Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following three documents, entitled “Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Motion 26-17(4), Universal Affordable Daycare;” “Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Motion 1-17(5), Sahtu Institute of Technology Planning Study;” and “GNWT Response to Motion 5-17(5), Education Renewal and Innovation.”

Those are targeted discussions that we are currently having with the various agencies, as I highlighted earlier, to deal with the measures in the communities, especially with the Hamlet of Aklavik. Recommendations and solutions will be brought to the Hamlet of Aklavik and we’ll work on those solutions. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Totally I am in support of students as first priority when it comes to safety. These are some of the discussions that have been brought to our attention from Moose Kerr School. My department is working very closely with Public Works and Services, the Beaufort-Delta Divisional Education Council and also Moose Kerr school administrators and staff to investigate the circulation of the problem, which has become an issue since the Stanton store has been open for business. Those are some of the areas in discussion with those agencies and we will continue to find solutions...

Mahsi. That’s the information and the direction that we need to work with the child care centres and especially the daycare operators. They would have a handle on how many are in the system, how many are getting their certification or diploma and the degree programs. So 2016-2017 onward we want to identify those individuals.

We have, I believe, if I’m not mistaken, approximately 30 individuals that are in the professional fields in post-secondary. Obviously, we want to attract them to the Northwest Territories to work in our centres across the Northwest Territories. So this will be an incentive...

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I don’t have the breakdown of how many times we met or how many agencies, but I can provide the breakdown to the Member.

With the proposed funding that’s within the budget, we are allocating upwards of $511,000 towards this wage subsidy. There were suggestions and ideas that came forward and, again, we have to backtrack to the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative, Early Childhood Development Framework, the engagement we have had with the general public, the agencies, the child care workers. They’ve told us their wage is so low, minimum $17,000 to $22,000 a year, so we...

Yes, I did make a commitment to sit down with the board of governors. Mahsi.

These are the discussions that we need to have with the community of Aklavik and the Beaufort-Delta Education Council and Public Works and Services as we move forward. These are the discussions we need to have about the needs of the community and also the school, but number one will be the safety of our students and the public safety. So, I will be keeping the Member informed of our progress. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

We are working diligently with various agencies like education councils, the school and Public Works and Services. Solutions to this problem are being considered and recommendations will be made to the Hamlet of Aklavik. The GNWT will participate in finding solutions that will be in the best interest of safety for the students and the public at large. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

Yes, it will take time in various areas, but we, as a department, will be working closely with the daycare operators because we want those individuals to achieve their goals and dreams of either certification, diploma or a degree program. We will be establishing up to 10 $5,000 scholarships for these individuals to access. So we’re doing what we can to send those individuals out while they’re still working. So, obviously we want to create some incentives. That’s what we’re doing and this is a process where we are currently working with the operators at this point in time. Mahsi.

The money that’s identified, once it’s passed through this House in the budget we will then be working with licensed early childhood centre operators to ensure the funding is applied directly to increasing of staff wages. So those are the targeted individuals, individuals with low wages so we can at least subsidize them. In 2014, in April, that’s when the $2 addition will be added on. The following year in April will be another $1 addition and the subsequent years will be based on certification, diplomas or degrees they’ve obtained will be waged at the top of this. Those are just the...