Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last Tuesday, while discussing the capital investments within the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, I made some comments on two projects that I felt were missing from the 2009-2010 Capital Plan; specifically the J.H. Sissons School and the Yellowknife Campus for Aurora College. For clarity, I want to point out I am not requesting that the GNWT turn J.H. Sissons into the new Yellowknife Campus or that Sissons be shut down. There is no evidence, in my opinion, to suggest that such an action would be appropriate and no research, that I am aware of, has been done. For the record, I reconfirmed with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment that the department has no plans in place to shut down any schools in Yellowknife.
My statement on Tuesday was intended to encourage the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the GNWT to think outside the box and to consider all avenues to address our capital and infrastructure needs. As a government spending public dollars, we must look for ways to maximize the dollars that we spend to ensure that we get the best results for our investments.
I mentioned Sissons only because I was already talking about Sissons School as a project that has clearly fallen off the capital plan. I am sorry for any stress that this reference to Sissons may have caused parents, teachers and students.
However, currently Sissons is part of a much larger problem. The problem of enrolment. Yellowknife is faced with a rapidly declining enrolment. Running schools that are only half filled increases costs significantly. High costs for students in facilities operating with low enrolment actually take dollars out of the programs for our children, money which could be used to enhance programming like immersion programs, if the system better utilized space.
My first concern is the education of our youth. I want this government to enhance programming that will give our youth the best results and prepare them for the world and their future in it. Enrolment in Yellowknife has continuously dropped since 2002-2003 from 3,751 to 3,462 in 2008-2009. Projected numbers for 2009-2010 are even lower at 3,380.
Mr. Speaker, we the residents of the Northwest Territories, including the residents of Yellowknife, Members of this Legislative Assembly and the public school board, will be faced with significant challenges, many which are financial, over the coming years. Hard decisions will need to be made; decisions will be required, but cannot be done in the absence of research. Hard questions need to be asked.
I am committed to working with all interested stakeholders to find reasonable and responsible solutions; solutions that work in the best interest of Northerners, solutions which may include reprofiling school facilities.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted.
Mr. Speaker, this will require individuals to ask hard and, occasionally, controversial questions. For the sake of the children and their quality of education, I’m willing to ask these hard questions so that the relevant information can be collected and help decision-makers make informed and responsible decisions. Mr. Speaker, I will continue to encourage this government to think outside the box and challenge the status quo. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
MEMBER’S STATEMENT ON
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member’s statement is on the Local Housing Subsidy Program. Several sessions ago we gave the government instructions to review the Public Housing Subsidy Program, because since transferring administration from local housing organizations to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment there has been some serious problems on the delivery of the program.
Years ago when the government was first considering transferring the administration to ECE, many local housing organizations told the local government what the real problem was, and that was that the local housing authorities did not have the adequate resources to properly administer the programs. Mr. Speaker, however, the government is convinced that only the Department of ECE can properly run the program.
Over the years my constituents have expressed concerns with the way the public housing rental subsidy has been administered. Francis Wolki has been very vocal with her community and how it has affected these changes. She’s concerned with the people who have been in the same houses for years, never giving their LHOs any problems and recently getting letters of eviction.
Mr. Speaker, our region has a petition circulating to review all the regional leadership, urging all MLAs to work aggressively with this government to develop a solution to these issues. Housing is a core responsibility of the government. However, I expressed previously, recently developments of the government seem to contradict this principle. The housing conditions or the program implementation, especially for small and remote communities, has been in a crisis situation for quite some time. The recent changes of the Income Support Policy in relation to the community housing support has only created a worsening situation. The housing conditions in small communities such as Paulatuk are facing serious problems that the government must address.
Mr. Speaker, I urge this government to transfer the administration of the Public Housing Subsidy Program back to local housing authorities, with adequate resources to properly administer the program. Local governments know their communities’ issues best.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted.
Mr. Speaker, I urge this government to transfer the administration of the Public Housing Subsidy Program back to local housing authorities, with adequate resources to properly administer the program. Local governments know their communities and issues best. They know the best ways to administer the programs.
Mr. Speaker, I’ll have questions for the appropriate Minister. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
MEMBER’S STATEMENT ON
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today marks the first day of a mass vaccination against the spread of H1N1 -- Swine Flu -- in our Territory. Nationwide, this will be the largest mass vaccination and immunization program in Canadian history.
Like many parents, my wife and I find ourselves struggling over whether or not to give our two-year-old son this H1N1 vaccine. We’re even wondering, Mr. Speaker, whether or not we should get the shot ourselves.
I want to be clear that the Department of Health and Social Services is doing a great job at providing information about H1N1, and their website and public announcements have been good. I’m concerned over the fact that Health Canada is supplying the vaccine that our Minister of Health likes to refer to as the Cadillac version of a vaccine, to our residents and to the people of Canada. This vaccine, known as Arepanrix, contains such ingredients and formaldehyde and potassium chloride. Are we getting that information out to our residents?
Mr. Speaker, in the United States many parents are saying no to this vaccine. In China, over half the population says they don’t want it and, indeed, there are many Canadians and residents here in our Territory that will say no to the vaccine.
Mr. Speaker, I know that these vaccines are different, depending on which country you live in. For example, in Australia they were using a vaccine called Panvax. This vaccine does not contain formaldehyde, like Arepanrix does. So there certainly are differences.
Mr. Speaker, like any vaccine, there are side effects associated with Arepanrix. I would like to advise those residents that want to know more about the vaccine, to visit Health Canada’s website for a product information leaflet on the Arepanrix vaccine. It certainly is enlightening.
It’s certainly not my intention today to scare people away from getting the vaccine, and at the end of the day, when you weigh the odds and the fact that I couldn’t stand to see my son become sick with H1N1 and hospitalized, he’ll probably end up getting the vaccine.
Given the fact that getting this vaccine can, in rare cases, cause serious issues with the nervous system and paralysis, I’m wondering will those adversely affected have any legal recourse with the government. Do people receiving this vaccine have to sign a waiver, are people fully informed of the ingredients of this vaccine prior to it being administered, and are they asked about allergies, especially to eggs, Mr. Speaker? At the appropriate time I’ll have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
