Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Literacy Outreach Centre here in Yellowknife has been a partnership between Aurora College and Inclusion NWT since 1997. The program even won the Premier's Award in 2023 for its excellent results.
So when Aurora College first made its announcement about closing community learning centres, it wasn't immediately clear that the Literacy Outreach Centre would be affected. The staff hadn't even been informed, and enrolment had been high with 39 students in the current winter semester. The program was working. It was award winning. So surely it wouldn't be shut down too. But staff found out later that, indeed, Aurora College was pulling out. Apparently, it no longer fit with the college's priorities.
So what's at stake here? The centre's been the only one in Yellowknife offering structured programs on basic employment skills. These are programs that stretch over an entire semester not just one-off workshops here and there. Morning classes have been for students who have about grade 4 to 5 level of literacy. Some are clients of Inclusion NWT so may have intellectual disabilities. Some are older people. Imagine an Indigenous elder who was sent to residential school but never got a proper education and now wants to learn to read and write better to help their grandchildren or maintain more day-to-day independence. Some are folks who have been working for many years in manual labour jobs but never learned to read and write well, and now they want an opportunity to move to a less physical job that requires those skills.
Afternoon classes have been for students needing better skills for working in an office environment, such as computer literacy. Some of these students include newcomers to this country.
The centre also trains volunteer tutors to work with students one on one which makes a big difference in empower people to change their lives.
Mr. Speaker, these students are not getting paid to attend classes. This is 40 people each semester who are dedicated and motivated to attend because they understand the classes are key to them creating a better future for themselves and their families. About half are successful in finding jobs quickly after they finish the classes, and many are able to move towards college programs to become, for example, childhood education workers or personal support workers. Mr. Speaker, the closure of this centre is a huge step backwards away from meeting many of this Assembly's priorities. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife South.
