Jackson Lafferty

I did highlight the actual numbers of the pupil-teacher ratio for year one, year two and year three. The PTR is still above the legislated mandate, so we are working towards that. We just have to be mindful that we are beyond the legislated mandate. I can also provide to the Members the breakdown with the actual numbers of the phase-in approach for year one, year two, year three, starting this fall. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have the specific detail of date that we met with the board chairs. I met with the board chairs to introduce the Early Childhood Development Framework and along with that was introducing junior kindergarten, but I can provide the Member with the exact dates of when that occurred, along with other engagements that we have initiated with the board chairs, the superintendents. Later on today I will be tabling the document of engagement. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

There is a breakdown for all the school boards, the 33 communities that we service. As I stated, some will be decreased, some will have a net increase in their formula funding, but the less minimal impact would be up to 1.5 percent, and I’m sure that’s manageable within the administration of the school boards.

When it comes to, let’s say, Yellowknife Catholic School Board, in 2014-15 there will be a decrease of $434,000, projected ’15-16 there will be a decrease of $264,000, projected ’16-17 will be $484,000 that will be given to the school board. It does vary between the school boards. In the...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The rolling out of the junior kindergarten starting this new school year, 2014-15, will cover 29 schools, and then the following year it would be the regional centres, and then the third year will be covering all of Yellowknife. It is a three-year approach, and it will cover all communities, all schools, the 49 schools that we’ve been talking about, the 33 communities. There’s going to be some decrease and increase into our formula when we deal with the school boards, so it does reflect on that as well.

Mr. Speaker, the daycare centres can convert four-year-old spaces to spaces for children zero to three. The Member is asking about a risk assessment. The program operators simply need to contact their regional early childhood consultant to work with them – all those daycare operators – to make necessary changes to convert the four-year-old space to accommodate younger children. So those are areas we are working closely with them.

We also provide additional funding of an additional $780 to convert each four-year-old space to an under-24-month space. This investment should comfortably cover the...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. During the transition period, since we’re talking about 2014-2015, we are making connections with the daycare operators and also those school boards that we have to work closely with. My department has been in development and also implementing actions to support the licenced programming that will be affected. Those are just some of the discussions that we have been having initially with ECE, the regional early childhood consultant that works with all the child care centres across the Northwest Territories. These are just some of the discussions that will be taking place...

Those are the discussions we’ve had with the superintendents. They were very mindful of our legislative mandate, the 13 versus the 16. So, I can provide Members with actual numbers that we have currently. Dealing with this $7 million over a three-year period, working with the school boards, how is that going to reflect on PTR, I can provide those actual numbers to the Members. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize some of the people in the gallery. First and foremost is Ms. Joyce Rabesca of Behchoko. She’s also an entrepreneur in the community of Behchoko. I’d like to welcome her. Also, the honourable Mr. Paul Okalik. He’s also responsible for Culture, Labour and Immigration and Official Languages. Welcome. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to written question asked by Ms. Bisaro on February 7, 2014, regarding reallocation of funds for junior kindergarten. Ms. Bisaro requested a breakdown, by department, showing where the reallocated $1.8 million in funding to implement junior kindergarten in 2014-15 in our smallest NWT communities will be found.

Mr. Speaker, the $1.8 million to implement the optional, play-based Junior Kindergarten Program for four-year-olds in 29 small communities across the Northwest Territories in 2014-15 will be sourced from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

Ms...

The workers were in the midst of cleaning out the asbestos and arsenic from the roaster complex at Giant and they were wearing the protective equipment required at that point. In some cases equipment fails, and in all the cases WSCC and company are still trying to find out how the workers were exposed. During that time frame, the WSCC were giving directions to the company on how to eliminate the exposure and WSCC also immediately closed the project down until the company determined what caused the spike. Mahsi.