Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today in my Member’s statement I was speaking about the accommodations. Many communities have adequate accommodations. You know, in Tuktoyaktuk, our teachers housing, we’re really fortunate enough to have a six-plex, but our government has pulled the funding back from the community.
Mr. Speaker, considering the housing issue is a number one problem in recruiting and retaining good staff in the communities, and considering that some communities are not waiting for the government to help develop housing strategies for their staff, will this government commit to seriously developing innovative and realistic assistance packages to these often cash-strapped small communities? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to housing for staff, especially the teachers, we look after all the teachers as much as we can through the board operations. For the 2010-2011 school year, the teachers that were hired, there were no reports of positions going unfilled because of lack of suitable accommodations. As we all know, the northern living allowance, we take that into consideration as well, where each teacher, individual community members do receive those allowances based on their posting. So if they’re in an isolated community, they get a higher northern living allowance, as well. Those are benefits that our teachers can qualify for, as well. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, our government, with our nursing we provide them housing right in the health centres. Mr. Speaker, we need to help our teachers because they’re the only ones that are going to help our students. Under the vision statement of this government, you know, it’s strong, healthy, vibrant, independent people. Mr. Speaker, we need this funding reinstated back into the communities for the teachers. We have to support them, because they’re the ones supporting our students.
Mr. Speaker, will the government commit to developing supporting our teachers housing subsidy program for all of the Nunakput communities and across the territory? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, what I can state in this House is that there are certain programs through the NWT Housing Corporation that each corporation can access. We’ve discussed this and it came from this Assembly, as well, that we need to deliver those subsidies to those corporations so they can build affordable housing. Yes, we support those teachers, very much so, and we know the students are successful because of those teachers. So we’ll continue to work interdepartmental; ECE, Housing Corporation along with the board operations, as well. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I had my EA at the Tuk Education Authority meeting. The cost of living in Tuk for rental housing is about $1,800 a month. For a person to come and live in the community and teach our students, we need the support. You know, we’re failing these teachers now.
Mr. Speaker, I’m asking the Minister to reconsider and reinstate the funding to give back to the community for our teacher housing program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi. I did commit to working with the education school boards, the NWT Housing Corporation and ECE, my department, to work with the subsidies that we have in place, and also to deal with the northern living allowance that’s before us. Maybe some teachers are not fully aware before they get into the communities that they do receive attractive benefits when they’re in most isolated communities. So I did commit in this House that I will be working interdepartmentally and with other corporations as well. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I’d like to ask the Minister to reconsider reinstating the funding back to the communities and back to the teachers for their housing, and if the Minister could commit to me today to come to meet with the Tuk District Education Authority before the end of the session. Thank you.
Mahsi. Those are the same questions that have been addressed. I will commit to the Member that I’ll be working with the corporations, the Housing Corporation, also the Beaufort-Delta Department of Education as well, and Beaufort-Delta Board of Education. So we need to find solutions in these areas and support our teachers. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
