Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Monfwi.
I will let some people know, especially in the small communities. So hopefully from this $10.6 million, we'll get three new daycare centre in Tlicho region. I'm just, so or at least to one of the communities, you know, that really needs the child care services. But and you said so you don't know how this funding will be allocated. How is the department or allocating this one, is it based on need or for child care services?
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I think what we've established today, by going all around the room, is that the need exists everywhere. This is not a channel that is shared only with Northwest Territories communities; it's also a challenge that's shared clear across the country. And so that's what this group is coming together to do with engagement, is to figure out, okay, how are we going to do this how are we going to see these dollars flow out the door. And the reality is as well not everybody is going to have shovelready projects available right away. So there is going to have to be for some entities some planning phases as part of this and definitely some stacking of funding. But the opportunity to work with Indigenous governments is really a beautiful opportunity. And this, I know, that even in the Member's region in the community of Behchoko, the Tlicho government put together a daycare facility that I know that the Member raves about and I've had the opportunity to speak with her about that offers complimentary child care services to community members. And so those kinds of relationships are really important. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Monfwi.
Yes, thank you. Yesterday we talked about the theme day was for income support and, you know, I know there are some parents, young parents, due to child care space available, you know, and the long waitlists, so one of the excuses that there's no child care, no reliable child care. So if this was you know, if we had more space, I think there would be more young people or young parents that can take advantage of this child care services provided and, you know, and go to work. But I know some of the excuses that no child care services available, dependable child care services. So it's good that, you know, the department is working with Indigenous governments and try to, you know, create more space and do something about it. So that's all. It's more of a comment. So thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. In the interest of time, I'm not going to repeat the compelling arguments made by the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake but did just want to reiterate my support for what he was saying, and I just state for the record I would wholeheartedly support supplementary appropriation coming forward from the department to better fund this area because it's important to my riding also. And, yeah, just want the Minister to be aware that the support is there for it if she's able to bring something forward. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll take that as a comment. I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to get clarification. So you're talking about a need of $3.5 million for wages and $3.5 million for compensation benefits. Are we talking about topups for existing staff, or that money would be needed to hire new staff? Can you just explain what we're how you reached that number and yeah, thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, that would be the difference between what is currently being provided and what would need to be provided to make it on par. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. So if I understand that correctly, that would mean, though, that we would need new infrastructure built along with that $7 million for new operating funding if we were to realize if we were to meet the need that you're talking about? So I understand the feds have just announced, you know, this funding for infrastructure but obviously that would need to be figured out and built, or can you clarify whether we have existing infrastructure that if we had the $7 million we could, you know, hire people and put those programs in place sooner? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, it's definitely a twofold one where if we want to be able to pay people on par with education assistants, then we definitely need the additional funding. Part of the additional funding hope as well is that you would incentivize more people to enter into that sector and then, of course, we also do need the infrastructure funding as well to be able to pay for more spaces to be built.
And, Mr. Chair, through yourself, can I please pass as well to the deputy minister who would like to add something.
Thank you. I'll go to the deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just wanted to add that the early learning child care infrastructure strategy that the Minister was referring to, and upon which we're currently engaging, contemplates a number of different options for building infrastructure, from building from scratch to utilizing an existing building to even contemplating a modular configuration. So we're trying to look at all possible options in expanding the amount of child care infrastructure. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That at least helps clarify the situation a bit more in terms of starting to lay out a path in concrete terms of, you know, what's needed and how might we get there. I think it's probably more than just adding $7 million into this budget and saying, go, create all the spaces. There's some different steps required here that we need to order properly. But I am encouraged that we're at least talking numbers to be able to fill this gap and see a path forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I took that as a comment. I didn't hear a question from the Member.
Thank you. What I'll do now is that I think the food is ready. We'll take a 30minute break, and we'll come back. And so we're continuing on in 43 on pages 41 to 43. If there's any further Members questions from the Members that haven't spoken yet, I'll give you that opportunity to speak then. Okay, we'll take a 30minute break. Thank you.
SHORT RECESS
Thank you. We just concluded our supper break. Before we move on, yesterday I reminded Members that we're going to do ten minutes per item on per page activity, and I want to continue to do that. And so Members that haven't spoken, I have the list here. So right now on page 41 to 43, for Members that haven't spoken, is there any question? I'm going to go to the Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question or my concern is in regards to everybody knows that there's a big shortage of early childhood care in the smaller communities and even in the regional centres and even in Yellowknife. So we have a lot of young mothers or parents that want to go to school or go to work, but due to the lack of early childhood facilities they are reluctant to go and leave their families with leave their kids with babysitters or other caretakers.
My question is in just one question here is in regards to is there funding available for renovating homes or upgrading homes to fit the criteria of having your home as a facility to house children? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, it would depend on the extent of renovations and what was required, but there are funding arrangements that the department does have to help people set up their familyrun day home out of their houses, and so it would be on a casebycase basis as to what exactly a resident might be looking for to help with that. And so if there is somebody within the Member's communities that would be interested in that, I know that the ELCC coordinator would love the opportunity to be able to hear from that person and work directly with them. That way they could understand where the person is living and what they're looking for and educate them about the different funding programs that are available and how we can work together.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Mr. Chair, I just had that one question. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to continue on now. If no further questions, please turn to page 40.
Education, Culture and Employment, early learning, operations expenditure summary, 20242025 Main Estimates, $25,396,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Questions? I got Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that this committee defer further consideration of activity early learning in the main estimates for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Thank you to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Moving on to education beginning on page 44 with information items on page 46 to 48. Are there any questions? Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I want to refer to business plan, page 11, just give the Minister and her staff a second to find that. In particular, the item that speaks to continuing implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action. So I note that that Call to Action, particularly action number 7, speaks to closing the gap between Indigenous and nonIndigenous education outcomes in the country. And that one is directed at the federal government. But, of course, there was an audit done by the auditor general recently of this system, came forward with a bunch of recommendations and resulting in the Improving Student Outcomes Action Plan. There's a couple of items in that action plan that are listed in the tracker on the department's website. JK to 4 literacy and numeracy strategy and developing greater integration of services for children and youth in the education system through expanding regional capacity.
I'm just wondering if the Minister can speak to those items first, and then I have a question about the goal in the business plan itself. So just first the two items that are on hold.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I would like the opportunity to pass to the assistant deputy minister Shannon BarnettAikman.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the assistant deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So the first action on hold is the JK to 4 literacy and numeracy strategy, and that action was placed on hold in acknowledgement that we are in the process of moving to the BC adapted curriculum for the NWT, which, along with that, comes not just a change to the curriculum through grades JK to 9, but in each of those subject areas, a different way of approaching teaching and learning for the way that numeracy and literacy are accounted for within all of the curriculum content areas. So recognizing that when this action plan was developed, we did not have a line off sight on the new curriculum partner and how that would change at the time there was this action addressed. The decision to move that on hold was to better implement the switch from the Alberta curriculum to the BC curriculum and then reassess where we're at in terms of needing to support literacy and numeracy, whether it be through a formal strategy or through an increased focus on the way we promote teaching and learning in those areas in the schools.
The second action on hold is around moving to integrated service delivery. When that action was put into place through the improving student outcomes, we had a direct connection through the JK to 12 student support and wellness aspect of inclusive schooling. Since then, the integrated services delivery model has pivoted somewhat governmentwide and now lives within more directly connected to the antipoverty work. And so the focus in that area has shifted. However, we do still continue to support an integrated approach to accessing things like rehab services and other types of inclusive schooling supports in the JK to 12 system. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go back to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I appreciate those answers. And now kind of to the business plan itself, looking at that business plan it was just the continuing implementation of Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, it just highlighted for me to kind of have a look at those calls, and that number 7 stood out to me particularly considering the auditor general's report that the department is responding to. So I guess my question is on the business plan, I don't see any commitments or targets being sought to reduce the gap between Indigenous and nonIndigenous youth. I'm not seeing targets related to kind of increasing education outcomes for youth. There's certainly some targets related to early childhood education, but they're kind of about early childhood educators. So I'm just wondering if the department can speak a bit more to why we don't see targets in the business plan related to the outcomes that we're trying to seek for junior K to 12 students?
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I think it's important to note that not everything that the government does lands in the business plans. There's still action plans that are still daytoday efforts that are done by public servants and by Northerners day in and day out that don't land themselves in the business plans per se. But educating children and making sure that we are preparing them for the rest of their lives is something that is constantly top of mind for northern educators, for parents, for community members, and something that we need to continue to do. So while these outcomes are not specifically in the business plan, it absolutely does not mean that it is something that falls off or is something that does not exist. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, I think that I I'll just make the comment that I think it would be nice to see the department speaking to outcomes they're looking to reach in the business plan just because this one, I believe, is quite an important item, and I think it's something that has been, you know, recently audited in the department. There was definitely some gaps found and so I think it's something that should be top of mind for the department in terms of the plans that they're making and the outcomes that they're trying to achieve. So I'll leave that as a comment for future updates to the business plan. I would encourage the department to kind of just have a second look at that.
Mr. Chair, I'm going to just pivot to postsecondary education a little bit. And, you know, I have made lots of comments, a number of Members have made comments on the Aurora College transition. I just note that when we're speaking to the budget line item, there is a reduction here. I'm wondering if the Minister or her staff can speak to that reduction, what specifically is being taken away, what service is being reduced there, and how does that reduction impact our implementation and achievement of transition of Aurora College to a polytechnic?
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister to the question.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, this section actually goes between two different assistant deputy ministers in the way that it is in the main estimates, just so that everybody knows. The assistant deputy minister that is responsible for postsecondary is hiding in the little room. So just so that I I just wanted to be transparent and that I might have to phone a friend who is in a back room.
But for this one here for the reduction to Aurora College, what was done in our restoring balance exercise is the GNWT was we were instructed to go back and work with our departments, as well as our agencies and arm's length organizations. And so for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment that, of course, included Aurora College. And so what was done there was we went back to Aurora College, we went back to education bodies as well, and asked them what they were prepared to let go of as far as funding. And so that dollar amount that came from Aurora College was a hundred percent driven by them and them alone and so and I didn't tweak it any way, shape, or form. I respected their operational independence in that respect. So what Aurora College did was they were able to review position vacancies, retirements, and positions that won't impact programs and that largely was what drove their reductions from their budget. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Frame Lake.
