Jackson Lafferty

The first phase, I guess, we’ll be discussing around the end of June. The second phase we’ll be moving on to another date that I don’t really have a date on right now. I can get back to the Members on that and the process that we’re going to follow.

The school this fall is just around the corner. A few months. I can’t guarantee that all the revisions are going to be in accordance with what’s been said, but we’ll do what we can as a department to follow through with the issues that are brought to our attention as the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and lay that out. It will be shared with the Members as we make progress on these matters.

The ALCIP program, we’ve extended that from one year to two years, a diploma program. Really, it’s up to the students as well. Some students are taking it full time, some students are taking it part time. We have to respect that as well. But I am working closely with the Aboriginal organizations on identifying those individuals who are willing to pursue a higher education to become teachers, of course, so we will continue to do our part in that respect. Mahsi.

That $400,000 is going to the schools for a Nutrition Program in the Northwest Territories. It will be expanded into the schools. I know this was an issue when we first brought that up were issued on administration, but I did commit the whole $400,000 to the schools in the communities. The schools, of course, can augment on the budget required for a school Nutrition Program by accessing other funds, as I indicated earlier.

I just want to break down that through government sources like Aboriginal Student Achievement, we have various programs that have been identified: Healthy Food for Learning...

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. There has been some increase in various positions. I can highlight just a few of them that will be stationed in Yellowknife: archivist in K to 12 literacy specialist coordinator, community literacy coordinator, and also dealing with the official languages, we have to deal with the court order that was before us, as well, to do our obligation as the Department of Education. Those positions are executive director, planning facilitator, French language administrative assistance, French language client service officer and there is also a literacy coordinator. Those are the...

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. We can clearly provide breakdowns that we provide to the schools. We don’t have that specific detailed information with us here today but we’ll provide that to the Members.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize Aurora College students currently enrolled in the Introduction to Government class here in Yellowknife. The students are: Tuan Tran, Nichelle Hernblad, Delores Lacorne, Arisa Komi, Sean Erasmus, Warren Mpofu, Karen Horn, and also the instructor, Arthur Osborne. Welcome.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. There has been a lot of discussion from the Members and I appreciate that, and a lot of good ideas, some concerns, so I will have to work with that. There has been talks that there shouldn’t be any cuts to the breakfast program and, as you know, the schools provide those programs and have been very successful, so we will continue to work with the educational authorities in that respect.

The teacher housing subsidy that was raised in the House earlier, in Tuktoyaktuk, this is an area that there has been agreement with the NWT Housing Corporation for a number of years...

Yes, I do, Mr. Chairman.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would be pleased to share some information with the Members on the Member for Sahtu for bringing this motion forward on the high school staffing funding formula. Small high schools in the Northwest Territories, as you know, are funded through the school funding framework. We are talking about approximately eight communities. Once communities have reached 10 students or more, then there are options that have been referred to as grade extensions. That’s an option that we have been working with and has been very successful.

The Member also stated that 2.26 teaching positions...