Bob Bromley

Thank you. Why did the Whati transmission line project not go forward? Why are we at this impasse here?

I understand that that project is not going forward and thus the money is freed up. I’m concerned about that.

I’d like to ask how many project feasibility studies have we now concluded in Whati over the last decade without ever embarking on a single project.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I had a couple of questions, a couple of topics on that page. First, the Kaw Tay Whee School interior works in Detah, not a big project but I see we are carrying significant dollars over.

Will that work be completed this summer and not interfere with the school starting up in the fall? Thank you.

That is a significant commitment that the Minister has made here, and I appreciate learning about that today. I think it’s good that the two entities get together and explain their numbers and come up on agreement with what the numbers are. I will expect that will reduce class sizes. If it doesn’t, we’ve still got some work to do.

As a rule of thumb, though, demand for implementing new programs should be backed by new ECE funding. Yet, Yellowknife school boards are laying off teachers and staff because ECE is taking money away right now to provide junior kindergarten in the smaller communities...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I would like to start by noting that board budgets are being cut while boards are being asked to deliver even more services to students. A recent study by the NWT Teachers’ Association, entitled “Understanding Teacher Workloads, A Pan-Northern Teacher’s Time Diary Study” underscores how teachers are becoming so overloaded with new duties that their opportunity to educate is reduced.

Can the Minister ensure the House that the findings of this study are being considered and that school boards will have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yellowknife Education Districts 1 and 2 are not receiving the funding or support they need to deliver the education that the students of Yellowknife deserve. The edict requiring that pre-kindergarten be delivered by Yellowknife authorities without being funded by ECE places an unfair burden on the budgets of these two districts. It lessens the quality of the education they can provide to the students of Yellowknife. Already teachers are being laid off and student-to-teacher ratios are increasing.

A service previously provided by local daycares and schools on a user pay...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m speaking, also, against this bill. I want to back up some of the points that I’ve heard already raised on the floor today. It deserves repeating that the people of Weledeh, the people of Tu Nedhe, the representative of Weledeh and the representative of Tu Nedhe disagree with this, and those are the people that are being affected here.

Fundamentally, even before this decision is finalized, it’s out of date. We know that ridings are already above the 25 percent guideline. Data that was used is now out of date because some ridings are growing rapidly. It took only 28...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I didn’t hear the positive response I’m looking for there. I heard a repetition there. The funding formula at ECE has what the Yellowknife school boards state, that the budgets for their operation will be funded at 80 percent of the GNWT estimates and 20 percent by the local taxpayers. The Minister subscribes to this. He has said this in letters. The teachers of Yellowknife deserve the same pensions as all other teachers in the NWT. If not, please explain that.

Why is the Minister not willing to apply the government’s own funding formula to the pensions of teachers in...

Thanks for the response from the Minister. It sounds like there’s some progress being made there and I appreciate that. His choice of the word “commitment,” I might use the word “edict,” and I appreciate the fact that he’s backing off on edicts and starting to listen here and respond.

In the Yellowknife school boards, I hear from a teacher, for example, that with the cuts that are planned – and there has been no backing off from those that I’ve heard about – his class sizes will go from 28 to 33, to 33 to 40. That’s off the chart. People want to know how this government can reduce the funding...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all I’d like to recognize, of course, Tony Whitford, resident of Weledeh. Welcome, Tony. I recognize other residents up there. I know Sheila Bassi-Kellett, I think I saw her up there with our special guests; Lydia; and I’d also like to recognize our distinguished visitors from Britain and also I’d like to offer a wee welcome to our Irish visitors, Pat and Jim Thom. I know Pat has a strong affiliation with Giant, which is, of course, in the Weledeh riding. Welcome.