Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This particular issue has been brought to our attention about the student that’s at Fort Smith Aurora College taking a program and being subsidized through our SFA programming. From what’s been shared with us, the funding has not been adequate, according to them, but we did receive some information on what they’re eligible for through SFA programming. I believe there has been additional funding assets and a child care subsidy, as well, through family allowance, I believe.

Mr. Speaker, after child care and all the expenses being paid, there is a small amount of surplus that...

Breakfast, lunch, supper. We are currently providing funds for healthy learning, Healthy Food for Learning and other programs I’ve highlighted. The community schools, regional schools, are all applying for the funds. We’ve highlighted Beaufort-Delta, Commission Scolaire, Deh Cho, Tlicho, Sahtu, South Slave, YCS, YK1 have all accessed funds. So the money is available. They can provide those services. We’ll continue to provide the programming and resources that we can. We’ll continue to do that.

As the Member stated, this program has been sunsetted. It was just for a year, a year project, but we are focussing on other areas as well. As we’ve discussed here in the House, Healthy Food for Learning, all the school boards are getting funding. All the communities are covered in that respect. Breakfast for Learning...(inaudible)...for Healthy Learning, health promotion funds, Drop the Pop, Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative, a forum that we’re having. There’s been a discussion on how each student should be a successful student in our educational system. So, Mr. Speaker, we provide as...

We will be in touch with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council to see what can be arranged for a meeting. We will be in the Beaufort-Delta in May to have an Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative forum. So this will be an opportunity to discuss what’s going to be happening this fall and next year and the funding that’s been allocated or will be allocated. Based on that, we can discuss further with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to residences, students being housed in residences throughout the Northwest Territories, it does fall under the education council and we provide funding to them to offset the costs of students that are being residenced in a community, regional centre or boarding or residence form. Mr. Speaker, this is an area that the Beaufort-Delta needs to look at.

I’m glad the Member is trying to come up with some solutions and ideas. I commend the Member for that and also his riding. We need to work closely with the Beaufort-Delta. If the Member hasn’t approached the Beaufort...

Mr. Speaker, I already did commit to visiting those students who are willing to sit down at the Thebacha Campus. I am probably going there the first week of April when we are having a tour of the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative in Hay River. We figure we might attach a trip to Fort Smith. We are still working on the logistics, but once that is confirmed, we will let the Members know. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, over the years we have looked at our policy, our programming on child care subsidy units. There have been some changes to the policy. We do look at these regulations that are before us. If we need to make changes that reflect on the needs of the students, then we have looked at those in the past as well. Since we are going through the SFA programming, we can relook at our child care subsidy, as well, to see where the challenges are.

Mr. Speaker, I did commit in this House already about the SFA programming. SFA does cover a vast area of subsidy programming for students. There are...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, I will move that Bill 3, Electronic Transactions Act, be read for the first time.

The funding that we provide to the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative covers areas of student attendance or provides incentives for those students who are returning to school. This Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative is still a working document that we are collecting input from different regions. So we can definitely have a discussion in this area. We still have two forums to attend and we’ve attended four other forums. We cover a vast variety of different programs that we offer. The Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative is attendance-based. These students we’re talking about...

Mr. Speaker, this program, as I stated, will be rolled out this month. It will be a program for the Northwest Territories that will be delivered here in the capital of the Northwest Territories. At the same time, I did commit to the standing committee, when I presented to them on this specific program, that one of our goals is to deliver this into the regions outside the Yellowknife jurisdiction and potentially going into the communities. That will take some time, Mr. Speaker, but that’s one of our goals as the department, that we want to roll out the program into the regions. The communities...