Julie Green

Thank you, Mr. Chair. There was an important piece about the timing there that was new to me. The timing is to have the 258 beds in place by 2026. I heard about the priorities, but is there any staging, that there would be so many by 2020 and then so many more by 2026? Thank you.

Yes. I left my turn too quickly, and I did have another couple of things. When we reviewed the business plan, there was some discussion about a comprehensive review of homecare services taking place in the next fiscal year. I know you mentioned, Mr. Minister, about reviewing homecare services in a response earlier to one of my colleagues. Is this what you are referring to, a comprehensive review of homecare services? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, that response concerns me greatly because what I have heard the Minister say consistently today is that various projects are delayed and behind schedule. This is a place where people live, and so there can't be any delay in meeting their needs, so I am distressed that there is no planning under way for a replacement. I am not an engineer, but I can tell you that that building is clapped out unless somebody is willing to spend major money retrofitting the plumbing system and the heating system. I would feel better about the future of transitional housing for...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to follow up a discussion that we had during the business plan review about the status of the grant-inkind for the Rockhill Family Housing program. The department was to look at reinstating the accounting for the grantin-kind. It sounds like some paperwork needed to be done. Is it possible to get an update on the status of the grant-inkind to Rockhill Family Housing program? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment on the subject of reducing the total number of instructional hours for students in the NWT schools. At the high school level, Alberta requires 1,000 instructional hours per year while the NWT in the future will require 945 hours. What discussions has the Minister and/or his staff had with Alberta Education about delivering the Alberta high school curriculum in fewer hours than prescribed in that jurisdiction, including details of where and when these discussions took place, who attended and a description...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have some questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about instructional hours. Mr. Speaker, I'd like the Minister to answer this question: what discussions, if any, have been held with Alberta Education about delivering the Alberta curriculum in fewer hours than prescribed for the curriculum at the high school level? Mahsi.

The Minister has an unblemished record of not answering the questions, so I will plow on. Where will resources for the increased professional development come from?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. The Minister has yet to brief the Members of the Standing Committee on Social Development on the MOU reached with the teachers. These are important changes, and the Minister is not making allies by ignoring it. That said, let us get into the rationale for this decision. What is the policy basis for cutting instructional hours? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when I worked for the CBC, I remember meeting a family in Fort Good Hope and talking to them about education. This conversation happened maybe about 10 years ago. The mom in that family told me that when it came time for high school for their youngest child -- they had maybe four or five kids -- the family decided they would make a special effort for him. They would spend less time on the land and more time in town so that he could attend school every day. They encouraged him to do his best, and he did. He eventually earned a high school diploma and then...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Finally for this round, at what point will the GNWT be prepared to make investments in education instead of making cuts on the backs of children through JK, instructional hours, and other initiatives? Thank you.