Wendy Bisaro

I guess I should use my earpiece, but I didn’t quite hear the answer. It’s to early childhood and student services area? Could I get that clarified?

Thanks to the Minister. I guess my concern is that data accumulation and program evaluation has been part of every budget and what we have previously been putting into this area hasn’t been enough, according to the Auditor General, and I would agree with the Auditor General. My question really is: in the 2011-2012 budget, do we have a greater emphasis -- and by that I probably mean more money -- assigned to data accumulation and program evaluation than in this current year’s budget, the 2010-2011 budget?

I would like to ask the Minister for this information as well. Could we get a sheet which identifies the internal reallocation from place to place where it has been moved from and to within the department and could we get that before we’re finished consideration of this department’s budget? Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, I am having a hard time with the explanation. I will leave it at that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a couple of other questions here as well. In the figures that are on page 10-13, there’s an $80,000, approximately, increase in purchased services and then we have almost a $200,000 decrease in fees and payments. I was just wondering if I could get those changes explained, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’d like to make a couple of comments and then I want to ask a question. Days run together and I don’t remember when I mentioned it, but I am a little concerned about the money that we’re spending on the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. I find no fault with the initiative, but when I attended the forum in Dettah a couple of weeks ago, my impression was that there are four priorities which the department has determined for the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. The impression I got was that the number one priority was early childhood and that the money...

I like the sentiment that it would be cost neutral, but where’s the revenue coming from to pay for this expense? Thank you.

I appreciate the answer from the Minister but it is very concerning. There is a $400,000 line item in the budget which is going to sunset. The NWT nutritious food study, I presume that’s it. It bothers me in that we are again ignoring the issue or benefits of prevention and intervention at an early age. The Minister talked about working with other departments and cross-departmental. I have to say, as I’ve said a couple of times in the last week and a half, that early intervention from kids zero to age six at least helps in breaking the cycle of poverty. The department is talking about working...

So that’s $100,000 for three centres at the moment, is that correct?

Thank you, Mr, Chair. I have a couple of questions here. I’d like to ask, it references a contribution I think on the next pages, but I believe it falls in this section. In the last couple of years the department has made a grant or a contribution to the Food First Foundation, and from a letter, which I mentioned to the Minister of Health last week I think it was, it came from the Executive, it was on Executive letterhead but it was signed by the Minister of Education and it sounds as though, in the letter, as though the Food First Foundation will not receive any funding in the 2011-12 fiscal...