I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment a couple of questions relative to some of the problems that teachers experience on a daily basis. I would like to ask the Minister what the department does currently to provide housing for teachers in smaller communities.
Housing is a Northwest Territories issue. It’s a real challenge to deal with housing, especially in isolated communities. But we as a department are working with the LHOs in the communities, as well as the development corporations, to identify what is suitable in the communities. If there is any housing available, then we pass on the information to potential teachers that are coming in from outside and teachers from within the Northwest Territories.
I’m very glad to hear that the department is working on trying to find housing for teachers. There is a concern, as well, about the housing that exists in communities and that the housing that teachers are given…. There may be housing available, but it’s not very satisfactory housing. I’d like to know if the department is doing anything to try and upgrade those houses so that the living conditions for teachers are what they should be.
We as a government do not get involved with staff housing. We do what we can as a department to work with the development corporations at the community level and also the bands in the community — municipalities, if that’s the case — to have suitable housing or a unit in the community for professional staff that are coming in. That’s what we do as a department. We work with the Housing Corporation and other departments to identify those needs at the community level.
That’s not exactly the answer I was looking for, but I understand the situation. I would urge the department to work with their district education authorities to do more to bring housing in line with the conditions that most of us expect.
I’d like to ask whether or not the department has a zero-tolerance policy that addresses violence towards teachers in school.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. That’s sort of going to a different line of questioning, but I’ll allow the Minister to comment.
Yes, our department will continue to work closely with the communities. Specifically dealing with the housing issues, we have to continue hiring teachers in the communities, and we will continue working with the communities on that issue.
