going on for?
I don't have the exact dates, but I could get it to the Member if he wishes. Probably in the fall time was when we made that announcement, and they went out and started doing their consulting.
The honourable Member does so wish it, and I believe honourable Members of the Standing Committee of Social Development would like to see that as well, if the Minister could make that commitment to provide details of this consultant's work with both myself and Members of the Standing Committee on Social Development.
Yes, and I can also pull up some documentation in which I believe we did send all Members of this Legislative Assembly an e-mail talking about the strategy and giving input into the strategy, as well as going on the Aurora College website to give input into that as well.
Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am aware of the strategic plan, just not this consultant's report. I think that's a very important piece of this puzzle. Finally, Mr. Speaker, given that there is a need to reassess how we are providing funding to post-secondary education, will the Minister commit to looking into enriching the partnership with Dechinta and College nordique, who are private sector, private post-secondary education institutions who have shown exponential growth and an ability to leverage their own funding? Will the Minister commit to making that possible coming out of this review, the strategic review? Thank you.
Yes, we do have a good partnership with College nordique as well as Dechinta. We have made some improvements. We have increased funding for Dechinta. We also went to multi-year contribution agreements, where before it was a year-to-year basis. They know and are given the knowledge that they are going to have funding for the next three years, and then we will continue to have those discussions with them, with any kind of improvements, programs, curriculum that we have, and we will continue to have those partnerships with College nordique as well as Dechinta. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
