Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. There is funding allocated to the communities that have early childhood programs or daycares. There is funding such as funding for equipment and material purchases that the Member may have alluded to in that area, and also funding for other areas such as mortgage expense or rental expense on the premises that are not owned by the GNWT, but I need to work with the Member on the specifics on that particular situation in his community. We also need to work with the local DEA, as well, as we move forward on this particular matter. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. That $272,000 that was earmarked for 2010-2011 and funding from Human Resource and Social Development of Canada, the federal funding to support early childhood programming is due to sunset March 31, 2011. So it was the federal funding.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I have with me Dan Daniels, the deputy minister of ECE; and Paul Devitt, director of strategic and business services. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to present the 2011-2012 main estimates for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

The work of the department is guided by the priorities of the 16th Assembly, specifically healthy educated people in a diversified economy that provides all communities and regions with opportunities and choices.

The proposed 2011-2012 main estimates for Education, Culture and Employment total $285.895 million. This is an increase of 4.9 percent over previous year's main estimates.

Ensuring the success of all children and students is a cornerstone of our education...

I definitely acknowledge that. Any group or organization that kick-starts fundraising or other initiatives, that’s always something that we want to work with as a department, as the GNWT. If there are matching funds that the Member is alluding to, those are the areas that we need to explore. Again, I’m willing to work with that.

We don’t have specific funding for playground equipment that the Member is referring to for replacement of, but I did commit in this House that I’m willing to work with the parents group and the fundraising that they’re initiating to see what we can do as a department. I’m willing to work with that DEA member and also the parents group. That will be my commitment.

Mr. Speaker, through this early childhood programming, we provide funding for programming. Not only that, but a portion of mortgage and also rental expenses for providers that operate on the premises and also Early Childhood Program that consists of start-up and operation costs. Those are the funds that we provide currently through the ECE department. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, those are areas that we need to identify within a community. There are other reviews that have been undertaken as well. They could capture that. It may have captured it in the past or not, but child daycare standards regulations does come early this year or next year. Also, the Member is referring to a temporary placement. Those are the areas that my department, ECE, needs to work with the DEA and also the Member identifying those matters at hand. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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...