Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier today I presented the Premier with a belated Christmas present, one that I had been safekeeping for him. In December of last year, in the absence of any Members of the Executive Council, I accepted a present from a group of people, people representing social organizations in Yellowknife and the NWT as a whole. This informal alliance of 14 organizations had come to the Legislative Assembly to give the Legislative Assembly a Christmas present, a gift of past reports which detail the causes and effects of poverty in the NWT, and they asked for only one...

Thanks to the Minister for the answer. I think you probably are going to hear from authorities in relation to this. If they’ve identified it as a problem, they’re going to continue to go after you for adequate funding to deal with these particular special needs students. I’d like to know if there’s any consideration within the department... Has the Minister considered changing the approach for funding for inclusive schooling instead of doing it as a lump sum based on total enrolment? Is there any possibility that funding may be changed so that it is applied to a particular student and the...

Okay, thank you. That was clear. So I understand that the numbers of students have gone down; that’s fine, that’s cool. But my information from education authorities is that although the total number of students is going down, the number of special needs or students who require inclusive schooling are going up and, as well, they’re not only seeing an increase in inclusive schooling students, but the ones that they are seeing are the ones who require a very large amount of assistance. They’re very heavily...children who need a great deal of assistance whereas someone who has got a slight...

Thank you. Eight thousand two hundred and seventy-five, was that the first number?

Another question on the next line talks about schools and I note that schools funding is going down about $2 million. It’s been said that that is due to enrolments. Could I get an indication of how much our enrolments have reduced? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be short. I want to thank the Premier for his commitment. Again, my tendency is to go towards a definite time. I look forward to the Premier coming to us and then asking for the advice of Members, but when would that be?

I don’t believe I heard the Minister tell me what he thinks is required. I appreciate that a letter has just recently been sent to Heritage Canada, but I am still looking to know what it is that we need to do. I have another question, though, on a bit of a different tack.

I’d like to know whether or not the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has facility standards for NWT schools and do we have facility standards that provide for a gymnasium in any school that the department builds.

Apparently, GNWT is waiting for the federal government to commit capital funds, and the federal government is waiting for the GNWT to commit the funds. The kids are caught in the middle, learning in a school without a gym to give them much-needed physical activities. Ecole Allain St-Cyr students deserve the same access to physical education activities as all other students in the city. Phase two of the expansion of Ecole Allain St-Cyr must be included in the 2011-12 Infrastructure Budget. It can’t be left until 2012-13. If the GNWT takes the lead and shows our commitment to this project by...

I will try one more time. The funding that education authorities are going to get for their inclusive schooling needs for their inclusive schooling students, is that going to go up or down in this next fiscal year? Thank you.

I just have one more and it has to do with the issue of funding for inclusive schooling. When we did the business plans, we were advised that inclusive schooling funding was being reduced from 19 percent to 18.5 percent. I think, as well, somewhere along the line since business plans and now, I have been advised that it doesn’t mean a reduction in the cost to individual education authorities. I guess if I can get an explanation as to how the reduction in the percentage of funding to schools is going to give them the same amount of money that they need to deal with their inclusive schooling...