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Speaker: I will now call the House to order. We will proceed at this t=
ime
with prayers.
&n=
bsp;
Prayers
Speaker: It’s nice to see our lilies have bloomed for Easter. I’ll see if I can last through them.
Withdrawal of motions
Speaker: The Chair wishes to inform the House of some changes that hav=
e been
made to the Order Paper. The following motions have been removed from the O=
rder
Paper as they are now outdated: Motion No. 94, standing in the name of the =
Member
for Riverdale South; Motions No. 103, 108, 113, 142, 150, 159, 185, 191, 223
and 224, standing in the name of the Member for Pelly-Nisutlin; Motions No.
104, 106, 114, 141, 149, 157, 158, 184, 192 and 201, standing in the name of
the Member for Watson Lake and Motion No. 164, standing in the name of the
Member for Mayo-Tatchun.
DAILY ROUTINE
Speaker: We will proceed at this time with the Order Paper.
Tributes.
TRIBUTES
In recognition of the 10th anniv=
ersary
of devolution
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: I rise today to pay tribute to the =
10th
anniversary of devolution of control and management of Yukon
Since that time, Yukon has had many
achievements, including: enacting a new Forest Resources Act in 2011
with planning that considers all forest users, strong commitments to the fo=
rest
industry and a robust suite of compliance tools to ensure the continued vit=
ality
of Yukon’s forests; permitting five mines and making regulatory
improvements to streamline processes and reduce red tape; a new water strat=
egy
currently available for public review that will clarify that Yukon governme=
nt’s
approach to complex water issues for today’s needs and for the future;
finalizing the North Yukon Regional Land Use Plan — the first
regional land use plan in Yukon; managing the remediation of type 2 mine si=
tes
and ensuring environmental protection in the creation of new mines and nine
years of strong economic growth. Thanks to our ability to create our own le=
gislation
and make decisions in a timely manner,
Devolution of our lands and resourc=
es has
meant made-in-Yukon decisions for the good of Yukoners. It has also meant a=
leadership
role for
With devolution,
In recognition of World Aut= ism Awareness Day
Hon. Mr. Graham: I rise in the House today on behalf= of all members in recognizing April 2 as the sixth annual World Autism Awarene= ss Day.
Every year, autism organizations ce=
lebrate
the day with the goal of bringing the world’s attention to autism, a
pervasive disorder that affects tens of millions of people globally. Autism
spectrum disorder, otherwise known as “ASD” and “autism=
8221;
are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain developmen=
t.
These disorders are characterized in
varying degrees by difficulties in social behaviour, verbal and non-verbal =
communication
and repetitive behaviours. They include: autistic disorder, Rett
syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive development disorder=
not
otherwise specified, and Asperger’s syndr=
ome.
ASD can be associated with intellectual disabilities, difficulties in motor
coordination and attention and physical health issues such as sleep and
gastrointestinal disturbances. Some persons with ASD excel in visual arts,
music, art and mathematics. Autism is now recognized as the most common
neurological disorder affecting children and one of the most common
developmental disabilities. ASD now affects approximately one in 88 childre=
n.
The 2012 numbers reflect a 78-percent increase in reported prevalence in the
last six years. By way of comparison, this means more children than are aff=
ected
by diabetes, AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystro=
phy
or Down’s syndrome combined. There is no medical detection or cure for
autism. ASD is challenging both for the individuals diagnosed with the diso=
rder
and the family and professionals providing support. However, an early diagn=
osis
translates to early intervention which can mean a better life and greater e=
ducational
and social opportunities.
Signs of autism are usually present=
by
three years of age, and it is four times more prevalent in boys than in gir=
ls.
In
Through family supports for childre= n with disabilities, the Department of Health and Social Services supports children with ASD and their families. We provide support and funding for a range of services, including respite care, family counselling, and specialized inter= ventions, such as speech-language therapy and physiotherapy.
On this day, we would also like to
recognize the professionals, parents, and caregivers who work so hard in =
span>
Applause
Hon.
Mr. Graham: We are pleased to support the valua=
ble
work of Autism
In recognition of Cancer Aw= areness Month
Hon. Mr. Graham: Mr. Speaker, I also rise in the Hou= se today to pay tribute to the men, women and children who work tirelessly at = this time of the year to raise funds to help fight cancer. During Daffodil Month, and especially on Daffodil Day, which is April 27, Canadians are urged to w= ear a daffodil pin as a bright symbol of support for people living with cancer. Daffodils have become the symbol for the progress we see almost daily in research and treatment of various cancers.
According to the Canadian Cancer So=
ciety,
cancer remains the leading cause of premature death in
Lung, prostate, breast and colorect=
al
cancer are the four most common types of cancer in
It seems nearly every week we learn= that someone we know has cancer; yet there is hope. Just as we all know someone = who is dying of cancer or who has died of this disease, we also know of many ot= hers who are living with cancer or who are now cancer= free. A diagnosis of cancer is no longer an automatic death sentence. This is lar= gely thanks to the dedication of volunteers, friends and family members who dona= te and take part in fundraising events such as Run for Mom, the Terry Fox Run,= Relay for Life and a number of other community-driven fundraising efforts. These are hardcore supporters who believe in the cause= and believe in the ultimate cure for cancer.
The closure of the Canadian Cancer = Society office here in Yukon was met with disappointment, but committed Yukoners saw this as a challenge, and a community group has now sprung up — much l= ike the daffodils, Mr. Speaker — to continue support and fundraising for cancer initiatives in the Yukon. That’s why the daffodil always gives= me hope: it represents our determination, courage and strength to fight against cancer and the hope we all share for a future where cancer no longer threat= ens those we love.
The humble daffodil with its splash= of yellow is more than an indication of spring. It’s a promise for the future.
Thanks to the Speaker I have a litt=
le
additional information.
The Yukoners Cancer Care Fund was
established at the Yukon Hospital Foundation, thanks to the generosity of t=
he
community and the commitment of volunteers who want to see enhanced support=
for
Yukoners facing cancer, to assist not only Yukoners, but their families. The
Yukoners Cancer Care Fund is supported by volunteer-led events and initiati=
ves,
as well as donations. Monies received for this fund can only be used to sup=
port
cancer care and cancer patients in and from Yukon
Application criteria are being deve=
loped
and the committee hopes to begin offering support in 2014. The fund was est=
ablished
in 2013. Donations to the Yukoners Cancer Care Fund can be made by contacti=
ng
the Yukon Hospital Foundation by phone, on-line or by mailing the Yukoners
Cancer Care Fund c/o of the Yukon Hospital Foundation at
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I rise on behal=
f of the
Official Opposition, the Liberal Party and the Independent member to pay
tribute to Cancer Awareness Month. All of us in this House have been touche=
d by
cancer, whether it’s ourselves, our friends, our families, our neighb=
ours
or our coworkers. One in three Canadians develops cancer in his or her life=
time,
and it is the leading cause of premature death in
In past years, there have been effe= ctive treatments coming from substantial research in the area of cancer treatment. The good news is that survival rates have risen because of this research and development. So while hope for effective treat= ment and cure is important, we must remember to also look at the preventive side= of cancer. Through personal risk-reduction, prevention and survival can be gre= atly improved. We all know about smoking, obesity, lack of exercise and overexpo= sure to the sun. We know what we can and should do about these things. It requir= es all of us to make fundamental changes in our lifestyle, a commitment to hea= lthy eating and routine exercise. Timely screening such as mammography leads to early detection and an important factor in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. If we are smoking, we should make every effort to quit today, not tomorrow, and be very conscious of the harm of second-hand smoke to oth= ers. We should practise protecting ourselves from harmful exposure to the sun. <= /span>
What we don’t often talk or h=
ear
about are other causes of cancer. We hear little about cancer caused by the
mutation of DNA caused by radiation; toxic chemicals, such as benzene; and
materials, such as asbestos. These materials have been known to cause cancer
for decades. We know about the role of hormone disruptors — those
chemicals and pesticides, plastics and pharmaceuticals that mimic natural
hormones and cause breast and prostate cancers.
We need to acknowledge the environm= ental causes of cancer and support our own efforts to reduce chemicals in our env= ironment. Our air, our water and even our foods have changed these past years.
These are all having impacts on our=
health.
I do want to take this opportunity to thank the hundreds and thousands of v=
olunteers,
researchers and health professionals, who ensure that Canadians with cancer=
and
their families have access to the highest quality treatment, support and ca=
re
when stricken. I include in that group the cancer care navigator program and
the chemotherapy staff at
Today we have a new group of volunt=
eers
supporting the Yukoners Cancer Care Fund group, who are looking at ways to =
directly
support individuals and families facing the diagnosis of cancer — a b=
ig
thanks to all those individuals. Thank you.
Speaker: Are there any introductions of visitors?
Are there any returns or documents = for tabling?
Reports of comm= ittees.
Are there any petitions?
PETITIONS
Petition No. 10 — response
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: I rise today to respond to Petition=
No.
10, which was presented to this House on
In responding to the petition, it is
important to first note that the federal government is responsible for the
research, registration, and approval of genetically modified seed. There ar=
e two
major agencies that evaluate genetically modified crops: the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency and Health
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency assesses the crop’s biology and its impact on the environment and biodiversity, the possibility of gene flow and impact on non-target organis= ms and livestock and feed safety.
Health
Prior to allowing any GMO crops or =
animals
to be grown, processed and sold in Canada
While the federal government review=
s the
safety of products, including seeds, before allowing their use, the
petitioners’ concern about potential impact to n=
eighbouring
farms and natural ecosystems does fall partly within the jurisdiction of th=
e
The last time the possibility of fa=
rmers
growing GMO crops in the
On the one side were
On the other side were farmers who = did not want to rule out the possibility that, at some point in the future, growing= a crop that had been genetically modified might improve the ability to grow f= ood locally. This second group generally regards the science as conclusively demonstrating that genetically modified organisms are safe and can have benefits such as improved crop yields.
This group opposed any new territor=
ial
restrictions being put on the future use of GMO crops. At that point in tim=
e,
the prospect of genetically modified crops being grown in the
As a result, no additional action by
government was taken at that time. We believe the appropriate action at this
time is for government to facilitate discussions involving groups represent=
ing
In closing I want to emphasize the
government’s strong preference that farmers work together to resolve a
difference of opinion and agree to a broadly supported approach that best
reflects the interests of all. We prefer to support a community consensus w=
hen
it is possible to do so.
We appreciate the concerns of every= one who signed this petition and thank them for sharing their views at the Legislat= ive Assembly and with the government.
Speaker: Are there any petitions to be presented?
Are there any bills to be introduce= d?
Are there any notices of motion?
NOTICES OF MOTION
Ms. Stick:= 8195; I rise to give = notice of the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Governmen= t of Yukon to take action to transform Yukon’s health care system to ensure its long-term sustainability, and to regularly report progress on sustainability and patient outcomes.
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; I rise to give = notice of the following motion:
THAT it is the opinion of this Hous= e that the terms of reference for the select committee on fracking must be set by = the members of the committee itself and not by the government.
Speaker: Are there any other notices of motion?
Is there a statement by a minister?=
This brings us to Question Period.<= /span>
QUESTION PERIOD
Question re:
Sele=
ct committee
on hydraulic fracturing
Ms.
Hanson:&=
#8195; This morning, t=
he New
Democratic Official Opposition Party sent a letter to the Government House
Leader confirming the Member for Mayo-Tatchun as our representative on the
select committee on the risks and benefits of hydraulic fracturing.
Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, I asked t= he Premier if the Opposition would be provided with a copy of the draft motion establishing the select committee so that we can provide input into the man= date of the select committee before the motion is tabled in this House. The Government House Leader did not answer my question.
So again, Mr. Speaker, will a copy = of the draft motion establishing the select committee be provided to this side of = the House for comment and input before it is tabled in the House for debate?
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Mr. Speaker, the simple answer to t= hat question is yes. We have no problem sharing a draft of the motion with memb= ers of the Opposition and seeking their input.
I appreciate that the Member for Vu= ntut Gwitchin has already provided his input to aid us in drafting that, and we will certainly consider his input. Any input as well that we would receive from = the Official Opposition or the Third Party, we would be prepared to consider pr= ior to sharing a draft of the motion with them.
I would point out, though, in
members’ framing this debate that they should be well aware of the fa=
ct
that any time any motion is brought before this Assembly, there is the oppo=
rtunity
for members to make amendments to it. As the members know, they don’t
share drafts of their motions with us before tabling them. There is the abi=
lity
to amend them, but in this case regarding the select committee, we have no
problem sharing a draft of it with members prior to tabling it. Since
we’ve received that request from both the Official Opposition and the
Third Party, we’re happy to facilitate that.
Ms. Hanson:&= #8195; It’s deli= ghtful to get such a positive response.
Last Thursday the government avoided
answering questions on how it would reconcile its bullish comments in favou=
r of
developing a shale gas industry — an industry that would require facking — with ensuring an open, unbiased and c=
redible
public process. In his Budget Address the Premier said that the shale gas
industry, an industry that would require fracking, looks
“promising”. The Premier’s mandate letter to the Minister=
of
Economic Development directs the minister to promote the development of
How does the Premier reconcile his government’s promotion of shale gas, including fracking, and still en= sure an open, unbiased and credible public process?
Speaker: Is this a new question? It sounds like a new question to me. I believe the topic of the member’s first question was the upcoming mot= ion.
Ms. Hanson:&= #8195; Mr. Speaker, it= was about the process in ensuring an open, unbiased and credible process, so the first part of that was with respect to the mandate. The second part of the = open and unbiased process is with respect to reconciling the mandate of the Mini= ster of Economic Development.
Speaker: Okay, I’ll allow it as a first supplementary.
Hon.
Mr. Dixon: The oil and gas industry has a hist=
ory in
the
However, in the specific case of the process of hydraulic fracturing, we understand that there are some questions about that, and we wanted to undertake a process that was fair and balanced= and included equal representation from both sides of this House to explore those issues and discuss them with Yukoners.
That’s why we have proposed t=
he
creation of this select committee, and we hope that committee will be able =
to
undertake a number of things, including facilitating a discussion with
Yukoners, as well as hearing from both companies that are interested in doi=
ng
that particular activity, as well as groups on the other side that have
concerns with it — and of course to hear from other regulatory bodies
outside of our territory that have dealt with this on a first-hand basis. B=
.C.
and
As I’ve said, oil and gas has=
a long
history in
Ms. Hanson:&= #8195; The appointment= of the Minister of Economic Development to the select committee on the risks and benefits of hydraulic fracturing does nothing to increase public trust in t= his process. It is clear from the Premier’s Budget Address, from the minister’s mandate letter, from the minister’s own website, that the Minister of Economic Development’s job is to promote the shale gas industry and therefore hydraulic fracturing. This is a conflict of interest. The minister who will be looking at the risks and benefits of hydraulic fra= cturing is the same minister whose job it is to promote the benefits of shale gas a= nd fracking. So how does the Premier reconcile the Minister of Economic Development’s mandate to promote shale gas, including fracking, with = what should be an open, unbiased and credible public process?
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: As was articulated in the previous
answers, the whole economy of oil and gas has been around the territory now=
for
many, many years. In fact, we’ve spoken of the tremendous amount of r=
oyalties
that First Nations have received from the wells in southeast
All the select committees that have= ever occurred in the history of this Legislative Assembly have been Yukon Party select committees, short of one.
So, again, it is another example of= this government creating a committee, which would consist of an equal number of members from both sides of the House to clearly articulate and move forward with an understanding and public dialogue on this issue that’s import= ant to all of us.
Question re: Homeles=
sness
Ms.
White:=
8195; The Yukon Party
government appears unmoved by the human cost of homelessness, yet homelessn=
ess
also represents poor fiscal management. Homelessness adds to the costs of o=
ur
health, justice and housing programs. A 2008 study from Calgary
The cost of human suffering cannot = be calculated in dollar amounts, but the impacts on our health care system can= be calculated.
In order to make our health care sy=
stem
more sustainable, will the government commit to a Housing First approach in=
Hon.
Mr.
At the start of that conference I w=
as able
to announce that the
We’ve made tremendous investm=
ents
over the past number of years when it comes to affordable rental housing fo=
r
Ms.
White:=
8195; It seems that a
sensible solution to homelessness might be a housing-first model. A 2010
Canadian study showed that just over one in five prisoners was homeless pri=
or
to incarceration. Within the general prison population there is an even gre=
ater
likelihood of becoming homeless after being discharged. A 2010 study by the
John Howard Society of
Will the government commit to a
housing-first approach with homeless offenders to decrease rates of
re-offending and save taxpayers money?
Hon.
Mr.
Ms. White:= 8195; I hope in dialo= guing with Yukoners that the government actually goes out and speaks to homeless = Yukoners.
The cost of homelessness to Canadian
taxpayers is estimated at $4.5 billion a year. To provide emergency housing=
to
a homeless person in a hospital costs $10,900 a month; in a jail, it costs
$4,333 a month, and a shelter bed costs $1,932 a month. In contrast, with a
prevention model, the price of a rental supplement is, on average, $701 a m=
onth
and social housing costs just under $200 a month.
These numbers show that the prevent= ion of homelessness saves money and gets better results. From a fiscal management point of view, there is no justification for inaction. When will this government adapt a housing first approach that not only saves money but is = also more effective and humane?
Hon.
Mr.
When it comes to the housing action= plan, I’m looking forward to working with a number of organizations, includ= ing NGOs like the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition, which I’m sure will provi= de similar numbers as the member opposite provided, when we’re looking f= or those sensible solutions and looking to make sound investments in housing t= hat address the concerns of Yukoners, no matter where they are on the housing c= ontinuum.
Question re: Indepen=
dent
power producer policy
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; As far back as =
2007,
the Yukon Liberal Party has been advocating for the government to adapt an =
independent
power producer policy, or an IPP. An IPP policy would enable businesses to
generate their own electricity. This is something a number of mining compan=
ies
are interested in doing. They see it as a way to power their own projects. =
The
holdup is the
When will we see a policy in place?=
Hon. Mr. Cathers: What I must correct the Leader of t= he Liberal Party on first of all is that there is nothing that prevents a mine= or other individual or corporation from producing their own power for their own use. There is also nothing that prevents them having an arrangement with a partner that provides the generation facilities, whatever that is through — whether that would be through diesel or liquefied natural gas generation or hydro or other use. Any of these generation models can be don= e currently.
What an IPP structure would do would facilitate the sale by a private sector company to the public grid, but the= re would also be an obligation to pay for that. That is why we are looking very carefully at what has worked in other jurisdictions. We have been in discus= sion with other jurisdictions about what they see as working well with their mod= els and what has not and giving very careful consideration to what the strengths and weaknesses of policies in other Canadian jurisdictions have been — pointing to Ontario as one of the worst examples of what happens when you t= ake this policy too far; the Ontario Liberal Party has created a massive debt t= hat will burden the utilities and the people of Ontario for many years to come.=
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; I think we all = know what an IPP is; I think what we don’t have is an actual policy. We as= a territory need to plan better for the future. The Yukon Party has simply fa= iled to deliver here. I wish it were not so, but this seems to be a theme. We are seeing the usual suspect planning on this file, as we have on a lot of other major files and issues.
We are approaching an energy crunch=
and it
is because of lack of planning and a lack of an IPP. A clearly laid out ind=
ependent
power production policy is an important part of planning for the future, bu=
t it
is still not in place after talking about this for over four years. We are =
at
the precipice of an energy cliff and Yukoners are starting to see a legacy =
of
inaction. When will this policy be in place?
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: Again, I must take issue with the
comments of the Leader of the Liberal Party. He indicated that we all
understand what an IPP policy is. The preamble that he gave to his first
question would suggest that the member doesn’t understand what an IPP
policy is. An IPP policy is about creating an obligation for the public uti=
lity
to purchase power from an independent power producer. If done right, it can
avoid the public utility having to put significant investment into capital =
and
avoid that cost. If done wrong, it can create a significant liability to
ratepayers and to the public. This was done, for example, in the case of th=
e Government
of Ontario, which charged into this area, paid a premium for renewable ener=
gy
and has created a massive burden to ratepayers and the people of
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; Mr. Speaker, I =
asked
the minister about this the last session and received the same excuses R=
12;
the same line about how hard it is to complete a policy; the same lecture a=
bout
how difficult it was and how much work has been done. But the public really=
isn’t
interested in any of that. They want to see results; they want to see stabl=
e power
bills; they want to see proper planning done before we go over an energy cl=
iff.
Demand is rising; the bills are rising. Part of the solution is an IPP poli=
cy
that offers increased options to meet
Is the government still committed t= o the policy and can the minister explain the delay in getting the job done?
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: First of all, again let me remind t=
he
Leader of the Liberal Party that nothing prevents a mine from putting in th=
eir
own power for their own use. Nothing prevents a mine from having a third pa=
rty
partner provide the energy for sale. We have not received proposals such as=
the
member appears to be suggesting or a beating down of our door for mines to =
sell
power back to the grid. In creating an independent power producer policy, w=
hat
has been done in some other jurisdictions is the setting of a rate per kilo=
watt
hour and going out for a certain number of megawatts for purchase, but that
needs to be considered very carefully.
Would the member pay a premium for =
this, as
is done in
Question
re: Genetically modified products and seeds
Mr. Tredger:
Will the government commit to immed=
iately
taking measures to keep genetically modified organisms out of the
Hon. Mr. Cathers: As a number of my colleagues have p= ointed out, when we respond to a question, it’s somewhat frustrating to see = the members not change their supplementary questions and keep asking the same question that has already been answered. I would say the same thing to the Member for Mayo-Tatchun with regard to the response I gave earlier today to Petition No. 10.
We appreciate very much the concern= s of Yukoners who signed that petition with regard to genetically modified organ= isms. If the member was paying attention at the time, he would note that we commi= tted to facilitating discussions involving groups representing Yukon farmers and= the broader farming community to discuss this issue again, while making referen= ce to the fact that the last time this issue was given serious debate in Yukon’s farming community, it left the Yukon farming community very divided on this issue.
I could read my petition response a= gain to the Member for Mayo-Tatchun if he wasn’t listening the first time. = span>
Mr.
Tredger:=
I asked the min=
ister
about this previously, as he has been asked many times. We get the same tir=
ed
answers — how hard it is to talk to
I’ve confirmed with the organ=
ic
farmers association. I’ve spoken to many
Speaker: Order please. The member’s time has elapsed.
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: I am going to read excerpts of my pe=
tition
response again because the Member for Mayo-Tatchun doesn’t appear to =
have
been listening or appreciate the fact that there was divided opinion within=
I also noted that we believe the
appropriate action at this time is for government to facilitate discussions
involving groups representing Yukon farmers and the broader farming communi=
ty
to discuss this issue again and emphasize the government’s strong
preference that farmers work together to resolve differences of opinion and
agree to a broadly supported approach that best reflects the interests of a=
ll. We
prefer to support a community consensus within the farming community, when =
it
is possible to do so.
So I can read that response again a= nd again for the member, again emphasizing the government believes, rather than havi= ng a divided farming community on this issue, that the best step would be to get people together to try and get everyone as much as possible on the same page and have a broadly supported position on what the next steps should or shou= ld not be in this area.
Mr.
Tredger:=
Feed crops like=
alfalfa
are important to organic farmers and those who want to develop a more susta=
inable
and environmentally compatible agricultural sector. The Canadian Biotechnol=
ogy
Action Network just released a report, which I have for tabling, called the=
Inevitability
of Contamination from GM Alfalfa Release in
The minister’s responses ring=
hollow.
They are just words with no action behind them. Why has this government tur=
ned
its back on local farmers, on consumers and on the environment in favour of=
big
agribusiness and chemical companies? The time for leadership is now.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Mr. Speaker, why has the NDP turned= its back on efforts to build consensus within the farming community on this iss= ue? The Member for Mayo-Tatchun doesn’t have any interest in discussion a= imed at bringing everyone on to the same page as much as possible, which is what= the government committed to. The members clearly have their minds made up and we see yet again that the NDP only supports consultation some of the time. If = they aren’t sure they’re going to like the outcome of consultation, = they oppose more consultation.
As I indicated in my petition respo=
nse, it
is our hope that
The member seems to not care that t= he last time this issue received significant debate within the farming community, it led to the farming community being very divided on this issue. What we have committed to is trying to build consens= us and create a broadly supported approach that best reflects the interests of= all because we prefer to support a community consensus within the farming commu= nity when it’s possible to do so, unlike the NDP.
Question re: =
Ms. Stick:= 8195; Yukoners are not feeling secure about their access to health care. Under Yukon Party managem= ent, health care costs have been increasing at an alarming rate and the chronic challenge of recruiting and retaining physicians reached a crisis last week with the resignation en masse of the Yukon Medical Council after a year of unproductive communication between the council and government.
Last Thursday, the government met w=
ith the
Yukon Medical Association. Can the government tell this Legislature if it h=
as repaired
its broken relationship with
Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I’d like to thank the member =
opposite
for her question and for her ongoing interest in the delivery of quality he=
alth
care in the
I can say that both parties recogni=
zed the
critical importance and the role that the Yukon Medical Council plays in th=
is regard
and we are both committed to finding solutions that will enable the proper
functioning of the council on a go-forward basis.
Ms. Stick:= 8195; Dialogue is imp= ortant, but we should not be hearing about mass resignations of the Yukon Medical Council. It should have been avoided. The Yukon Medical Council is responsi= ble for licensing new doctors. Yukoners with no family doctors want to know that this crisis will be resolved soon and that it won’t happen again.
What we would like to hear is what = actions the government will take to ensure that the recruiting and licensing of doc= tors will resume and that Yukoners will have access to a physician when they need it.
Hon.
Ms. Taylor: As I made reference to in my remark=
s on
the floor of the Legislative Assembly last week, the
So I remind the members opposite th= at the Yukon Medical Council has been functioning for some 34 years. It has worked very well in the Yukon, as it has in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, = and any issues of concern that have arisen have been able to be resolved through dialogue and through ongoing discussion. We, on this side of the Legislative Assembly, are very much committed to finding solutions and continuing that ongoing dialogue.
Speaker: The time for Question Period has elapsed.
Notice of government private members’ business
Hon. Mr. Cathers: I rise to identify the motions to be called by government members for debate on Wednesday, April 3. They are Mot= ion No. 367, standing in the name of the Member for Pelly-Nisutlin, and Motion = No. 384, standing in the name of the Member for Pelly-Nisutlin.
Speaker: We will now proceed to Orders of the Day.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
GOVERNMENT BILLS
Bill No. 53: Act to Amend the Education =
Act
— Second
Clerk: Second reading, Bill No. 53, standing in the name of the Hon.=
Mr.
Hon.
Mr.
Speaker: It has been moved by the Minister of Education that Bill No. = 53, entitled Act to Amend the Education Act, be now read a second time. =
Hon.
Mr.
First, I would like to talk about w=
hat we
are doing to improve student achievement and success. In 2009, the Office of
the Auditor General of
As a result, we continue to examine=
all
aspects of our programming to find ways to improve those outcomes. Providing
more instructional time for students is an effective strategy for improving
student performance when it is also supported by the implementation of sound
educational practices.
Because of this, we are proposing t= hat there be 950 hours of instruction for students in each school year, which i= s an increase of 15 hours per year. We are also proposing that there be an additional 15 hours per year dedicated to professional development activiti= es for our school-based staff. By increasing the amount of instructional time,= as well as the number of hours for teacher training and development, we intend= to increase both the amount and the quality of instruction delivered in our schools to support student performance and success.
When we talk about increasing those=
hours,
that proposal would take the number of educational hours from 935 to 950 and
double the number of non-instructional hours from 15 to 30. Our top priorit=
y,
as I mentioned, is student achievement and success, and the bottom line is =
that
The government and the Yukon Teache= rs Association discussed this issue extensively throughout the collective barg= aining process last year and reached consensus on how the collective agreement can= be amended to reflect an increase in the number of hours of instruction each school year. We certainly value the services of our educators and will compensate teachers in accordance with the agreement reached during the 2012 collective bargaining agreement.
Non-instructional days are also imp=
ortant
to help ensure
The second part of this bill that i=
s going
to change will help us increase the engagement of our school communities. U=
nder
the Education Act, the members of each school council are elected ev=
ery
two years in the fall, often in early October, which is a month after the n=
ew
school year has started. We’ve heard on many occasions — and I
personally have heard on many occasions throughout my time as Minister of
Education — from school council members and others in the school
community that the school councils are often not able to begin functioning
effectively until well into the school year because their members do not as=
sume
their duties until after the school year has started.
We have also heard that it can be d= ifficult for a school council to function effectively at the beginning of a school y= ear when there has been a significant turnover of the school council membership after an election. As a result, under the proposed amendments, the next sch= ool council election will take place in May 2014 and then each two years thereafter. This is being done so that following each election our school councils will have the opportunity to prepare to function effectively from = the beginning of each school year. We will also provide First Nations the opportunity to ensure that their guaranteed representatives are in place for the start of the school year.
This school year, for instance, I w= as appointing additional school council members and guaranteed reps as late as December — far too long into the school year for those councils to function effectively.
The bill also provides us with the =
ability
to ensure continuity on school councils by extending the term of a member of
the previous school council by up to a year when no member of the previous
school council has been elected to the new council. This will be done throu=
gh
the existing council by informing me of their intention to have me do that.=
To sum up, the changes we’re
proposing are an important part of what Yukon Education is doing to provide
quality instruction to all of our students and to increase the engagement of
our school communities, all for the purpose of improving student achievement
and success in the
With these highlights outlined, I l= ook forward to further debate on this bill as we proceed with second reading and move into Committee at a later date.
Mr. Tredger:= It gives me ple= asure to rise on behalf of the NDP Official Opposition to provide some initial thoug= hts on the government’s amendment to the Education Act.
The minister has said our priority =
is to
provide quality education for
When it comes to increasing the qua=
lity of
education, I am curious as to why the minister chose to tackle certain thin=
gs
and not others within the Education Act. I look forward to Committee=
of
the Whole debate to have a back-and-forth discussion with the minister to g=
et
direct answers to my questions and to see if there is some willingness to i=
mprove
the bill through amendment.
What the Act to Amend the Educat= ion Act does is increase the hours of schooling from 950 to 980. Currently, the = Education Act has 950 hours in the school year, made up of 935 instructional hours and 15 non-instructional hours. The proposed change is to increase the numb= er of hours in a school year to 980 — 950 hours of instruction and 30 ho= urs of non-instructional time.
The government’s rationale is=
that
Yukon Education’s top priority is student achievement and success and=
the
bottom line is that
Mr. Speaker, th= at was a quote from the government’s rationale.
We all want our children to succeed= in life, we all want the best for our children, and we want their time in scho= ol to be a joyous time to develop a love of learning and to prepare them for t= he challenges in life, to inculcate values of solidarity, interest in their community and world, and to help them succeed in the world of work, in their family and in their community. The school is an important part of education; however, education is not solely in the school, but all around us in our community, in our families, with neighbours, in our First Nations, with our interaction with the media and so on. The act says this — it’s = the preamble, chapter 61: “Recognizing that Yukon people agree that the g= oal of the Yukon education system is to work in co-operation with parents to develop the whole child including the intellectual, physical, social, emotional, cultural, and aesthetic potential of all students to the extent = of their abilities so that they may become productive, responsible, and self-reliant members of society while leading personally rewarding lives in= a changing world; and recognizing that the Yukon education system will provid= e a right to an education appropriate to the individual learner based on equali= ty of educational opportunity; prepare students for life and work in the Yukon= , Canada, and the world; instill resp= ect for family and community; and promote a love of learning; and recognizing t= hat meaningful partnerships with greater parental and public participation are = encouraged for a high quality Yukon education system…”
The suggestion that we must increas=
e our
hours of instruction in order to get better outcomes for students is debata=
ble.
I would like to see the research the minister has consulted on this matter
because I am aware of conflicting reports on hours of class time. I believe=
it
is the quality of education, not the quantity of education. The suggestion =
that
we need to increase hours in school in order to keep up with other
jurisdictions in
In terms of changes surrounding sch= ool council elections, what the amendments do is hold school council elections prior to the beginning of the school year, rather than after the beginning = of the school year. They would take place in May. Currently under the Educa= tion Act, all members of each school council are elected or appointed every two years in the fall, immediately after the school year has started.=
Again, the government’s ratio= nale is that school council members and others in the school system have said that = councils are not able to function effectively until well into the school year, becau= se council members, including First Nation guaranteed representatives, do not assume their duties until after the school year begins. When this happens, = most school councils and the schools themselves do not operate as effectively as they otherwise could, affecting community involvement, as well as student success and performance.
There may be some value in continui=
ng to
have the school council elections — and I’m open for debate on =
this
— in the fall, because that way the school council comes in when the
school year has been established. They spend the year getting familiar with=
the
processes before they have to make a lot of critical decisions. If they beg=
in
school in September, September is a very busy time in the schools. A lot of
critical decisions are made and the school council will be new at that time=
. So
there is a bit to be said on either side and I look forward to debate with =
the
minister on that because I don’t think it is as cut and dried as it w=
as
projected.
There is a big problem with getting citizens involved in their school council. We’ve had trouble and many vacancies. There has been a continuing problem with councils not achieving = quorum and not functioning. The changes may make sense — that council be in place before the school year begins. It would be important that some training happen prior to the beginning of the school ye= ar and that that training happens in conjunction with school staff and with the school community so that the school council is ready to hit the ground runn= ing.
Will these changes result in greater involvement by the community? Again, I think more important than when the school council elections are held is how we treat and how we interact and h= ow we work with school councils. We know that the minister’s consultatio= n on the school calendar resulted in many letters from school councils wondering= why they couldn’t revise the school calendar according to their local nee= ds. That brought out a lot of action and a lot of involvement. I’m not su= re it was all positive. If there is a need for greater centralization of contr= ol and local needs and local councils are not respected and given a meaningful say, then citizens will drop off councils. Arranging elections at different times will not make a difference. So, while I recognize that this change in some ways makes sense, there is a larger issue and that is that members of = the school councils feel that their work is appreciated and respected. <= /p>
In terms of professional developmen=
t, the
act amendments would enable there to be 30 hours of non-instructional profe=
ssional
development, half of which would be set by the school council and the other
half by the minister and the Department of Education. One of the big concer=
ns I
heard when I talked to parents, teachers and members of the school communit=
y is
that parents have concerns about juggling their schedules, daycare and taki=
ng
days off to accommodate professional development. I applaud the idea of hav=
ing
the professional development occur either before or after instructional hou=
rs,
rather than embedded within the school year. I think that is a good move fo=
rward,
and I would have liked to see that it be embedded into the act in some way,
rather than at the minister’s discretion or the discretion of the
Department of Education — that the additional hours be outside the
instructional hours.
I am also concerned that the act =
8212;
and I will discuss this with the minister in Committee of the Whole to clar=
ify
it —calls for 15 hours of additional professional development time. I
understand that professional development is decided by way of the teachers&=
#8217;
contract and defined as such between the Yukon Teachers Association and the
department. A more appropriate designation for this might be in-servicing,
which would then make it clear what “professional development” =
and
“individually-driven” are and what “in-servicing” a=
nd
“driven by the department” are.
Another item on that same issue is = that the act specifies school staff who are employees wit= hin the meaning of the Education Labour Relations Act. Such in-services would be invaluable to our teachers on-call or o= ur substitute teachers, especially in the communities where they are relied on= to take the place of teachers who are ill or away for various reasons. The more they can be involved in planning and in-servicing and the more they can be involved in the direction that the school is taking, the better it will be = for the substitute teaching profession, for the teachers and especially for the learning of the students.
I would have also looked for —= ; when the act was being amended — something that would indeed address the current situation with on-call or substitute teachers. As I mentioned, substitute teachers are not considered teachers under the Education Labo= ur Relations Act. This has been brought up many times. They also aren’t consid= ered government employees under the Public Service Act. This means they h= ave no job security. They don’t get employee benefits. They aren’t covered by insurance. Their pay scale is at the bottom of the barrel. Yet, they’re expected to be available whenever the government needs them or when a school needs them.
On-call, casual and substitute teac= hers still do not have the option of joining a union. In an Education Act review in 2006, one of the recommendations was that on-call teachers be giv= en employee status. Any school principal could give the minister an earful abo= ut how hard it is to get reliable substitute teachers on a consistent basis, especially those with teaching certificates, because this government isn’t providing substitute teachers with decent working conditions. T= his is especially important in rural communities where we don’t have as l= arge a base to call upon. So anything that the government can do it should do to improve their lot and improve instruction. I wonder why the minister did not table amendments to the act that will address this inequity.
Finally, when the changes to the ac=
t were
brought in, they were also brought in a rather confusing manner because they
got confused — if not in the minister’s view, certainly in the =
view
of the public. The length of the school day is different from the hours of
instruction.
What I would have liked to see in t= his is some change to the length of the school day. I know many communities have looked at having a shorter day. Currently the act defines the number of hou= rs for a school day — I’m not going to get it right, I can tell; 3= 00 and I believe it is 360 hours per — 330, thank you, hours per day = 212; minutes. That would be one long day, my apologies.
That takes some flexibility from lo=
cal
schools. I know one of the considerations that we looked at for Eliza Van
Bibber School in Pelly Crossing when I was principal there was to have a
shorter day once a month so that parents and staff could go to town to do t=
heir
shopping and to attend appointments on a Friday afternoon or something that
normally they wouldn’t get a chance to attend. We felt that this might
help in our attendance. I guess my point here is that that kind of flexibil=
ity
will allow local school councils and local school communities to look at the
school day, to examine what might work and what might not work in terms of =
appropriate
time in schooling.
As I said, the quality of education= , not the quantity of education, is what gets results. While these amendments wil= l increase time in class and perhaps more time in the classroom — more time with= the teacher — will they result in better outcomes? Many of our students a= re doing very, very well. One constituent mentioned having more days when kids aren’t there means they won’t be there more days. Will this add= ress an attendance issue?
In my experience as a long-time edu= cator and a school administrator, the best time to learn for students is in the w= inter when the weather forces us to be inside. Conversely, when the light increas= es and summer nears, it is very difficult for teachers to maintain the interes= t of a child who has been cooped up for far too long. I will be suggesting some amendments that we could have followed that would allow for greater flexibi= lity by the school council or the minister.
These are my first thoughts. I look= forward to Committee of the Whole debate to ask questions of the minister. Thank yo= u.
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; I’d like = to thank the minister for bringing this forward today, and I just have a few comments before we move into Committee of the Whole on this at another date.<= /p>
I’d like to start with the 15=
extra
hours for PD and for non-instructional days. These have both actually reson=
ated
very well in the education community as long as it’s well-thought-out=
. PD
days are instrumental and, as a math teacher in the
I would like to take this opportuni=
ty as
well to thank the Department of Education officials in the math department,=
not
limited to, but specifically to Paula Thompson; I couldn’t have asked=
for
a better mentor. In other departments as well, whether it be for assessment=
or
other topics, PD is instrumental.
It sounds like the department offic= ials are also working on a non-instructional gathering of sorts before the beginning= of the next school year, and this also is generating quite a positive buzz. The changes to the act that pertain to the school council — they all incr= ease efficiencies, and they also increase local engagement. I have no issues as = to the logic behind these, and I’d like to thank also the department officials for the briefing and for their excellent explanation and rationale behind these particular changes.
Now, increased instructional time &=
#8212;
this has been an issue. This is what I’ve been hearing and I believe,=
as
well, the department could increase the length of the day, and they could
increase the number of days. They seem a little bit more bent on increasing=
the
number of days. Now, I would argue that the quality time in the classroom
should be the focus as opposed to the quantity. I could also argue that we
teach roughly the same number of hours compared to our southern districts d=
ue
to the policy on school closure days. Back in
This upcoming year in
With all that being said, I look fo= rward to continued debate in Committee of the Whole, and I will put in my support for these amendments at this time.
Speaker: If the member now speaks, he will close debate. Does any other member wish to be heard?
Hon. Mr. Kent: I thank the two members opposite = 8212; the two critics for Education — for their responses in second reading= to the Act to Amend the Education Act.
I guess I won’t get into too =
many
specifics. The details will emerge when we get into Committee of the Whole =
at a
later date. I think there are a couple things, though, that I want to touch=
on
— importantly, the increased number of hours for instructional time. =
That
doesn’t necessarily mean increased hours inside the classroom.
Instructional time can include many things. It can include experiential
learning opportunities. It can include a number of the trips that students =
do.
On one trip, for instance, that I noticed last year when I was in biology
class, we each had an old cow’s eyeball or an old perch to dissect, a=
nd I
saw a couple of students ice fishing and dissecting and cleaning the fish,
looking at the different body parts.
The changes that we’ve seen in educational programming have evolved extensively over the past number of ye= ars and I look forward to new improvements when it comes to the programming. It’s important to note that increasing that instructional time doesn’t necessarily mean that students are going to be in class; we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to educate our stude= nts, and the department, working with the school communities and educators, will continue to look for those opportunities.
The Member for Mayo-Tatchun mention= ed he would be proposing some amendments. As asked by the Official Opposition ear= lier today in Question Period to provide a copy of the motion with respect to the select committee, I look forward to the member providing me advance copies = of his amendments as well as a summary of the consultation and everything he h= eard from the broader school community. When we proposed these amendments, we we= nt out to school councils; we went out to First Nations; we did a very broad public consultation. There was an opportunity for individuals to comment and look at the proposed changes. We made some changes as far as staggered elections and those types of things as a result of those consultations.
I look forward to the Member for
Mayo-Tatchun providing me with that summary of the consultations he has done
with respect to the amendments — and of course a copy of the amendmen=
ts
that he is proposing.
There are a number of other issues = raised by the Member for Mayo-Tatchun specific to this, other acts that he has bro= ught in and asked about as far as changing those. What we are going to focus on = with this is adding hours of instruction and hours of non-instruction to the sch= ool year — 15 hours of each. Of course, we’ll be compensating the teachers for the additional hours — for the additional 30 hours that they’ll be working — on a pro-rated basis. We’re happy to invest in our educators and we think that’s an important step to impr= ove the quality and the student outcomes that we’re getting.
Again, we’ll get into some of=
the specific
questions that the member opposite asked, but I guess what we’re tryi=
ng
to do with the instructional and non-instructional time is introduce someth=
ing
that will enable us to improve the student outcomes that we’re curren=
tly
seeing.
Clearly, what we’re currently=
doing
isn’t working, as evidenced by the relatively low graduation rate in =
I think that adding instructional a=
nd
non-instructional hours is going to be very important. As I mentioned in my
opening address, when it comes to the non-instructional hours, we are looki=
ng
at two teacher institutes. I know the Member for
As I mentioned in my opening addres= s, we don’t want parents to have to find childcare or make alternative arrangements for their children when it comes to additional non-instructional days. The 15 h= ours are currently set by the school council. Just with respect to some of the calendars we’ve received back, one of the schools has indicated they would like their 15 additional hours held prior to the start of the year as well. So they’ll get all their non-instructional hours out of the way= at the start of the year, with no disruption to parents of that school for the balance of the year. That’s an opportunity for school councils to be involved in the process and affect the process.
When it comes to the school council
elections, I know the Member for Mayo-Tatchun had some concerns with electi=
ons
in May, but this is something I heard directly from the school councils they
were in support of. This wasn’t just during the consultation on the Education Act. It goes back throughout the past year and a half or so, du=
ring
my trips around the territory and talking with school councils throughout t=
he
Yukon — that it’s a challenge for them to get started because, =
by
the time their election takes place and they have their initial swearing-in=
and
orientation and get up to speed with their training, it’s often into =
November.
Elections in May will allow them to= attend, perhaps, even the June meeting of the existing school council to get a bett= er handle on what’s happening in the school and hopefully the opportunit= y to have a full council in place and hit the ground running in September. Again, this is something that I know I heard personally from councils.
Perhaps when the member opposite is suggesting his amendments — if there is one amending that — he = will also require the summary of the consultations he has undertaken and be able= to provide me with that, so I can consider those before we get to Committee of= the Whole.
With that, I will conclude my second reading speech.
Actually, just =
to
quickly let members know, I did a quick “instructional time by
jurisdiction” summary. I know that most of our closest neighbours are=
in
that 950 hours of instruction.
In
I just have to emphasize again how
important it is that these changes on the instructional=
and
non-instructional hours are only enablers. It’s about what
we’re going to deliver in the classroom and moving ahead with our rur=
al
action plan, in discussing the motion brought forward by the Member for
Pelly-Nisutlin that we’ll do tomorrow and some of the opportunities t=
hat
exist on the trades and tech training and a variety of other things that we
need to introduce to our students to improve their outcomes.
This is a step — it’s a= very important step — and I look forward to having these amendments to the= Education Act pass and move forward with introducing additional programming that = will improve the quality of education for our students.
Speaker: Are you prepared for the question?
Some
Hon. Members: Division.
Division
Speaker: Division has been called.=
Bells
Speaker: Order please.
Mr. Clerk, please poll the House.= span>
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: Agree.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Agree.
Hon. Ms. Taylor: Agree.
Hon. Mr. Graham: Agree.
Hon.
Mr. Hon.
Mr. Nixon: Agree. Ms.
McLeod: Agree. Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: Agree. Hon.
Mr. Dixon: Agree. Mr.
Hassard: Agree. Ms.
Hanson:&=
#8195; Agree.=
p>
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; Agree.=
p>
Ms.
White:=
8195; Agree.=
p>
Mr.
Tredger:=
Agree.=
p>
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; Agree.=
p>
Mr.
Elias:=
8195; Agree. Clerk: Mr. Speaker, the results are 16 yea, nil
nay. Speaker: The yeas have it. I declare the motion carried. Motion
for second reading of Bill No. 53 agreed to INTRODUCTION OF VISITO=
RS Speaker: Order please. I’d like to introduce a good friend of mi=
ne,
Anne Jessup, who has stopped by to visit — also, Anne is going to be
retiring in another month or so from the Lands branch, where she has been t=
he
GIS manager for a number of years — and doing a great job, I might ad=
d.
Thanks for coming. Applause Hon.
Mr. Cathers: I move that the Speaker do now leav=
e the
Chair and the House resolve into Committee of the Whole. Speaker: It has been moved by the Government House Leader that the Spe=
aker
do now leave the Chair and the House resolve into Committee of the Whole. <=
/span> Motion agreed to Speaker leaves the Chair COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE=
Chair
(Ms. McLeod): Order. Committee =
of the
Whole will now come to order. The matter before the Committee is Vote 3, De=
partment
of Education, in Bill No. 10, First Appropriation Act, 2013-14. Do members wish to take a brief rec=
ess? All
Hon. Members: Agreed. Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for 15 minutes. Recess Chair: Committee of the Whole will now come to order. Bill No. 10: First Appro=
priation
Act, 2013-14 Chair: The matter before the Committee is Vote 3, Department of Educ=
ation,
on Bill No. 10, First Appropriation Act, 2013=
-14. Department of Education Hon.
Mr. Kent: Just before I speak to present the
2013-14 budget for Yukon Education, I’d like to welcome two senior
officials who are here to provide me with assistance — Valerie Royle and Loretta Boorse,=
who
have joined me from the Department of Education. I’d ask members to w=
elcome
them with me. Applause Hon.
Mr. Kent: I’m pleased to =
say
that with this budget, which is the second budget in the Yukon Party’s
third consecutive mandate, we’re continuing our good work in creating=
a
better quality of life for Yukoners by educating tomorrow’s citizens =
so
they can contribute to the community and its economy. To that end, we aim to
work with our partners in education to: (1) increase the engagement of pare=
nts,
families and communities to improve student achievement and success; (2)
promote a positive, inclusive and responsible learning environment that
contributes to the success of each learner and ensures continuous improveme=
nt;
(3) develop and enhance critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and
communication as foundational competencies to support learning in the 21 We are very pleased this year to co=
ntinue
with the delivery of our very comprehensive strategic plan, entitled Our=
Commitment
to New Horizons. It focuses on improving literacy and numeracy,
preserving culture and increasing educational achievements for all Yukoners=
. The total budget for Yukon Educatio=
n this
year is $181,340,000. Before I speak to the numbers behind the 2013-14 budget, I would like to thank all Yukoners for their c=
ontinuing
commitment to education. Yukon Education’s main objectives are to del=
iver
accessible and quality education to Now I would like to speak directly =
to what
Yukon Education’s plan means in terms of the 2013-14 capital and O&am=
p;M
budget. With a budget of approximately $181 million, of course, I cannot
discuss every line item and ongoing Yukon Education program in this address=
. That
doesn’t mean that our solid, ongoing programs and partnerships are any
less important than those items that I will highlight through my opening
remarks here today. I would like to begin by addressing=
the
capital portion of this year’s budget. The capital budget for 2013-14=
is
$34,596,000. The capital budget reflects an increase of approximately 567
percent from our 2012-13 capital main estimates. A capital budget is based =
on
cash flow requirements for each project and, as such, the funding requested
each year can change substantially and is based on need. In pursuit of Yukon
Education’s vision, we are committed to ensuring the educational
facilities meet the needs of our citizens and that commitment is very much
reflected in this budget. The single largest component of the=
capital
budget is $27,206,000 for the The decision to take another look a=
t the
design is based on the fact that the bids were so much higher than the
anticipated costs. We’ll be reviewing design concepts that have alrea=
dy
been constructed successfully and economically in other Canadian jurisdicti=
ons,
and we will incorporate elements from the previous consultation process to =
the
extent that we can. This funding reflects the original cash flow requiremen=
ts
and will be adjusted accordingly as we move forward with a revised design in
the coming months. Yukon Education continues to follow=
the
recommendations that came out of the report on roof assessments in 2008, wh=
ich
identified deficiencies. This report has resulted in a request during 2013-=
14
for $1,813,000 in roof repairs. The two major roof projects that make up a
majority of this request are at Yukon Education is developing a We’re requesting $130,000 to =
renovate
the basement of the For ongoing routine projects, such =
as
school-initiated renovations, various school facilities renovations and cap=
ital
maintenance repairs, Yukon Education is requesting $1,766,000. Also under o=
ur
capital budget, funds are being requested to support our instructional
programs. $1,776,000 is requested to support the school-based information
technology program. This funding will be used to purchase computer hardware,
software, network infrastructure upgrades, and associated curriculum softwa=
re
upgrades for various There is $435,000 requested to purc=
hase
school-based equipment and $25,000 is requested to continue support for
distance education. Where our school populations are small, distance educat=
ion
and technology-assisted learning can help to ensure that students are able =
to enrol in the courses they need to make their desired
transitions to post-secondary education. Video conferencing access is avail=
able
in schools in all of our communities. The importance of information and
communication technologies in education is increasing and video conferencing
increases equal access for all of our communities. This government is also committed i=
n its
efforts to address the current labour market shortage and economic potentia=
l of
the mining industry in the territory. There is $1.1 million requested to as=
sist
Now I’m going to turn my atte=
ntion to
the 2013-14 operation and maintenance budget, which will see continuing sup=
port
for several initiatives, as well as support for labour market activities in=
the
territory. Our most important work at Yukon Education is to ensure that all
Yukoners have the skills and education they need to support their families =
and
to participate fully in their communities and workplaces. The $146,744,000
dedicated to Yukon Education under this year’s O&M budget will he=
lp
us to support Yukoners on their journey of lifelong learning. First I’d like to address the=
funds
Yukon Education is seeking on behalf of Education Support Services. We are =
requesting
$110,000 for a health and safety coordinator. This position would support
education with clear, transparent and effective policies and protocols for
emergency preparedness and workplace safety for all. $3.13 million is also
being requested to continue offering busing services for our students. I would also like to address the fu=
nds
being sought on behalf of Advanced Education. As I have mentioned before, <=
/span> With these agreements, The labour market development agree=
ment
gives For businesses to prosper, employer=
s must
have staff with the necessary skills. This government is proud to be part of
the solution to the skilled labour shortages. Implementation of the labour
market framework that began during 2011-12 will continue through 2013-14. F=
or
this we are requesting $251,000. This funding is provided through the commu=
nity
development trust. The funding will be used for the
development of labour market information materials and for a staff person to
coordinate the implementation of the labour market strategies with our many
partners. In addition to supporting programs under these agreements, Yukon
Education works in other ways to expand every available labour pool to assi=
st
employers in fulfilling their labour market needs. The government is committed to redu=
cing
immigration red tape and, where possible, fast-tracking immigration applica=
tions
so that Of course the government also conti=
nues to
support We also work with $18,439,000 is requested to support=
In addition, $1,088,000 will be pro=
vided to
$113,000 is being sought for the No=
rthern
Institute of Social Justice. This institute provides training and education=
to
Yukoners in a wide variety of social justice fields. It also undertakes
research. It was created to address challenges in recruitment, development =
and
retention of a qualified workforce to deliver programs and services with a
social justice component. Now I’d like to speak to a nu=
mber of
initiatives that will support the work of public schools in the 2013-14 This data has been synthesized and =
formed
the basis for a preliminary rural action plan. This action plan will includ=
e enhanced
distance learning opportunities supported by a more common calendar —
which I’m sure we’ll discuss in further debate during Committee=
of
the Whole; three rural hubs, which have been identified to create enhanced
opportunities; sharing of resources; specialization of teachers; supports f=
or
arts, trades and other specialties; and enhanced opportunities for children=
to
come together in larger groups for program opportunities. In The school growth process has been =
designed
by a stakeholder advisory committee to encourage and monitor a school impro=
vement
process to support individual student success and to ensure system
accountability. To support the school growth process, Yukon Education reque=
sts
$408,000. The school growth process is an imp=
ortant
means to ensure that First Nations, school councils and community members p=
articipate
in a collaborative process to identify and address school priorities. The
funding we request will support capacity development to ensure that the sch=
ool
growth process best supports student learning. It also supports the $75,000
leaders in education/innovation fund. I know that my time is running shor=
t, but
I’ll reconvene my remarks after the members opposite get an opportuni=
ty
to respond — they have to do with attendance. Maybe with that, Madam
Chair, I’ll sit down and take questions or remarks from the opposite
side, and then when it’s my turn again, I’ll conclude my opening
statement. Mr.
Tredger:=
I thank the min=
ister
for his comments. I’d like to thank the members=
of the
department for their attendance and the deputy minister. I thank them for
coming and spending the afternoon with us. I’m going to keep my opening =
comments
relatively brief in order that we may have more time later to more thorough=
ly
examine the details of the budget. Before I get into it, I’d lik=
e to
recognize and thank the school staff and those who support our children each
and every day in what they do. Those who tie the shoes and put the band-aid=
s on
and help them dress for recess, the bus drivers who take them to school =
212;
a large number of people put a lot of time and effort into our schools.
It’s what makes schools — especially schools in the We are very fortunate in the We have talked about 40th
anniversaries, and this is the 40th anniversary of Elijah Smith
going to The vision, the wisdom and the exam=
ples of
the First Nations, as well as our leaders in the Yukon government and in our
communities who went together and developed the Yukon Education Act, have set high standards and expectations, but mo=
st
of all, they stressed that we must work together. We must explore together;=
we
must take risks together. Together today for our childr=
en
tomorrow. First and foremost, education is ab=
out the
kids — about the children in our service. Everything we do should be =
to
ensure that each child in our care has the opportunity to learn in a safe a=
nd
respectful manner, to the best of their ability and according to the least =
restrictive
manner. Each child is unique. In this process, teachers and schoo=
l staff are
critical. What the department does, what the minister does, what we as obse=
rvers
or legislators do in terms of education all comes down to what happens in t=
he
classroom. It’s a relationship that develops between the teacher and =
the
students. It’s those relationships that we must enhance, encourage,
support and develop. Professional development, days off,
planning trips, experiential education — it comes down to the
relationship between the teacher and the student. Sometimes that instruction
doesn’t happen in the classroom. It may be on a field trip, as the mi=
nister
alluded to earlier, or it may be in the community. It may be at Cub Scouts =
or
Girl Guides. Sometimes the needs of a student can’t be met within the
classroom environment and so we have programs like Reading Recovery and Wil=
son
Reading. We have tutors and we have educational assistants. We have parent
volunteers who work with our children, who support the classroom teacher. M=
ake
no mistake, the classroom teacher designs the programming, but the support
needs to be there to help them. We’re fortunate in the The third part is parents and invol=
vement
of the local school community. Research shows us time and time and time aga=
in
that parents must see school as important — critical to their childre=
n —
and schools must see parents and their community as critical to students.
Meaning derives from those relationships, especially in communities, but I
would say that in all schools the principal is the one who interacts most w=
ith
the communities, with the school councils and other parties. Programs like our educational leade=
rship
programs are important. It’s important to ensure they’re effect=
ive.
I found in my time as principal that many of the interactions were not only
from the principal and much of the leadership doesn’t begin or end wi=
th
the principal; it begins with all the people involved in the school communi=
ty.
Whether it’s the child taking charge on the playground and showing so=
me
leadership or whether it’s a teacher doing the same or initiating a p=
arent
group, leadership is in many forms. I say again that relationships must=
be
nurtured with time, support and commitment. I guess in a way that’s w=
hy
the way the school calendar played out was disappointing to me, because it =
was
an opportunity for local school councils to discuss education and be involv=
ed in
education. It also showed to me how careful we=
must be
when we make decisions for communities, for children or for staff. We need =
to
be cognizant. Again, if we go back to that prime relationship in the classr=
oom,
the closer our decision-making can get to that parent-teacher relationship,=
the
more effective it’s going to be, the more responsible it will be and,
indeed, the more creative it will be. We continue to lose many of our child=
ren,
especially First Nation children and especially those in rural It is worthy to bring all Yukoners =
to bear
on it — to have a concerted strategy to ensure that all Yukoners in e=
very
community have an opportunity. Too many of our children are falling by the
wayside. The challenge for us as legislators, the challenge for our staff, =
is
to come together and to build opportunities for all our children. The time =
for
talk has past. We must ensure that all our children have an equal opportuni=
ty. I continue to be concerned about the
Yukon-wide literacy rates and the need for literacy, not only at a school
level, but at an adult level and a community level. As a community, we have
talked about The CEO of Sun=
cor,
when he was retiring, talked about the need to do more than hang out help
wanted signs to attract local employment. We need to ensure that we have
programs in place that help those who are struggling and who don’t ha=
ve
workplace readiness skills, just the same as we help those children in our
schools prepare for the workplace. The next part that I want to talk a=
bout is
the training in relevant skills, trades, our apprenticeship programs and the
opportunities presented. I think it’s important that we take a close =
look
at how our programs are working: what’s working in them and what̵=
7;s
not; what students are we missing; what students are we catching. I often
recall when I was going to school, we had training in shop. Everyone took s=
ome
shop training at a young age. Everyone took some food training and home
economics training at a young age. A program like that, where we build from=
the
ground up, may be far more important and less expensive than starting at the
top. Our students today need to be expos=
ed to
how to manage a household. When you read statistics like how Canadians throw
out an average of 40 percent of their food, we need to look at programs in =
our
school that help in terms of how to run a household. Like many things,
it’s becoming increasingly complicated. The same thing in terms of exposure=
to
applied sciences, to shop classes — how to fix things, how to work in=
a
house and how to run an HVAC. Those kinds of things — and in terms of=
a
general education at a young age to expose students to that — I think
would be invaluable and out of that then we may tweak interest and out of t=
hat
we can get our millwrights and our red seal workers and our apprentices bec=
ause
they have an idea of what is involved. That exposure may be all they need =
to
encourage them to try or to move into a field, or to encourage them to come
back to school the next week because their interest is piqued. Whatever
strategies we develop, however we come about them, through our consultation=
s,
we need to share the creativity and energy of I applaud the minister and his depa=
rtment
for many of the initiatives they’ve begun. It is important now to take
lessons from them to ensure that what we learn is repeated and so that all =
our
students have the opportunity of our pilot projects, or things that are
happening here or there. All That concludes my general remarks. =
I thank
the minister for his efforts and his work and I look forward to a more spec=
ific
debate. Hon.
Mr. Where I left off was with respect to
attendance. I think it was late last week I shared with both critics opposi=
te
the attendance numbers as far as average number of days absent in schools a=
nd I
have some further information that I can share with members as well. What
we’re doing with this budget is requesting $50,000 to improve attenda=
nce
in The Victoria Gold Student Encourage=
ment
Society has been established to provide a source of funding for school-based
projects aimed at improving student attendance. If I can speak a little bit
about that, school councils, First Nations and communities are currently
developing and submitting applications — the application deadline is
April 5 — for monies to support varying attendance projects in their
communities. On a recent trip to Yukon Education also has other publ=
ic
schools programs to promote successful learning. The Individual Learning Ce=
ntre
was launched in February 2005. The minister at the time was the late John
Edzerza. I know he’s still very much appreciated for his efforts in
establishing that and indeed they dedicated the graduation ceremony to Mr.
Edzerza last year. I was able to attend as well as two members of Mr. Edzerza’s family. It continues to be successful=
in
providing the flexibility required by some students so they can continue to
engage in their lifelong journey of learning. Our data is demonstrating that
more students are staying in school than in the past because of that program
and that centre. Full-day kindergarten and the home =
tutor
program will continue to receive support in this year’s budget. These
initiatives have proven to be very important and meaningful for people
throughout the territory. Also requested is $80,000 to continue the early <=
span
class=3DGramE>years transition program. This program targets
prekindergarten to grade 3 students and will help to improve performance in
both First Nation and other We continue to receive positive fee=
dback on
all of these programs. The experiential education initiati=
ve
continues in 2013-14 with $285,000. This funding provides more flexibility =
for
schools to access experiential and outdoor educational opportunities. We’re also requesting $142,00=
0 to
continue and expand our support of the whole child project. In May 2011, it=
was
agreed that The Yukon Education is also committed to
improving the outcomes and experiences of our First Nation learners. Yukon
Education is requesting $575,000 to support the Council of Yukon First Nati=
ons
in their delivery of education support services. This line of funding
represents $405,000 to support the operating costs of the Yukon Native Lang=
uage
Centre and $170,000 to provide salaries for support staff for education. We
continue to have a good working relationship with CYFN, who collaborated wi=
th
us through the education reform project and the New Horizons initiatives. <=
/span> This year we are requesting approxi=
mately
$1.75 million in funding to support the Yukon First Nations Programs and Pa=
rtnerships
unit at Yukon Education. The FNPP unit is responsible for facilitating the
development of appropriate Yukon First Nation curriculum and supporting
resource materials. Using Yukon-based materials is essential to ensuring all
students learn about the history, cultural traditions and the important rol=
e of
Yukon First Nations. The English First Peoples 10 course was piloted at F.H.
Collins in 2011-12. A northern literature review was also completed by Yukon
Education to support the course that year. In 2012-13, the pilot was expanded =
to
include The course was developed in partner=
ship
with the B.C. Ministry of Education and the First Nation Education Advisory
Committee. In addition, staff are currently work=
ing on
additional early primary readers reflecting Yukon First Nation people. The
First Nations Programs and Partnerships unit has also produced 18 books that
are used as part of a guided reading program reflecting the life and
experiences of Yukon First Nation people. Consultants from Yukon Education =
also
work with individual First Nations to assist in the development of locally
developed curriculum and the accreditation of these courses. Included in the $1.75 million is fu=
nding
for two specific initiatives approved under New Horizons. The The Yukon First Nations experiential
program is budgeted at $115,000 for 2013-14, with funding also provided at =
the
site-based management level of $90,000. At the To ensure Yukon students have acces=
s to the
best possible opportunities to learn aboriginal languages, the government i=
s seeking
$4.2 million to cover the salaries of aboriginal language teachers in Yukon
schools and at the Yukon Native Language Centre. This year we are continuing
funding to the First Nation Elders in the School program for $50,000. Elder=
s in
the School provides elders with the opportunity to share their cultural
experiences, knowledge, skills and perspectives with the school staff and t=
he
students and it is jointly sponsored by Yukon Education and participating Y=
ukon
First Nations. This program is integral to bringin=
g the
model of traditional learning into the In addition, $19,000 is dedicated t=
o train
all new Madam Chair, promoting and supporti=
ng
French language and culture is also very important. French first language a=
nd
French second language education are options available to Yukon Education remains committed to
supporting French programs in our schools. French Programs oversees a varie=
ty
of French programming. Again, just to list them — French as a second
language, French immersion, intensive French, post-intensive French and opt=
ions
plus French. In recognition of the value of bein=
g fluent
in $2,197,000 is requested for =
I’d also like to thank all Yu=
koners
who are contributing to the evolution of the education system with their
participation as school council members, committee members and individuals =
who
have provided comments about their needs and aspirations for education in t=
he
territory. The government is certainly listening to the feedback. We’=
re
engaged with the school communities on an ongoing basis when it comes to
education and educational outcomes. We are constantly making improvements a=
nd
seeking changes to ensure that the education system reflects the values and
goals of all our citizens. Madam Chair, how much time do I hav=
e left? Chair:
Six minut=
es. Hon.
Mr. When it comes to our field trips, w=
e are
looking to — as mentioned earlier in second reading of the Act to
Amend the Education Act — increase instructional time, which
doesn’t necessarily just mean time in the classrooms. We certainly wa=
nt
to look to re-brand those field trips as experiential learning opportunitie=
s. I mentioned some of them before and=
have
talked about other initiatives, such as the bison hunt, or even some of the
sled-ed programs that are being offered at some of our schools, where stude=
nts
are fixing up snowmobiles and then travelling. There are innumerable
opportunities for experiential learning. So when you hear me refer to those=
, or
the ELOs, it is how we’re trying to re-br=
and
and re-focus the message around our field trips. Literacy strate=
gy, of
course — the member opposite referenced literacy. There are a number of initiatives that we’re looking at,
including funding of the Family Literacy Centre and the development of a new
literacy strategy overall. The funding for that strategy is in the Advanced
Education budget, but Health and Social Services also has a responsibility =
for
the birth to 5-year-old range or 4-year-old range, depending on when the
students enter the school system. Skills training — again, I ag=
ree with
the member opposite, in that we need to have opportunities for students to =
get
engaged at an earlier age with some shop programs. Last year, I think, I visited the s=
hop in
Mayo. I don’t believe it was operating then, but we returned this year
during a recent visit with the Premier and the Minister of Health and Social
Services as well as the Deputy Minister of Education, and there’s a
program being offered there now. We see those as very positive initiatives.=
The
dual-credit work that we’re engaging in with high school students is =
very
exciting. I know we’ll have a full discussion on this tomorrow when we
debate the motion put forward by the Member for Pelly-Nisutlin with respect=
to
enhancing those dual-credit opportunities for high school students who are
looking to pursue opportunities as apprentices. I want to close by touching on the =
school
calendar issue. I have a couple of things with respect to a bit of history
around it. I know that last year — I believe it was in February ̵=
2;
an initial note went out to school councils about our desire to move to a c=
ommon
calendar. It was also discussed at the spring conference of school councils.
There was a presentation by a senior department official on that. I also
brought it up in the Legislature during Education Week last year. =
p>
There was a question during Questio=
n Period
from the Member for He referenced his experience in We went to the school councils R=
12; the
deputy minister, a number of individuals and I held two workshops in early =
December
and at the conclusion of the collective bargaining agreement, we were able =
to have
a better idea of what the hours of instruction and hours of non-instruction
would be, or what we were proposing them to be with the amendments to the <=
i>Education
Act. We went to the school councils, and then, obviously, after Christm=
as,
there was a substantial amount of pushback. That’s why I have to say =
that
it did initially catch us by surprise, just given the fact that in April, n=
ot
only did school councils know of that intention, but I also informed member=
s of
the House of that intention. That aside — that is=
all,
of course, water under the bridge. We worked diligently. Of course the legislation stipulate=
s that
it’s my responsibility to set school councils and seek advice from sc=
hool
councils, and that’s exactly what we were able to do — involve =
the
school communities, come up with two common start dates that allow us to
deliver the teachers’ institutes ahead of the school years outside of=
not
being intrusive in the school year — and a number of different options
have come forward. Mr.
Tredger:=
I guess if ther=
e is
something to be learned from the school calendar, it is that an offhand
reference to something as part of a presentation is not full consultation a=
nd
certainly the school councils I talked to are quite surprised that it had b=
een
brought up to them and saw it as a minor part of a presentation. That aside, I see that the educatio=
nal leadership
program is going to be funded for another year. Does the minister have a re=
port,
and can he give us an update on the number of administrators who have compl=
eted
the program and have obtained positions in our schools? I believe that one =
of
the objectives when it came into being is that it would train staff members=
or
teaching staff who had a propensity or a desire to get into leadership
positions. It would train them to take those positions. I’m wondering=
if
he can give us an update. Has the program been evaluated? How many potential
administrators have graduated and how many have found employment within our
system? Hon.
Mr. Kent: Just with respect to the memberR=
17;s
question about the educational leadership program and the evaluation and how
many — I don’t have those figures with me, but perhaps before
debate concludes today we’ll be able to get those for him. If not,
I’ll certainly provide them for him as soon as possible. With respect to the calendar, to co=
rrect
the member opposite, initially an e-mail went out to school councils last F=
ebruary.
On April 18 on the floor of this Assembly during Question Period in respons=
e to
a question from the Member for Klondike, I said, “I have instructed t=
he
department staff to begin the conversations with school councils so that
hopefully, and perhaps as early as this upcoming school year, we will have =
a coordinated
calendar among all Yukon schools.” That was in response to a question =
by the
Member for Then his question to me was this: &=
#8220;Is
the minister aware of any departmental plans for coordination among rural
schools in teleconferencing? If not, will he consider taking the lead on th=
is
coordination?” Again, I responded that the departm=
ents
were to work with schools on that. I think it’s more to the point that
the member opposite was getting at. When I opened last year’s sch=
ool
conference, obviously welcoming members from across the territory to that, =
I certainly
did make reference to a number of the initiatives they would be discussing,
including the coordinated or the common school calendar but, again, leaving that, of cours=
e, to
educational experts to get into the details. I believe it was on the Saturd=
ay
morning that that presentation took place — again, a senior Education
official. I think about an hour or an hour and 15 minutes was allotted to t=
hat.
All members can find a copy of that presentation on the AYSCBC website. If =
not,
I’d be happy to have staff direct them to that. So just to correct the member oppos=
ite
— it wasn’t just an offhand comment during my open remarks last
year. That’s, as I mentioned, the early contact with the school counc=
ils
and me even mentioning it on the floor of the House when it got to the point
that it did. We were surprised, but we took quick action, I think, and were able to come up with something that meets the nee=
ds of
our various communities. What we’ve done is to move fr=
om 15
individual academic calendars to two common start dates, which allows us to
facilitate those two teacher institutes. I guess the other major change is =
that
each student will attend school for a minimum of 180 days per year. Under t=
he
old system we had one school in the territory that — I believe —
was down as low as 170 days, up to a high of 186. Even on this 180-day mini=
mum,
when going to Mayo and speaking to the principal there, it looks like they =
are
going to go beyond that minimum when they set their school calendar. They h=
ave
asked for additional days above the 180. Again, I think this sets us up as =
an
enabler — such as the changes to the Education Act — to
deliver programs in a way that will help us maximize the use of our resourc=
es
and, as said in my opening response, to mention things such as rural hubs a=
nd
bringing school students together in a broader community. I know there is some talk of even h=
aving a
joint cohort of grade 10 students from a number of communities start in a
classroom and work together through the grades 10, 11 and 12 years. I think=
we
have some exciting things coming forward, and I look forward to building on=
the
opportunities of what those two common start dates will allow us to do. We
certainly won’t take for granted the importance that communities have
placed on establishing these calendars. We look forward to working with them
and involving them in discussions throughout the coming year as we set futu=
re
calendars. That’s really the goal. I didn’t want to turn the cl=
ock
back a year, but I think it was important to let individuals know where we =
got
to in December and about the good work done, including the good work of the
Deputy Minister of Education who went up to the community of Dawson City in
January while I was away on personal time and met with community members to
answer their questions. That’s the one thing I want to ensure all sch=
ool
communities and of course the administrators in the school: we will be taki=
ng
the lead on the discussions for future school calendars — those common
start dates — and try to accommodate the different needs that arose, =
such
as family needs and traditional cultural values and hunting needs. Of cours=
e,
the most important one is improving those student outcomes. Mr.
Tredger:=
I thank the min=
ister
for those answers. The administrators in our schools are incredibly importa=
nt.
I alluded to that earlier but they’re the front people who meet the
communities, who work as a liaison between the teachers and the community.
They’re critical to community and school involvement and interaction,
more so in our communities or even of more importance in our communities. T=
hey
have a pivotal role. I recently learned that three princ=
ipals
had left their positions since the beginning of the school year and wondered
what supports had been given to them prior to their leaving, how their
positions were related to the community, what work was done to help those
principals in their positions? They were all relatively new in their positi=
ons.
I guess that’s why I was alluding to the educational leadership progr=
am.
What are we doing to ensure that when we do get administrators into our com=
munities,
they have the supports necessary to be successful? It’s extremely disruptive to =
a school
year and to the students and to the community when an administrator does le=
ave
during the year. It’s not unheard of. I’m wondering what steps =
the
department is taking to ensure smooth transitions, both coming into a commu=
nity
and upon leaving a community, so that they’re better able to understa=
nd
what is going on, to learn lessons from what is happening and to move forwa=
rd and
ensure our students don’t have that experience any more than necessar=
y. Hon.
Mr. Kent: I’m going to speak in general=
about
the supports the department is providing as I can’t comment, as membe=
rs
know, on individual personnel issues on the floor of the Legislature or
anywhere. Some of the initiatives that weR=
17;ve
undertaken to assist all of our principals: we had a former principal and
actually a former president of the Yukon Teachers Association, I believe, a=
s a
principal mentor, travelling to a number of rural communities to assist
principals and provide support where he could. Obviously the role of the
superintendents is very important. The Member for Mayo-Tatchun has mentioned
that to me on a number of occasions, not only on the floor of this Assembly,
but also outside of these chambers. We certainly recognize that and we have
tremendous superintendents who work very hard and I’m very proud of t=
he
work they do. We are always looking for opportuni=
ties to
increase their contact time with schools. Administrators themselves come in=
to It was interesting; there werenR=
17;t a
lot of questions, but as we get more comfortable with each other, perhaps
they’ll ask me some more and can ask me some of the tough questions t=
hey
want to ask. One of the other things that weR=
17;re
looking to do through our teacher institutes — if the Act to Amend the Education Act pas=
ses
— is we’ll be able to have some leadership aspects and incorpor=
ate
them into our teacher institute that will take place prior to the start of =
the
school year. I know a document has been developed for the leadership framew=
ork.
I don’t have a copy of it here but I can certainly provide the member
opposite with a copy, or it can be found on our website. It is a new profes=
sional
development planning process — pardon me, =
it provides
best practices for administration. Then again, with the teacher institute, =
that
will help us with the new professional development planning process for
administrators. There are a number of initiatives w=
e want
to undertake to ensure all our principals, no matter where they are, whethe=
r in
Old Crow, I do agree with the Member for Mayo=
-Tatchun;
they’re an integral part of the school. I’m sure he would, in h=
is
experience, also be able to concur with me that they’re an extremely
important part of the community when it comes to rural Chair: Would the members like to take a break? All
Hon. Members: Agreed. =
p>
Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for 15 minutes. Thank you.=
Recess Chair: Committee of Whole will now come to order. We will continue w=
ith
general debate on Vote 3, Department of Education. Mr.
Tredger:=
I thank the min=
ister
for his answer and for what is happening and the support that is being give=
n to
our administrators. It is much appreciated and I think what we need to do is
look at a strategy to ensure that that continuity is there. As communities transition from one
principal to the next, each transition is a change in the school, so I think
it’s critical that we do spend some time with principals who have been
successful in communities, as well as people who are moving into the commun=
ities,
to find out what has made it successful and not. I’d like to acknowle=
dge
one of our principals who is leaving this year — Thomas Jirousek from There are a number of long-standing
principals; some of them have just recently retired and some are probably g=
oing
to retire in the near future. I guess my question for the minister: Has the=
re
been a concerted effort on a general level — a systemic level —=
to
learn what was successful for them? And what did they find helped them to s=
tay?
Then on a specific level — like for Mr. Jirousek=
— will the superintendent spend some time in the community to find out
who his supports in the community were, who he can rely on, what kinds of
things the community expects, how best the new administrator can fit into t=
he
community — to pick his brain, as it were, so the next administrator =
has a
good chance for success? The second part of that question is=
around
superintendents. As the minister mentioned, I do believe that superintenden=
ts
should be in the schools. They are the window from the department into the
schools and from the schools into the communities and from the communities =
into
the department. As such, they play a very critical role. When we have
principals coming in or transitioning into a community or out of a communit=
y,
it’s doubly important that the superintendent be in that community to
help make that transition as smooth as possible. It’s not good enough=
to
send them off to the community and say, “Let me know if you have a
problem or if I can help”. It’s far more beneficial for that
superintendent to meet with the exiting principal to find out what makes it
tick, what has been successful, what hasn’t and to know the members of
the community so that the following season, when a new administrator comes,=
the
superintendent can introduce him to the community. They can provide some of
that continuity. Is there anything in place for that=
? Can
the minister assure me that somebody will pick Mr. Jir=
ousek’s
brain and develop a process whereby the transitions can become smoother and=
perhaps
more successful? Hon.
Mr. Kent: I too would like to echo the member=
’s
comments about Thomas Jirousek and his incredib=
le service
to the community of Ross River and the students of that community and, inde=
ed,
his work at the principals meetings and other areas where I have been fortu=
nate
enough to be engaged with Thomas. He obviously has some great ideas and
recognizes the unique aspects of learning in When it comes to the transition fro=
m all
principals, no matter what they are — I won’t speak to a specif=
ic
instance — exit interviews are interviews conducted with those
principals. We all know of course that change is inevitable. It’s how=
we
manage that change that’s the most important aspect. There is engagement with school cou=
ncils
and, obviously, engagement with the superintendents during the transition. =
I agree with the member opposite =
8212;
that we need to ensure that superintendents get to spend as much time as po=
ssible
in our schools and working with the deputy minister and Yukon Education
officials. We’re working toward freeing up their time to be in school=
s so
that they’re in the office across the river as little as possible and=
out
in the schools, where we know they’re needed and they’re most
effective. So that’s what we’re doing. Obviously, there are some
times when they’ll have to be in the department, working on some
initiatives, but we want to make sure that their time is well-used and they
spend as much time in the schools as possible. Mr.
Tredger:=
I thank the min=
ister
for that. One idea that has worked in the past — talking to a number =
of
administrators who were around then — is the idea of placing a superi=
ntendent
in a rural community. I know it was very successful when the superintendent=
was
based in If nothing else, on their way to =
span> As a suggestion, I would ask that t=
he
minister take another look at instituting one of the superintendent positio=
ns
into a rural community. I know that It’s critical that they get t=
ime in
the school communities, not only to visit with the principal, but also to c=
heck
with the staff to see how they’re doing, to get a sense of things that
are happening there and to spend time in the communities and such. I would =
ask
that the minister consider putting a superintendent in one or two communiti=
es
and look at that as an alternative. While we’re on principals, do=
es the
minister know how many principals will be leaving? I see we brought it up a=
nd
talked about it last year, but it has been an ongoing issue. When principals
are leaving, the positions are advertised very late into the year. I know t=
hat
we know a number of principals are leaving. It is already April. In order to
involve the community in the hiring of a principal, as is required by the Education Act, it would be importa=
nt
that that process begin now in terms of developing the process for the scho=
ol
councils so they’re aware of what their role and responsibilities are=
in
the hiring of a new principal. It should be obvious that the adver=
tising
should be out now, because if we’re hoping to attract people who are =
qualified
— who are looking to make career changes — they’re going =
to
want to have an idea whether or not they have a job long before the end of =
May.
We have often made the mistake of leaving it too late; we’re hiring
administrators in May and June. Many people have already taken other jobs or
are reluctant to leave their current job because of commitments they’=
ve
made. So as we mentioned last year, and the minister committed to, earlier =
is
better than later. I’m wondering where the hiring for next year is. H=
ow
many positions are we anticipating? When can we expect to see advertising in
the paper and when can school councils expect to be involved in the process=
for
developing interviews? Thank you. Hon.
Mr. In the previous response, we referr=
ed to
Mr. Jirousek and his impending retirement from =
When it comes to principals who are=
leaving
— I think the member opposite referenced the role of school councils.=
Of
course, they play a very important role in the hiring of principals in each
individual school. My understanding is that the recruitment process for
principals for next year will also begin on April 15. But as far as how man=
y we
need to have, we need to receive formal notice from the principals. I guess this goes back to some of t=
he
change-management issues. We want to make sure that we work hard at the tra=
nsition
and try to recruit the best possible people for the schools no matter where
they are in the territory and work with the school councils. We know that
change is inevitable and through our exit interviews and a number of other
initiatives that we want to undertake, that’s how we want to make sure
that we get the right people in the right places. As far as how many
we’ll be looking to recruit for next year, it won’t be known un=
til
we receive notice. We certainly aren’t in the business of insisting t=
hat
our principals retire, but some will be moving on to retirement or other
initiatives and we thank them for their service to Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; Madam Chair, I&=
#8217;m
going to sub in here for a few questions. I’d like to thank the offic=
ials
for their time today. I’ll be brief with my questions. I’d like to start with the =
span> My question: Is this government pol=
icy for
all departments? Is this a specific plan for the college, or is it departme=
nt wide?
Is Hon.
Mr. When it comes to the public school
facilities, what we have right now is a draft long-term facilities plan.
We’re awaiting some other aspects, such as the seismic analysis. What
we’re looking to use that document for — and I think I spoke ab=
out
this in the fall, where it will be developed sometime during this fiscal ye=
ar.
I’d like to bring it forward to the Legislature during this fiscal ye=
ar,
as well, if everything goes as planned. It will identify the schools that a=
re
nearing the end of their life. There are a number of schools that were built
— some of our older schools are in That’s what we’ll do;
that’s what the Auditor General, I think, asked us to do — it w=
as
to come up with a long-term facilities plan including replacement and capit=
al
maintenance. That’s what I’m hoping to be able to provide to
Members of the Legislature in this fiscal year. If I can’t meet those
deadlines for some reason, I’ll certainly endeavor to provide it earl=
y in
the following fiscal year. Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; Thank you to the
minister for his response. In terms of F.H. Collins school,
early in the new year the minister quoted in a press release from two
independent estimates. I was wondering if the minister could provide the co=
st
analysis from these two independent costs estimates that the government ref=
erenced
in determining the cost estimates for F.H. Collins original build that is n=
ow
scrapped. Hon.
Mr. Obviously, as the client department=
, we
look to the expertise in Highways and Public Works to manage the contractin=
g aspects
and the actual construction aspects, so I would refer the Member for Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; I know that the=
re may
be an issue with sensitive information inside of those documents, but I was
just wondering if the minister has available the cost estimates — just
the raw numbers themselves from these two estimates? Hon.
Mr. Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; I’m going=
to
assume that means I’m getting a guarantee from the Minister responsib=
le
for Highways and Public Works on that one. Okay. Thank you, I appreciate the
answer. Moving on, this is my final questio=
n for
now. I have a question on the I would not agree, after my meeting=
with
the chief and council, that they actually consider what they have going rig=
ht
now a partnership; whereas they do believe that they’re working close=
ly
together. The word “partnership” would be bound and determined,
based upon a signing of this agreement, in their opinion. This agreement will recognize Tr’ondëk Hwëch=
217;in’s
jurisdiction for the dividing and sharing of responsibilities for education,
based on The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Self-Governi=
ng
Agreement, and it will strengthen the work that Tr’ondëk
Hwëch’in and the Hon.
Mr. We’re expecting that trailer =
to be on
site here in the One of the other things I’d l=
ike to
highlight is THFN’s resources on the
residential school experience they’ve developed. The First Nation
Programs and Partnerships unit has a workplan with Tr’ondëk
Hwëch’in First Nation to develop a teachers’ guide for the
book that is entitled Finding Our W=
ay
Home, to be piloted in the fall of 2013 for grade 10 students. Those are
just a few of the initiatives we’re undertaking with Tr’ondëk
Hwëch’in First Nation and the community of I hate to punt you on two consecuti=
ve
questions, but I’ve had to refer you to a couple of different departm=
ents
for the answers to your last two questions. Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; I would just ur=
ge the
minister responsible for Education: As he’s looking for initiatives a=
nd
direction as far as increasing graduation rates, increasing inclusion of Fi=
rst
Nations in the classroom, this is it. Section 17.7 of this self-government
agreement is the bread and butter of all that work. I urge him to expedite =
this
process. It has been awhile in the process from the original inception of t=
he
idea to the mailing back and forth. We can go over those timelines if you w=
ant,
but more importantly, I just really am urging the minister and his departme=
nt
to take a serious look at this and expedite the process. I’m looking at the individual=
CELCs who are working at Tr’=
;ondëk
Hwëch’in right now. I’m looking at the people they have hi=
red
within the department to run the independent learning centre. This is a win.
This is guaranteed win. I’m looking at the types of s=
tudents
that they’re attracting and I know that this, being grassroots and
developed by people on the ground floor who actually know what is most impo=
rtant
for the students, is a win for this department. I’d just like to conc=
lude
with that. Thanks for your time, Madam Chair, =
and
thanks to the department officials for being here today. Hon.
Mr. Kent: Just quickly in response again, I k=
now
that it’s an important agreement to Tr’ondëk
Hwëch’in and it’s something that I will look to meet with =
the
Premier on in his responsibility for Executive Council Office, to see if we=
can
expedite that agreement and continue the great work and great successes that
we’ve had with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation a=
nd
other First Nations. Just one of the other initiatives that I would like to
highlight is the memorandum of understanding that we’ve recently conc=
luded.
My understanding is it was a bit of a long time getting it through to where=
we
were able to sign and get Mr.
Tredger:=
I’d like =
to talk
a little bit about the Individual Learning Centre and its very successful a=
nd
proactive way of reaching out to a lot of students who have fallen through =
the
cracks. Has the department examined the program and found out what the keys=
to
success are and talked to the principal, Mr. Bennett, and discussed ways th=
at
he could use extra support? I know last year there was mention =
of a
couple of pilot projects. I haven’t seen a report on how they went and
what successes they had and whether they are being continued this year or n=
ot.
In terms of the ILC itself, over 100 students are currently attending it, w=
hich
is quite remarkable. Many of these students have, as I mentioned, fallen
through the cracks, and haven’t been extremely successful in school, =
and
I’m wondering whether or not the minister would consider counselling
services there? We’re often looking for ways to reach hard-to-reach
students. I’m sure a full-time counsellor=
there
would go a long way toward helping them as they struggle through. I would a=
lso
suggest that it’s a prime opportunity for inter-agency support to work
together. I wonder whether the Minister of Education has talked with the
Minister of Health and Social Services about ways they could combine and
deliver services to those students together. Those are a number of questions aro=
und the
ILC. We do have an opportunity there, working in conjunction with the
principal, to look at things like how we reach those students so not only a=
re
they successful in school but so that it’s carried beyond that. As th=
e minister
is aware, they’re an extremely high-risk population. So it’s an opportunity for
inter-agency work, an opportunity for counselling, and an opportunity to sp=
read
whatever is working there to other schools and how the pilot projects are
working. A final part to that is, when I look at many of the rural schools,
they have very small high school classes, usually multi-grade. I wonder whether the format that is=
used at
the ILC in terms of delivery of curriculum and the pedagogy that is used in=
doing
that — whether that can be transferred or whether that has been looke=
d at
— transferring that to rural communities in rural high schools.
Currently, the schools are trying to replicate what is done in large classe=
s in
large single-grade classes and single classes. They’re trying to
replicate that with one teacher and multi-grades, presenting a certain amou=
nt
of difficulty. I would like to hear what follow-up=
steps
the minister is doing on that. What kinds of supports is he looking to add =
to
the Individual Learning Centre? What kind of communication has he had with =
the
staff there as to what might be transferred to other situations? Hon.
Mr. Kent: I think when it comes to the ILC he=
re in
Whitehorse — I mentioned it in my opening remarks and thanked the late
Minister John Edzerza for his role in establishing that ILC. I had the oppo=
rtunity
to attend the graduation ceremonies and listened to a number of students and
spoke to some students at that event last year. A couple of the keys to success of =
the ILC
are that it is individual learning. There’s flexibility for students
— we provide bus passes for those students as part of our program tha=
t we
started last year with the City of I think that it’s the success=
that
we’ve seen at the ILC in But given the populations, it
shouldn’t take very long to look, in answer to the Member for Klondik=
e,
at the alternative learning opportunities in Dawson City that have been pre=
sented.
Again, there are alternative learning opportunities in Old Crow because I b=
elieve
it is housed within the school there as well, so it’s not a stand-alo=
ne
building where this education is being delivered. It’s being delivere=
d in
the school, but to those students who perhaps aren’t successful in
traditional learning environments or even not successful in travelling to
bigger centres to take their education. The member opposite talked about so=
me of
the smaller class sizes in the high schools and perhaps combining some of t=
hose
rural high school students into one class or one cohort, but what we’=
re
looking at as part of the rural action plan is to come up with some rural h=
ubs.
We are looking at perhaps as many as five communities and establishing a gr=
ade
10 cohort across those five communities and offering an opportunity for the=
m to
learn together and to graduate as a cohort. Rather than having all the students=
from
all the high schools — high school-aged students in a community like =
Faro
or Carmacks or Mayo form individual classes in those schools —
we’re looking at some of the opportunities for all those students to =
come
together as a group and move through school together — move through t=
heir
high school years together. We think there are some great learning
opportunities and perhaps some increased outcomes and being exposed to
different learning environments — experiential learning opportunities=
, as
well, are a big part of that. That’s where we are looking to move with
that and with the establishment of rural hubs at the high school level. Aga=
in,
much of this will be made more apparent as we move through the rural action
plan. I know I committed to the Member for Mr.
Tredger:=
I thank the min=
ister
for his answer. In many of the rural schools, there is only one class for h=
igh
school students. They aren’t segregated. It would be interesting to h=
ave
further discussions about a rural hub. I think — more so than discuss=
ing
it with myself or the Member for Maybe I’ll just leave that an=
d see if
the minister has considered that before I go on to another question.=
Hon.
Mr. One of the opportunities that we see
Education being able to deliver for our students is on the career counselli=
ng
side of things — whether those students are in the ILCs
or perhaps even some of our other more traditional learning schools. Given =
the
fact that education has all the labour market data and those types of
opportunities, we’re looking to have a career counselling workshop as
part of the upcoming teachers institute — the two that I mentioned in=
the
House here today. That’s one aspect that I think we can take control =
of,
but with respect to the member’s question, we’re always looking=
to
enhance partnerships. I know we’re working closely =
with
Health and Social Services on a number of initiatives. I mentioned the lite=
racy
strategy. The literacy summit that we had in December, I believe it was, was
co-sponsored by my department and the Department of Health and Social Servi=
ces.
It was the New Horizons piece. We’re also looking to cooperate=
and
are actively cooperating on some early learning initiatives and how we can
coordinate those initiatives, so there is some great work already being don=
e by
our two departments and we’ll certainly add this to the list and see =
if
there are ways that we can explore that and provide some of the supports th=
at
are necessary to students, no matter what school they are in, including, of
course, the Individual Learning Centre. Mr.
Tredger:=
I apologize. I =
guess I
was getting a little ahead of myself. I was under the false impression that=
the
pilot schools for ILC learning had occurred last year, but I guess I got a
little excited about the possibility. I’m glad it’s going this =
year
and I look forward to the lessons learned from it. I’d like to move on just a li=
ttle bit
to dual credit. The minister has mentioned that.=
Does he have a breakdown on the num=
ber of
students who are taking dual credit courses who are university bound or are=
taking
college credit courses, as well as the number of students who are involved =
in
skills and trades? Does he know whether those numbers have increased over t=
he
last year? I believe this is the second year of the program. What kind of
uptake do we have on that? Hon.
Mr. I think it’s important to jus=
t give
it a little bit more time and we’ll see if we can continue to get a
better uptake year over year, as far as that goes. I think it’s anoth=
er
important programming aspect that we can offer our students as they move th=
roughout
the education side of things. But again, where I’d like to =
shift
the focus for dual credit is to the trades — or maybe not shift the
focus, but add dual-credit trades training as soon as we can, starting, of
course, with the dual credit welding that I talked about as a possibility f=
or
Dawson City for this fall. Mr.
Tredger:=
I encourage the
minister to continue that path. I’m a strong believer in making that
transition from high school courses to college or to university courses as =
seamless
as possible. I found when I was in This leads me to my next question. =
The
Education department has announced a There’s a lot of potential in=
such a
trailer. I know people in my community are excited about the possibility an=
d I
hope the minister is considering many of those ideas, options and ways to
involve school students. Hon.
Mr. The success of the Centre for North=
ern
Innovation in Mining and the work that was done on the proposal is by the m=
ultitude
of partners who were involved. The proposal for that centre wasn’t
something that was driven by just a few individuals; it involved industry; =
it
involved First Nations; it involved industry NGOs and With respect to the mobile trades trailer, it is really for the benefit of rural =
I think there is an opportunity for=
this
trailer to perhaps even be on-site at some of our producing mines to provid=
e individuals
who are currently working there with enhanced skills to upgrade their posit=
ion
and earn even higher paying jobs at the different mine sites. We’re v=
ery
excited about our commitment to this trades trailer and our commitment to t=
he
Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining. Mr.
Tredger:=
I’m still=
not
clear how much education students will be able to benefit from this, especi=
ally
at high school and younger ages, but I look forward to this as the plans for
this trailer roll out. I agree with the minister that there is a demand for=
it
and I would encourage them to work closely with It’s critical that we find a =
way to
reach and involve our students at a young age in skills training and
advancement and developing the aptitude and the interest in the trades. I h=
eard
the Department of Education will be spending $1.1 million and NRCan another $700,000 and that the trailer will be
available for September 2013. If that is indeed what is expected, then I wo=
uld
hope that planning is now taking place as to the deployment of the trailer =
and
where it will be deployed. I agree with the minister it’s important t=
hat
skilled trades training be delivered in the communities. I’d also like to know if this=
project
was tendered. Were there discussions with the building =
trades
council in Hon.
Mr. I know the one trailer we have orde=
red from
the supplier in With respect to how it was arrived =
at,
there was an extensive process in developing It involved a number of individuals=
, as I
mentioned, from a wide cross-section of the community, and that was somethi=
ng
they had identified as an opportunity to help deliver that training outside=
of With respect to whether or not this=
was a
public tender, it wasn’t. It was a question that I asked of the colle=
ge
at the time as well. What they explained to me is that the supplier is the =
only
supplier that provides this specialized equipment. That is again a question
that I asked at the time and that was the response I got from We look forward to its arrival in S=
eptember
and how we can best deploy it to meet the needs of all Yukoners and be as f=
air
as possible with having the trailer travel to different communities to deli=
ver
on the training aspects that the college has identified as well as the trai=
ning
aspects that we identified for dual credit opportunities in our high school=
s. Mr.
Tredger:=
Thank you for t=
hat
answer. I appreciate it. Since this will be for high school students —
you mentioned the lack of an adequate shop and food preparation facilities =
in
the communities — I know that the department has been working on that=
and
the minister referenced a course that was being given in Mayo. Some of the
concerns that were raised last year around the facilities in the rural
communities were the number of visitations to set up the shop, the sharpeni=
ng
and maintenance of tools, the liability when you have a teacher who is not a
trained shop instructor in that. The minister I’m sure is stru=
ggling
to resolve some of these issues. Can you give me an update on that? You men=
tioned
there was a course offered in Mayo. How many other schools now are offering
such courses? I think of rural schools in particular. How successful has the
program been in delivering these services and how many rural students now h=
ave
access to ongoing shop and food preparation courses? When you say a course =
was
offered in Mayo, was that a year-long course or a short, pilot-project kind=
of
course — or did it fit into a prescribed curriculum? I guess what
I’m looking for is an update on the program and where we’re at =
with
it and how soon rural schools can expect regular shop facilities. Hon.
Mr. Kent: Just to clarify, when I spoke to the
difficulty in delivering trades training outside of Whitehorse, it is due to
the lack of training facilities particularly for the mechanical trades that=
are
in demand in the growing mining industry. I think that’s important and
that’s one of the reasons that we’ve moved to purchase this mob=
ile
trades unit. I know the member opposite referenc=
ed a
couple of things with respect to shops throughout rural I’ve had the opportunity to p=
oke my
head in a couple of them during my school tours and take a look at the
facilities that they’ve got, most recently, in Mayo, where — ag=
ain,
I’ll have to get back to the member opposite with the specifics to his
question. It was a very informal tour that I was on with the deputy minister
and the principal and was actually joined by the — pardon me, it was =
the
president of the Yukon Housing Corporation and the Deputy Minister of Highw=
ays
and Public Works. We were just doing some community t=
ours
while we were there making the announcement on the Mayo seniors facility and
poked our heads in there and saw a number of projects. When I mentioned it
earlier, I didn’t have the specific details the member is looking for=
on
that project. I’m not even sure at what grade level it was at, but if
it’s important to the member opposite, I can look into it further. =
span> There are a number of different
opportunities for shop training for some of our younger high school students
throughout the territory and how we proceed with that is important. An
important part of that is the trades coordinator=
that
we can provide. Before I sit down, I know the membe=
r asked
a question prior to the break about the educational leadership program. Som=
e of
the numbers I’ve been able to get from officials. I take this opportu=
nity
to thank them for being so responsive in providing them. Six of the graduat=
es
of the educational leadership program are now vice-principals or principals.
There was no intake in 2011-12 due to a low number of applicants. The 2012-13 pro=
gram
is for all vice-principals, and it is starting this month. Hopefully, that
provides an answer to the question the member opposite asked prior to our
break. Mr.
Tredger:=
I’m wonde=
ring if
the minister could share a report from the trades
coordinator as to what has been accomplished in the past year. I wonder if =
he
can also provide us with a school-by-school report of what facilities are a=
vailable
in each school and whether or not they’re being used to deliver
curriculum. How is he staffing those positions in order that students are a=
ble
to benefit from those kinds of programs? Hon.
Mr. Mr.
Tredger:=
Could the minis=
ter
provide us with the number of students who are enrolled in skills classes t=
his
year? Has there been a trend over the last few years for the number to be
increasing, decreasing or staying the same? We have talked in the House here
quite extensively about the need to involve students in the programming. We
should be seeing a corresponding increase in the number of students enrolle=
d in
applied arts courses. Could the minister make that available, please? Hon.
Mr. Tremendous things are
being accomplished by organizations such as Skills Canada, YWITT and others
that are involved in trades training and bringing those opportunities to =
span> One of the things that I think is e=
xciting
that the Department of Education is doing is with respect to our The number of mandatory exams has b=
een
decreasing over the past number of years, as well, at the provincial level.=
So
students currently in grades 10, 11 and 12 have grade 9 marks that can be u=
sed
for those excellence awards. What we’re looking to do going forward i=
s to
also include opportunities for Yukon excellence awards in multi-disciplinary
areas such as technology, fine arts and applied skills, as well as First Na=
tion
studies. That’s something that we’ll be looking to introduce th=
is
year. There are a number of initiatives that the department and the NGO sec=
tor
are undertaking to improve the involvement of students in our skilled trade=
s. Madam Chair, seeing the time, I mov=
e that
you report progress. Chair: It has been moved by Mr. Motion agreed to Hon.
Mr. Cathers: Madam Chair, I move that the Speake=
r do
now resume the Chair. Chair: It has been moved by Mr. Cathers that the Speaker do now resu=
me the
Chair. Motion agreed to Speaker resumes the Chair Speaker: I will now call the House to order. May the House have a report from th=
e Chair
of Committee of the Whole? =
span> Chair’s report Ms.
McLeod: Committee of the Whole =
has
considered Bill No. 10, entitled First Appropriation Act, 2013-14, a=
nd directed
me to report progress. Speaker: You have heard the report of the Chair of Committee of the Wh=
ole.
Are you agreed? Some
Hon. Members: Agreed. Speaker: I declare the report carried. Hon.
Mr. Cathers: I move that the House do now adjour=
n. Speaker: It has been moved by the Government House Leader that the Hou=
se do
now adjourn. Motion agreed to Speaker: This House now stands adjourned until The House adjourned at =
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