Alfred Moses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake that Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Education Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As soon as the Budget Address was completed last week, our staff made phone calls to all the superintendents and was working out a plan moving forward. Of course, with the new funding that was announced, we're going to want to meet and talk with all the school boards and have them present information to parents as well. We, as a department, are going to be sending out letters to all parents as well who have junior kindergarten students, as well as information packages.

Yes, our department will work with Public Works and Services on that report and provide it to the Member.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe staff from my department had met on November 29th with the Aboriginal Head Start staff, staff at the K'atlodeeche School, as well as the school principal. I myself wrote a letter to the chief of K'atlodeeche First Nation and had asked him if he wanted to meet to address some of the concerns that he was asking. I believe I sent that letter out last month in January. I can look at the date again and see if we can set up a meeting.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just a little bit of history. Between 2008 and 2016 a number of significant facility upgrades totalling the amount of $2.256 million were completed to repair and upgrade the building. The existing condition of the building will need to be assessed prior to a recommendation for renovation or replacement. Should the assessment determine that a renovation is required, a planning study will be launched in 2018-19 to begin this process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We're expanding opportunities for post-secondary education that includes other institutions such as Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, as well as College nordique, and some of these will be addressed as government looks at developing a new overarching legislation for post-secondary education in the Northwest Territories.

Junior kindergarten itself is a play-based program. Inclusive schooling is focused on helping students who need that extra assistance from the K to 12 system, and right now as we're implementing it we're continuing to evaluate the program and we'll see what comes out of these discussions with the superintendents and the boards.

From my side of things, we have graduated 12 social workers in the diploma program over the last three years, so on average it's about four students a year, and I think we can get that information in terms of how many have gone into employment within the Department of Health and Social Services and provide that with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I don't have the exact numbers right now. As I mentioned, I will be meeting with the board of governors this weekend. We will be looking at bringing some of these concerns forward. They are obviously listening this week very closely, and we can get the numbers for the Member.

The access program itself helps prepare students to get into a social work program or into other programs that Aurora College provides, or even other institutions. The students who are currently affected in the current access program who did show an interest into social work, the Aurora College staff have met with them and have come up with other plans, other career paths that they might want to take, and my understanding is that all five students have worked with the college to develop a new career path that they're looking at.