Julie Green

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Is the Minister open to having the same kind of discussions with the community of Yellowknife around the J.H. Sissons school rebuild to figure out whether there's a partnership possibility to include childcare spaces in that school? Thank you.

Thank you. I like the idea of making schools hubs. That's the point of putting gyms in schools, so that the community will go there and use it as a community centre. On what basis is childcare considered in some of these projects and not in others? For example, it's my understanding that the Colville Lake School is going to include childcare. Can the Minister confirm that, please?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I receive a lot of calls from seniors who are concerned about homecare services. Ultimately, what I would like to leave them with is when they will see the benefit of the recommendations of this report. Thank you.

I appreciate the reminder from the Minister that homecare is actually for all us. I benefited greatly from their attention during an accident that I had at the beginning of this Assembly. My question for the Minister is: what is the status of the homecare study now, and does he know when it will be made public?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. If anyone had told me all this good would come from all the disruptive and apparently arbitrary decisions made two-and-a-half years ago, I would have had trouble believing it. My hope is that the 19th Assembly will continue on the course now set for a promising future. Mahsi.

Nothing further. Thank you.

Thank you for that information. Is it possible for the Department of Education to work with childcare providers in Yellowknife to create space in the new school building that will replace J.H. Sissons, to explore that possibility? Thank you.

Thank you. What I take out of that is that Yellowknife is disadvantaged because it is a large community, and it is not a majority Indigenous community. That doesn't make sense to me, because the waiting lists for childcare in Yellowknife are very substantial and they represent a significant barrier to recruiting staff into jobs; not only government jobs, but private industry jobs. People think long and hard about coming here because childcare is so unavailable. It seems like there is an opportunity to do some partnership conversation here. I'm unclear why the Minister is unwilling to even talk...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister confirm that the renovation and addition at Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk will include space for future childcare needs? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just briefly, I'd like to get an understanding about the situation with providing space for childcare within school replacements or renovations. I'm not going to make, again, the whole case for why it's important. Let's just say that it is, and that childcare construction is at a very high standard, so it's very difficult to find places that meet the requirements unless they are purpose-built. On what basis does the department decide to include childcare space in new schools and in renovations, extensive renovations to schools? Thank you.