Jackson Lafferty

Yes, please.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Members for speaking to this point on the motion that was brought forward. I would like to thank the Member, Mr. Bromley, for his continuous support and also the Regular Members as well.

Early childhood learning and provision of quality child care in the NWT, of course, has been at the forefront of our goals and objectives. Healthy, educated people free from poverty is one of the goals of this Assembly and it starts in a child. We have to recognize achieving our goals for our people depends on a strong economy. I’ve heard that from some of the...

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Member that we are unique. We are very much different than other jurisdictions. I did receive a letter from the chair of the Beaufort-Delta. We are seriously looking at this particular project. If it’s going to be funded from the department with the school board, those are just some of the recommendations brought to my attention, so I need to work with that. It wasn’t too long ago that we received the letter, but I will keep the Member posted as we move forward on these particular projects. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Through various school boards, they deliver their own projects outside of their business planning budget that they usually receive. Again, thanking them for being innovative and creative. We are working closely with that. There are different projects on the go. E-learning is just one example. There are other school boards that are doing quite well in other projects, as well, that we are closely monitoring. Again, this will be a part of their business planning cycle. If there’s going to be an increase in funding, then that will be considered through the process itself. So at the end of...

Mahsi. We’re not starting from scratch. We’ve collected information and we are moving forward on this. It’s an education renewal. We’ll certainly capture that as well. But at the same time, we are collecting that information. We always use the best practices as well from across and so forth.

This particular inclusive schooling has garnered a lot of attention within our department and we will continue to improve in those areas. Again, we have to work with our partners, the school boards, the DEAs and DECs. Mahsi.

Mahsi. Currently we deliver inclusive schooling through the school boards and through their formula funding, upwards of $26 million above and beyond what’s legislated. So it is $7 million beyond what we’re legislated. The school board is at the discretion of using those funds as well.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize some of the people who are here with us today. There are some chairpersons of the school boards. John Stephenson is here with us, chair of YK No. 1. Gayla Meredith, president of NWTTA is here with us as well. I saw Ted Blondin earlier. He might still be in the gallery. He is the chair of the Tlicho Community Services Agency. For the Catholic School Board, Chair Simon Taylor is here with us, and also the superintendent, Claudia Parker, is here with us. I believe there is some staff that came in, as well, from my department: John...

Mahsi, Madam Chair. Thank you for allowing that. This is Sam Shannon, our ECE legislative policy advisor.

We’ll definitely do that with the community of Hay River and also the surrounding small communities that the Member alluded to earlier.

There has been a survey in the past, when we started the discussion on grade extension. We can reopen that dialogue with the communities, especially with the parents. I would like to hear from the parents, the school board chairs, the superintendents, the educators and the grandparents how they feel about having regional high schools in another part of the community to send their kids over there. By all means, I will be more than happy to have this dialogue happening in the communities through the school board chairs and the school board directors.