Kevin O'Reilly

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I think it's important to understand that this only came in response to the work of the standing committee, and this was a hard fought battle to try to get a mandatory review period. I guess the other thing I want to mention, I think this is a poor cousin compared to the previous amendment but I cannot speak to that again. There are two areas that concern me greatly with the amendment that is proposed. The first is this idea of consulting with the committee. I think I have been here for almost, getting close to two years, and kind of consultation I have seen from my Cabinet...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Did the department look at the option of actually reissuing the RFP for a longer period of time, or making other changes to the RFP rather than to enter into some sort of a negotiated arrangement? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. First off, I'd like to thank my colleague from Yellowknife Centre for bringing forward the motion. I think I heard many of the same concerns from parents that she has. I think this was an attempt to try to find some middle ground or some kind of a compromise here and ensure Alberta equivalency and I commend her for bringing it forward. It's very important that the public hear the debate and discussion around this matter because it's still a live concern with many parents. I can agree with my colleague from Yellowknife Centre to a certain point. She said many of the same...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Well, that is a lot longer than I would have expected to hear. Can the Minister tell us: is there any sort of probationary period or ability for the department to back out of this arrangement? Indeed, the contractor, if things are not going the way either party expected, is there an escape clause in the contract, and when would it be triggered, or could it be triggered? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Does the Minister have any sense of how long taking a look at it is going to take? Is this something that his department is prepared to give us in a week or two, or how long would it take to have the work done? I think it is plugging a few numbers into some formulas and getting calculations out the other end and comparing it to what it would be without JK. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. When does the Minister think he will be able to get back to the Regular MLAs on the availability on the contract being shared with us? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I will try this one more time. I will try to make it as easy as I can. I went quickly through the 2017 school funding framework. I have identified the specific formulas that do not include junior kindergarten and they are as follows:

i. Administration staffing

iii. District education authority O and M

iii. School support consultants

iv. School counselling

v. School secretaries

vi. Custodians

iv. Support assistance

vi. Staff development

vii. Specialized learning materials, assistive technologies

x. Healing and counselling

i. Aboriginal language O and M

ii. Education assistance and...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. The Minister's statement refers to an agreement with the John Howard Society. Is this like a letter of intent, or has an actual contract been signed? What's the status of this arrangement? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am not sure that actually responded to the question. I am wondering: can I get the commitment from the Minister of the department to plug in their projections of JK students and run them through these formulae, where the formulae start at kindergarten, add in JK, and provide those cost estimates for the additional funding that would be required to fully fund JK? Is the Minister committed to provide that information? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

You should keep going.