Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. With the Income Assistance Program, we made some changes in 2007 to reflect the cost of living in the North and also the remoteness of the communities and, of course, the high costs. So we made those changes in 2007 and we have continued to monitor that since then until today. I have instructed my department to re-evaluate the program itself and continue monitoring it. If there are changes in the cost factor in, let’s say, the Beaufort-Delta, we need to take those into consideration. If we’re going to make changes, we have to come back to this House to make those changes...

Madam Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, Corporate Plan, 2013. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, I didn’t say if I have committed or not on this particular initiative. I stated that we need to deal with the school board and identify the importance of delivering this program into the communities.

What I can state is we are going through various initiatives within the Government of the Northwest Territories. Education renewal is before us. Part of the pillars is professionalism, dealing with the teachers. Also, there is a Small Schools Initiative, the funding that goes to the community, the programming and the delivery. So those are the discussions that will be initiated with...

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I’d like to commend BDEC for the excellent work they’re doing with e-learning. This is an area that we are exploring with other communities as well. As you know, we service 33 communities. With this particular work, we’ve dealt with Alberta Distance Learning at the beginning of the initiative in 2010. Since 2010 we have continued on with the district education authority taking on the initiative on their own.

It’s been very successful to date. There have been approximately 136 students that have taken the program and 110 were successful. That’s just a capture of the success...

Madam Speaker, the educational renewal will deal with that matter as well. What I can commit here is that the renewal of the e-learning up to two years from 2011-12, so we do have some time this year and next year, what has been laid out here.

This is an area that we will be discussing with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council. We will update the standing committee on the results of our discussion and then the next step. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, as I stated, the funding is in the process of renewal up to 2013. Beyond that we need to deal with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council and how we can move forward.

As I stated, I’m very interested in having the continuity of e-learning. Again, we have to service all 33 communities, so we’re currently dealing with the school boards at this point. If we’re going to commit the funds, then those are the discussions that we need to have at that level, then it will be brought back to the standing committee as part of the business planning cycle as we move forward. Mahsi, Madam Speaker...

Mahsi. Since the flooding, there’s been some work in play and we understand that the school was used for the community as well. We have to utilize the school for the students. So we’ll do what we can to have the facility in the best shape we possibly can for the community. Those are the discussions that we need to have for the capital planning process. If we need to identify funding, then we’ll be putting that forward as part of the process of capital planning and then the decision will be made, pending that time. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This is an area that we are closely monitoring, especially with the small community schools. I did instruct my department to seriously look at those communities, whether it be a log structure and the space capacity and having a one class setting with three or four different grades. So those are areas that we are looking into right now to see what can be done. If there’s going to be some changes, then it would be through the capital planning process the following year. So that’s the area that we continue to push. Every year we go through the capital planning process, so that...

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is committed to strategic communications, coordinated program planning and delivery, and strong working relationships with its partners.

Aurora College is a key part of our educational system and plays a critical role in building a strong, sustainable future for our territory. The college recently reorganized its operational structure and we are reviewing the improvements, analyzing the functional structure and identifying any gaps. We are working with the college to examine, inspect and report on current operations and clarify...

The college review, we are talking about the clear roles and responsibilities of the staffing and so forth. With the programming, there are all of these opportunities for the students’ input. I would like to hear their perspectives. I have met with the students here, the post-secondary students, and also those students that were in the diploma-granting and Social Work Program. Those are the key people that we need to listen to. In order to have this program delivered here, we need to gather all the facts and what the students’ input is and so forth. Definitely, I will be passing on to the...