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Yukon Legislative Assembly
Whitehorse, Yukon
Monday, April 27, =
2015
— 1:00 p.m.
Speaker: I w= ill now call the House to order. We will proceed at this time with prayers. =
Prayers
Withdrawal
of motions
Speaker:=
195;The Chair wishes to infor=
m the
House of changes which have been made to the Order Paper. Motions No. 97 and
742, standing in the name of the Leader of the Third Party; Motion No. 848,
standing in the name of the Member for Takhini-Kopper<=
/span>
King; and Motion No. 881, standing in the name of the Member for Watson Lake
have been removed from the Order Paper, as the actions requested in these
motions have been taken, in whole or in part.
Daily
Routine
Speaker:=
195;We will now proceed with =
the
Order Paper.
Tributes.
TRIBUTES
In recognition of Yukon E= ducation Week
Hon. Mr.&nb=
sp;Graham: Mr. Speaker, I rise =
in the
House today to pay tribute to Yukon Education Week, which runs from April 2=
7 to
May 1.
Education Week marks a time when we
recognize the value of public education. The social contributions of public
education to our families, communities and economy are significant. We
experience the benefits every day. Our schools and training programs prepare
the citizens, leaders and workforce of tomorrow — dedicated to their
communities and ready to meet the challenges of the future.
Educat= ion Week helps us to reflect on and appreciate how fortunate we are to live in a cou= ntry where we have the right to education. This year we honour an important them= e, “Many Paths to Learning”.
The ev= ents and activities during this year’s Education Week highlight how the Depart= ment of Education is supporting the success of every learner through individuali= zed learning. Individualized learning means that the content, method and pace of learning are tailored to the diverse needs of Yukon students of all ages. I invite my fellow members and all Yukoners to come and see how Yukon students thrive through this support.
Partne= rship is an important element of supporting Yukon students. I would like to extend a= big thank you to many of our partners in learning: the parents and families get= ting involved in their child’s education, who bring their little ones to learning together programs across the territory, who ask their kids at the dinner table about what they learned in class today, who give their time volunteering at school plays, carwashes and coaching and, finally, those who are always ready to help with homework and assignments from kindergarten to college.
The wo= nderful educators in this territory also deserve a huge vote of thanks: from teache= rs tailoring their lessons inside and outside of the classroom to help students achieve success; to paraprofessionals working one-on-one with students who = need extra support; to administrators overseeing the safety and growth of Yukon schools and their students; to the trainers, guidance and employment counsellors of Yukon’s future workforce; to the language instructors helping newcomers and Yukoners to learn our country’s official langua= ges and the languages of Yukon’s First Nations; to the school councils who are the voice of the public in our schools advocating for each student̵= 7;s right to education; to the elders, educators, communities and the Council of Yukon First Nations who work with us to improve learning outcomes for First Nations students; to our dedicated community partners who promote and suppo= rt education and lifelong learning, as well as work with Advanced Education on= the labour market framework, the Yukon literacy strategy, the community training funds, the labour market development agreement, and other programs; to the = case managers and organizations providing literacy, training and employment serv= ices through to the businesses and employers working with us to develop labour market programs that address the needs of Yukon’s work force, to Yukon College — a leader in post-secondary education in Canada’s nort= h.
As we = celebrate the individualized learning opportunities here in the territory, Mr. S= peaker, let us honour the educators and front-line support staff who work directly = with Yukon students of all ages every day to help them succeed in their learning. All Yukoners are invited to get involved and join us at any of the terrific events of Education Week being hosted in Yukon schools and by partner organizers.
I will= be travelling to Watson Lake to enjoy the Watson Lake school programs being offered on Friday and I am really looking forward to it. I invite all Yukon= ers to come and see how Yukon learners are thriving in the schools and in their communities and careers in Education Week this year. More information and a full calendar of events for Education Week are available on the Yukon Educa= tion websites.
Mr. Tredger: I’m pleased to rise on behalf of the Yukon NDP Official Opposition on this first day of Yukon Education Week to pay tribute to education in the Yukon. I tha= nk the minister for his update and his tribute to education.
As an = educator and as a parent, I’m reminded how much we have to celebrate. Today we acknowledge the students, the parents, the teachers, the educational assist= ants and the many other people in our territory who are involved in education. We are honoured in Yukon to have a very skilled, dedicated and dynamic group of educators. In this special week, we extend our gratitude to the professiona= ls involved in the wide range of education, understanding that learning is a lifelong adventure.
We tha= nk the early childhood educators, elementary and high school teachers, educational assistants, remedial tutors, those who help adult learners and of course the Yukon teachers. We celebrate the passion, the commitment and the dedication= of those serving Yukon students and acknowledge that their commitment to lifel= ong education and training has a positive and lasting effect on the future of o= ur children and our grandchildren.
These = incredible professionals don’t stand alone. They are supported by secretaries, office administrators, bus drivers, college instructors, school crossing guards, public servants and early childhood educators — all pieces of= a greater mosaic. Every day they make a difference. They are often the first faces th= at greet our children. They are cheerleaders and encouragers.
The re= markable contributions of parents and volunteers who sit on our school councils and boards, who assist teachers in public schools with extracurricular activiti= es, who work with children and adults with special needs — through various non-governmental organizations — are also recognized and celebrated t= his week.
We ext= end our heartfelt thanks to those many volunteers and staff at various NGOs, like Y= ukon Learn, Learning Disabilities Association of Yukon, Yukon Literacy Coalition, the Child Development Centre and Skills Canada.
Busine= sses also play an integral part in our educational community. Professional engineers, scientists, tradespeople and others share their skills, their knowledge and their passion with young minds looking to the world for answers.
In thi= s Yukon Education Week, we need not only focus on the successes, but acknowledge th= at we have far too many students who are not succeeding in our schools and slip through the gaps. How we react and meet these challenges is critical, not o= nly for the health and well-being of our students, but it’s important for= all of our society. How we react says a lot about the inclusiveness of our community and the effectiveness of our education system.
We kno= w research and experience tell us the involvement of families and children in programm= ing and extracurricular activities is critical. We know that involved parents a= nd family lead to more engaged and supported students. We need to find a way to make space for family involvement to ensure that they are involved and can = find a way to contribute to their child’s educational life and be valued f= or that contribution.
It is = our collective responsibility to find a way to enable all parents a place in th= eir child’s education. Education should embrace that commitment like never before. It takes a whole community to educate a child.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, there are no simple answers. Education and learning are about working toget= her. It’s about taking risks and taking chances. It’s about building relationships. It’s about being a part of a team. Mr. Speaker, i= t is well worth it.
Many f= inancial advisors talk about the value of compound interest and how money grows over time. It’s the same with education. Money and time invested early pays long-term benefits. Small things grow to big things. Every life change; eve= ry lesson taught and learned; every moment in a child’s life compounds o= ver time.
We tak= e this moment to celebrate and acknowledge our successes. Our continued success wi= ll depend on each and every Yukoner rolling up our sleeves, innovating, creati= ng, taking chances, caring and doing the hard work. We have an opportunity in t= he Yukon. School communities, First Nation leadership, parents, teachers, the Departm= ent of Education and principals have all made it clear they are willing to work together for our children’s education.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, together we can make a difference. Thank you.
Mr. Silver: It’s with great pleasure that I also rise today on behalf of the Liberal Party to pay tribute to Education Week. This year’s theme, as mentioned by the minister, is “Many Paths to Learning” and it is a reflection on= the different ways that each individual learns.
A one-size-fits-all approach to education never works when it comes to advanc= ing the educational needs of students. There are many skills that a teacher nee= ds to have in order to be successful, but few are more valuable than being abl= e to understand the learning needs of a student. The earlier that a student has a learning plan, the better off the student will be in the long run. <= /p>
By cre= ating a system around that student, we promote inclusion and we ensure success and = we build confidence in the student. By teaching self-worth, however, we enable= the student with the ability to learn with a focus. Now I can’t stress th= at enough. As a math teacher, my curriculum did not identify how to teach self-worth to my students. But if a student or if a school embraces a commu= nity approach to developing a whole child, and if the teachers willingly step outside of the confines of their classrooms and their standardized goals, students will benefit by understanding what it means to have self-worth. = span>
I lear= ned early on that in order for a student to succeed, the teacher needs to understand = how that student learns. Every student retains information differently. But this year’s slogan, “Many Paths to Learning”, means a lot more= to me than that. To me, it means that it takes a whole community to raise a ch= ild. A community with many people, from many of life’s pathways engaged in education is a recipe for our next education to have a more enriched life t= han their parents’ generation.
As I p= ay tribute today to Education Week, I want to take the opportunity to thank every teac= her, every parent and every student who I’ve worked with in my tenure as a teacher for all that they have taught me. I hope that I was able to teach t= hem something as well.
I̵= 7;ve said it before, Mr. Speaker, and I’ll say it again: We have the best students in Canada here in the Yukon. They deserve the best education in the world.
Speaker: Int= roduction of visitors.
Are th= ere any returns or documents for tabling?
Are th= ere any reports of committees?
Are th= ere any petitions to be presented?
Are th= ere any bills to be introduced?
Are th= ere any notices of motions?
Notices
of Motions
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: I rise to give notice of the following motion:
THAT t= his House urges the Government of Yukon to provide a donation of $25,000 in disaster relief to the Red Cross to aid the people of Nepal who suffered a devastati= ng magnitude-7.8 earthquake on Saturday, April 25, 2015.
Hon. Ms. Taylor: I rise to give notice of the following motion:
THAT t= his House urges the Government of Yukon to continue to play a key leadership role regionally and nationally to address the problem of violence against women = in all forms by:
(1) reaffirming the call for a nationally coordinated effo=
rt to
address the large numbers of missing and murdered indigenous women and girl=
s in
Canada;
(2) responding to aboriginal women’s recommendations=
on
leadership, wellness and violence prevention;
(3) supporting First Nation governments and aboriginal
women’s organizations to develop community-based projects designed and
developed by and for aboriginal women;
(4) supporting women to navigate and make decisions on iss=
ues
that have legal implications; and
(5) continuing to work on the finalization of a justice
framework on violence against aboriginal women and girls with their national
partners and with input from community and First Nation organizations across
the country.
Mr. Silver: I rise to give notice of the following motion:
THAT t= his House urges the Government of Yukon to release building plans for the upcoming $72-million expansion of the Whitehorse General Hospital.
Speaker: Is = there a statement by a minister?
This t= hen brings us to Question Period.
QUESTION PERIOD
Question re: Lobbying legislation
Ms. Hanson: It comes as no surprise that in 2014, the Yukon Party coffers were once again awash with corporate money. Mining companies and oil and gas companies, lar= gely from Outside, make up a large percentage of dono= rs to the Yukon Party’s war chest. I am not suggesting there is anything unlawful going on. Yukon’s rules, or lack of rules, allow this. Yukon Zinc, the owners of Wolverine mine, has every right to contribute to the Yu= kon Party, and they have given $9,100 since 2006, including $600 last year. Aga= in, there is nothing unlawful with this, but Yukoners can’t be blamed for wondering about the benefits of donating. This perception is damaging and m= ay be completely incorrect but, in the absence of lobbying rules, it persists.=
Does t= he Premier agree that this perception is damaging to the credibility of his government= ?
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: We have spoken about lobbying in this House on a number of occ= asions and, as I have said in the past, we are not supportive of lobbyist legislat= ion. This government — all members of this caucus and all ministers — are open and ready and willing to talk to all people in this jurisdiction.<= /span>
As we = know, we live in a very small jurisdiction where people wear many hats. We feel that= the best way to ensure that there is an opportunity to hear what people have to= say — like in the drugstore, like in the grocery store — and that t= hat continues to happen, and we won’t support lobbyist legislation.
Ms. Hanson: In 2009, Yukon Zinc wrote the then-EMR minister a letter calling for changes w= ith how the mine was being regulated. Shortly after, the minister changed the regulations. On April 15, 2015, the EMR minister was asked if he had direct discussions with Yukon Zinc about missed security payments. He didn’t answer the question. Then we see thousands of dollars rolling into the Yukon Party coffers from Outside oil and gas and mining companies, including over $9,000 to date from Yukon Zinc. I’ll repeat, there is nothing unlawful about this. The annual hundreds-of-dollars-a-plate Yukon Party cruise in the Vancouver Harbour may be perfectly fine, but ther= e is a perception that access to government is for sale.
Is the= Premier prepared to release information on the number of meetings —
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Point of order
Speaker: Ord= er please. Government House Leader, on a point of order.
Mr. Elias: I have a real problem with this question because it is casting aspersions and attacks on the reputation of the members on this side of the House and it is against the specific rules of Question Period. The member opposite should k= now full well that those types of words are going to cause disorder in this Assembly.
Speaker: Opposition House Leader, on the point of order.<=
/p>
Ms. Stick: The House Leader is using these points of order to dodge questions from the opposition. This question directly relates to the government’s abilit= y to do its job. It does not imply motives. We are simply asking the Premier to = be accountable and open. I believe this is a dispute between members.= p>
Unparliamentary
language
Speaker: I h= ave to disagree with you. It is not a dispute among members. The implication is that the members opposite are not honourable and that they can be bought is unparliamentary, and I take great exception to it. Rephrase your question please and refrain from using those types of statements.
Ms. Hanson: Is the Premier prepared to release information on the n= umber of meetings he and members of Cabinet have held with corporations donating = to the Yukon Party?
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: I have stood up in this House on many occasions and said that = this government will continue to be open and talk to all people who are interest= ed in talking to this government — whether it’s business or whether it’s an opportunity to enhance the social supports that we provide in= this territory — and we’ll continue to do so. The reality is that we don’t solve problems, or perceived problems, with legislation and regulation, because we know that is what the NDP do. They think they can regulate and legislate and that solves all the problems. Quite honestly, Mr= . Speaker, we are not here to implement the NDP’s platform from 2011.
Ms. Hanson: No, we are asking about this government’s lack of transparency and it is a matter of public interest. The late Steve Cardiff first called attention to= the lack of rules on lobbying and every attempt by the Yukon NDP Official Opposition that we have made to bring in lobbying rules has been rejected by the Yukon Party. This issue should not be a partisan issue. People on all s= ides of the political spectrum have called for rules to increase transparency in order to address the public’s negative perceptions.
In fac= t, Guy Giorno, Prime Minister Harper’s former chief of staff, weighed in and said, “Yukon needs lobbying rules.” Our conflicts commissioner has pointed to the gaps in Yukon’s law. It is clear the lack of transparency about lobbying undermines public trust in government and our democracy.
Is the= Premier prepared to support rules to increase transparency or will he allow percept= ions of ethical lassitude to cloud his time in office?
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: This government is not going to make it harder for people to t= alk to the government. We’re not going to put rules in that will make it more difficult.
As I h= ave said, people wear many hats in this jurisdiction and it would become very confusi= ng to enact such legislation. The reality as well is that I do believe that th= is is important legislation in larger jurisdictions where it is very, very difficult to have access to the government and access to ministers. All you have to do here in Yukon is go to the grocery store.
Question
re: Alcohol and drug addictions
Ms. White: On Friday, the Member for Whitehorse Centre and I atten= ded a forum on vulnerable people at risk that was organized by the City of Whiteh= orse and the Kwanlin Dun First Nation. The forum con= firmed what many of us have been saying for a long time now: Yukoners with drug and alcohol addictions are not receiving the support they need from this government. In fact, the head of the RCMP in Yukon took the extraordinary s= tep on Friday of calling for a new approach to alcohol and drug addictions in Yukon. He said that we need to deal with them in a compassionate, fair and supportive way without involving the police.
The ch= orus of voices calling on this government to do more in support of Yukoners with chronic drug and alcohol addictions is growing louder. Will the Yukon Party government listen to the police when they tell us that addictions are health problems and not police matters?
Hon. Ms. Taylor: First off, I would like to congratulate the City of Whitehorse= and the Kwanlin Dun First Nation for taking the initiative to organize this very important forum. Likewise, I would like to thank the many individuals, the agencies and the representatives of the var= ious organizations who took the time to participate in the forum.
A numb= er of my colleagues and I were also present at the forum and indeed found the discussions to be thoughtful, to be engaging and to be very informative. Ma= ny of the initiatives that were referenced on Friday were in fact initiatives = that our government has been working to deliver in partnership with many other governments and organizations over the past several years: Jackson Lake hea= ling camp, collaborative health care clinic, Outreach van, working to expand emergency shelter, and creation of transitional housing for vulnerable pers= ons. These are just but some of the examples as to how we have been working to support those most vulnerable in our community with those pertinent partner= s.
As the= Mayor of the City of Whitehorse indicated, this is not about finger pointing. Rather it’s about working together to support those we serve, including those most vulnerable in our territory. We will be engaging with all of those respective partners here as it comes.
Ms. White: It’s about leadership and that’s what I’m looking for. One-hundred-and-eighteen nights — that’s h= ow many nights a Yukon woman spent in police custody last year, and she doesn’t even have a criminal record. There just wasn’t anywhere else for her to go.
In 201= 0, the Yukon Party government asked Dr. Bruce Beaton and former Chief James A= llen to co-chair a Task Force on Acutely Intoxicated Persons at Risk. Beaton and Allen were clear. It isn’t the 1890s any = more. Alcohol addiction is a health problem, not a criminal problem. Yukon’s out-of-date alcohol legislation authorizes non-criminal detention for intoxication, and last week, Yukon’s top policeman added his voice and told us that it’s time for a change. It’s time for the governme= nt to follow through on the Beaton and Allen report and rewrite Yukon’s = gold rush-era legislation.
Instea= d of being treated as criminals, when will the government let Yukoners living with addictions finally be treated according to their health care needs?<= /p>
Hon. Mr. Nixon: I too would like to congratulate the City of Whitehorse and Kwanlin Dun First Nation for their leadership at the =
forum
last Friday. A number of staff from the Department of Health and Social
Services were in attendance as well. I would jus=
t like
to note that we’re taking steps currently to address many of the issu=
es
that were brought forth at the forum on Friday. We just need to look at rec=
ent
announcements pertaining to the construction of the new Salvation Army, the
construction of the new Sarah Steele Building, the construction of the new =
St.
Elias group home, and the renovations and new programming offered at the me=
ntal
health housing sixplex on Fourth Avenue.=
Throug= h a number of different departments, this government has been very proactive in workin= g to address these issues, and we look forward to a continued relationship with = the First Nations and the City of Whitehorse, as well as other communities, in providing services, just as the ones that were discussed last Friday.
Ms. White: The inaction that allows the ongoing criminalization of addictions is our collective shame. Another of the Beaton and Allen report recommendations ca= lled on a downtown sobering centre attached to a medical detox. We know the government is rebuilding the Sarah Steele Building. It’s a new space downtown that could, if properly planned, follow through on that recommenda= tion and go a long way toward supporting the vulnerable persons who brought hund= reds of Yukoners together for Friday’s forum.
ItR= 17;s up to this government to tell us whether they’re taking the right steps to = help vulnerable Yukoners beat chronic drug and alcohol addictions. Will the new Sarah Steele Building fulfill this recommendation from the Beaton and Allen report and include both a sobering centre and a medical detox?
Hon. Mr. Cathers: I enjoyed the opportunity to attend the forum and hear from so= me of the panellists. I would like to acknowledge the work of Kwanlin Dun First Nation and the City of Whitehorse on that, and the many partners = that participated. It’s a valuable addition to the work that has been done= to date.
I woul= d like to just briefly recap for this House some of the significant steps that have b= een taken to date by this government in investing in a number of the services t= hat were referenced and commended by people at the Vulnerable People at Risk Fo= rum on Friday. Those include: the investments in Many Rivers; the investments in the Outreach van, which would not be running without this government’s support; the investments in alcohol and drug services; support for the Salvation Army; support for the land-based treatment centre; the collaborat= ive clinic; transitional housing supports; investment in the emergency youth shelter; support for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society Yukon, including steppi= ng in when the former federal Liberal government cut funding; construction of = the new Sarah Steele Building, which was referenced by my colleague; and, of course, the Community Wellness Court — all examples of a number of initiatives that have been taken.
I woul= d also note comments made by the representative of the Anti-Poverty Coalition at t= he forum that, in fact, there are a lot of supports and investments available. There is more room for collaboration and connection, and we look forward to continuing to work with partners on taking the next steps in this area.
Question
re: Housing programs
Mr. Silver: In this year’s budget, there is $240,000 for a housing action plan. This= is good news. The bad news is that it has been over two years since a former Y= ukon Party minister proudly boasted his government’s plan to develop a hou= sing action plan for Yukoners. It was March of 2013 when this announcement was f= irst made.
Two ye= ars later, Yukon residents who have, and continue to struggle with, housing issues are asking, “Where is the plan?” This is yet another item that falls under the unfinished-business column when it comes to this government’= ;s track record.
The qu= estion is: When will this long-overdue plan be released to the public?
Hon. Mr. Hassard: As the member knows, the housing action plan is being undertak= en by groups of NGOs — all of the partners involved in housing issues throughout the Yukon.
The pl= an is in final draft, but until the budget is approved, the department cannot proceed with implementation. We are moving forward and in due time, this plan will = come to fruition.
Mr. Silver: With all due respect, it has been a few budgets now since this announcement of an action plan. I am pleased to see the government is spending the last of the affordable housing money. Some of it is actually even being spent on afford= able housing.
It too= k nine years, so I’m sure the minister can understand my reluctance to jump = to my feet and applaud and hopefully he’ll answer some questions that I = have here today. For example, it is interesting that the government chose to spe= nd the money before the housing action plan was put in place. Proper planning would have seen a plan developed and then spending decisions being made to implement that plan. The government is doing it backwards and that comes as= no surprise as we’ve watched this government over the years. It’s = the same approach that they have taken with respect to many issues — for example, implementing decisions in mental health without a plan.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, why did the minister make these major spending decisions without having a p= lan in place?
Hon. Mr. Hassard: I guess I don’t understand what the problem seems to be = with the member opposite, but this money is being spent with collaboration and t= ons of planning. Many organizations, many NGOs, many different walks of life ha= ve got together and given input on this. I mean, I didn’t just step in as the minister and say, “Oh boy, we have $6 million or $7 million to sp= end. Let’s get it done.” This government has talked to a lot of peop= le. The housing action plan is just a part of this. The housing action plan doesn’t direct how all the money is going to be spent on Yukon Housing projects for the next 100 years.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, there has been a lot of thought put into this and this government continues= to listen to the people and spend the money wisely.
Mr. Silver: I will give the new minister credit for getting this money out the door. It is certainly more than his predecessors accomplished. The only serious attempt made at addressing affordable housing collapsed last summer due to political interference by this government. It is disappointing, however, to see its willy-nilly approach behind it. There is no coincidence that big announceme= nts are being made as we near a territorial election. These pre-election announcements are typical strategies used by the Yukon Party. They believe Yukoners have a short memory and will forget that this money was hoarded aw= ay through some very, very difficult times for people who needed that money. At this point in time, one has to ask the Premier why he didn’t help tho= se who were in need in the past and why he has chosen now to announce spending= on housing issues only now that there’s a lead-up to the next election? =
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: There is no confusion on this side of the House, but there cer= tainly is confusion with the Liberal leader.
As we&= #8217;ve heard him say recently and through this session — telling us to spend= the money; spend the money. Now he stands up and says, “How can you spend= the money when you don’t have a plan?”
The on= ly confusion that we see is on the other side of the House. We have invested o= ver $150 million into housing. We have built seniors residences in many communi= ties and we currently have a seniors residence under construction here in Whitehorse and also in Mayo.
This g= overnment has been committed to housing and committed to ensuring that not only are we building houses, but we’re creating jobs for Yukoners.
Question
re: Liquefied natural gas power project cost overruns
Mr. Tredger: When the Yukon Energy Corporation’s new LNG plant was before the Yukon Utilities Board, many Yukoners came forward and questioned the claims that = this new facility would easily pay for itself. These legitimate concerns were dismissed by this government as they pushed forward with their plans to increase Yukon’s dependence on fossil fuels.
The ne= w LNG facility is now $8-million overbudget and the c= ost of LNG and diesel has fluctuated wildly. The president of Yukon Energy Corpora= tion stated that the cost overruns of the LNG facility will be passed on to ratepayers through electrical rates and could wipe out much of the promised savings from the conversion.
Will t= he minister take responsibility for the increase in rates that will be borne by the Yukon public due to his government’s inability to manage capital projects?
Hon. Mr. Cathers: First of all, the member seems unaware of the structure of the= Yukon Energy Corporation. The Yukon Energy Corporation is a wholly owned subsidia= ry of Yukon Development Corporation, which is a government corporation. It is accountable, through the board of directors of Yukon Energy and through the board of directors of Yukon Development Corporation, ultimately to the mini= ster responsible, but the corporation itself is a reg= ulated corporation that is under the Yukon Business Corporations Act and it is regulated by the Yukon Utilities Board.
What t= he member in his characterizations has failed to realize, or failed to reflect to this House, is that in fact it was the boards of Yukon Energy and Yukon Developm= ent Corporation that reviewed the work done by staff and consultants and made the recommendation to replace the existing diesel engines with liquefied natural gas. That was based on their belief that that was the cheapest source of en= ergy for providing that backup power. The member’s characterizations of th= is project are quite incorrect, and I should note to the member that even with= the increase in cost — which as I previously noted, we’re not happy about — this project is still the best course forward in terms of an economical solution to replace the 40- and 44-year-old diesel engines at Yu= kon Energy.
Mr. Tredger: Letters of expectations and directions are given from this government to the Yukon Development Corporation and its subsidiary, Yukon Energy Corporation. The f= act of the matter is that this project was rushed through. Yukon Energy had alr= eady purchased the generators for the new facility before the permitting process even began. The Utilities Board hearings and the YESAB process were merely a formality for this government. At no point in the consultation process was = the answer ever going to be anything but a yes to go ahead with the plan.
What alternatives did this government look at before pushing ahead with its now $8-million overbudget LNG facility?
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Quite frankly, the member’s question and assertions are = not only an insult to government, which we are used to hearing from the member,= but are insulting to the dedicated Yukoners who serve on the boards of Yukon En= ergy Corporation, Yukon Development Corporation and the Yukon Utilities Board.= span>
As the= member should know, when the announcement was made of government providing a loan = to Yukon Energy through Yukon Development to advance this project, it was note= d in that press release that this was still subject to them actually being successful through the permitting process of YESAB and through the Yukon Utilities Board. If indeed they had not been successful, this project would= not have gone ahead.
It is = not just government, but in fact the boards of Yukon Energy, Yukon Development and Y= ukon Utilities Board that made the determination based on the best information in front of them — that liquefied natural gas engines were a cheaper solution than replacing the 40- and 44-year-old diesel engines with diesel units.
They m= ade the choice that that was the best path to proceed with, and the member should c= heck his facts before so casually casting aspersions, not just on government but= on Yukon citizens serving on three boards.
Mr. Tredger: This government gives direction to Yukon Energy and the minister is responsible = for Yukon Energy, so he should be taking responsibility for the cost overruns. Decisions on major capital projects should not be made before assessments a= re completed. It leads to delays and cost overruns, and in this case, those co= st overruns are passed on to the ratepayer. The government sold this project to Yukoners on the basis that LNG would save them money over the long run. Now that the facility is overbudget and the price of diesel has dropped, the promise of decreased power costs is in question.
How wi= ll the LNG facility cost overrun and the fluctuating energy costs impact the promised savings that Yukoners were assured this new facility will provide?= p>
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Again, what I would note to the member — and the member = should be aware — is that, in fact, this government, including me and my predecessor as minister responsible for Yukon Development, has strengthened= the accountability framework to Yukon Energy Corporation and strengthened that governance framework from what it previously was.
I woul= d again note to the member that Yukon Energy Corporation did go overbudget due to construction and permitting delays on the diesel replacement project. Even with those changes and even with those delays, the fuel source is stil= l a cheaper, long-term choice than replacing the aged 40- and 44-year-old diesel units with another diesel unit. I again remind the member that it was the b= oard of Yukon Energy, the board of Yukon Development Corporation and ultimately = the Yukon Utilities Board that reviewed this project and made the decisions abo= ut it and determined that it was a cost-effective solution.
As the= member should be aware, certainly people have served on these boards from all walk= s of life and from all parties, and members of those boards are certainly indepe= ndent Yukon citizens who are providing their best advice and making decisions that they believe are in the best interests of Yukoners, and the member should n= ot be quite so casual as to cast aspersions on them while he is flinging mud at the government.
Question
re: Silver Trail improvements
Mr. Barr: This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Silver Trail Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Association AGM with my colleague, the Member for Mayo-Tatchun. The association represents the many business= es based in Stewart Crossing, Mayo and Keno, which provide services, meals, accommodation and shopping for locals and tourists.
This s= pring, the highway from Stewart to Moose Creek is in terrible shape. The association continues to call on government to invest in the Silver Trail, and for years these requests have fallen on deaf ears. This year’s highways budget includes $171,000 to develop a Silver Trail functional plan.
Will t= he Silver Trail Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Association be involved in this funct= ional plan? Will citizens and businesses of Stewart Crossing, Mayo and Keno have = the opportunity to have their say?
Hon. Mr. Kent: The Department of Highways and Public Works last year undertook a number of functional plans, including work on the Freegold Road, the Nahanni Range Road as well as the Klondike Highway. This year, as= the member opposite referenced, there are functional plans for the Silver Trail= as well as a number of other highways throughout the territory. They are engineering plans — they are not consultative plans — so they a= re highly technical. They are done by engineering firms so there isn’t an opportunity for public input until after, perhaps, we’re done and the= n we can take a look at it, but that helps to inform government, inform governme= nt decisions, and it allows us to make the best decisions with the transportat= ion budget that we have.
Mr. Barr: The Silver Trail Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Association has written the minister on a number of occasions about the state of the Silver Trail and the north Klondike Highway. A June 13, 2012 letter states —= and I quote: “Weather, road services and heavy ore truck traffic have degraded the roadbed to a point where there is no surface materials to work with and the soft spots are becoming dangerous.”
At this year’s AGM, it was the same refrain. The Silver Trail needs attention= to many road signs that are out of date and damaged. We saw some falling on the ground, actually, when we went this weekend. Businesses want to see large up-to-date blue highway signs installed that tell the travelling public abo= ut upcoming services, accommodations, gas stations, restaurants and other services.
The su= mmer tourism season is upon us. Will another season pass before these issues are addressed?
Hon. Mr. Kent: As members opposite know, the Yukon government manages thousands of kilometres= of public roads throughout the territory, including important accesses for industry as well as tourism. The Top of World Highway and the Dempster High= way come to mind, as well as the Silver Trail. As he mentioned in his initial question, we are doing the functional planning to help us inform the improvements that we would like to make to the Silver Trail going forward. =
If the= re are specific questions about signage or tourism signage that the member opposit= e or the individuals involved with the Silver Trail Chamber of Commerce would li= ke to see, I’m certainly willing to welcome them to contact my office an= d we can put them in touch with the officials so that we can take care of those signage aspects. Signage is something that is important throughout the territory and we want to ensure that those businesses that would like signa= ge in the highway right-of-way have the opportunity to do so. There are polici= es and procedures in place to have that done but, again, it’s something = that I’m more than willing to talk to constituents of the Silver Trail reg= ion about — with respect to the signage they’re looking for.=
Speaker: The= time for Question Period has elapsed.
We wil= l now proceed to Orders of the Day.
Orders of
the Day
Mr. Elias: I move that the Speaker do now leave the Chair and that the House resolve into Committee of the Whole.
Speaker: It = has been moved by the Government House Leader that the Speaker do now leave the Chai= r and that the House resolve into Committee of the Whole.
Motion agreed to
Speaker leaves the Chair
Committee
of the Whole
Chair (Ms. McLeod): Order. Committee of the Whole will now come to order. T= he matter before the Committee is Vote 3, Department of Education, in Bill No.= 18, First Appropriation Act, 2015‑16.
Do mem= bers wish to take a brief recess?
All Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Commi= ttee of the Whole will recess for 15 minutes.
Recess
Chair: Commi= ttee of the Whole will now come to order.
Bill No.
18: First Appropriation Act, 2015=
8209;16
— continued
Chair:̳=
5;The matter before the Com=
mittee
is Vote 3, Department of Education, in Bill No. 18, entitled First Appropriation Act, 2015‑16=
.
Department =
of
Education
Hon. Mr.&nb=
sp;Graham: It’s a pleasure ind=
eed to
rise in the House today to present the 2015‑16 budget for the Departm=
ent
of Education to members present.
The Department of Education’s mi=
ssion
is to encourage Yukon learners of all ages to develop a love of lifelong
learning, a strong commitment to their communities and the knowledge and sk=
ills
they need to succeed in our workplace and society.
As this budget will reflect, the department’s focus in 2015 will continue to be on supporting success = for each learner. Partnership is an important element in creating and delivering programs and services that are responsive to the current and future needs o= f Yukoners. The Department of Education works with a wide range of partners and stakeholders. Engaging partners about the department’s programs and services fosters new ideas about how to support the academic, cultural, language, employment, training and accommodation needs of Yukon learners. <= o:p>
Before addressing the numbers behind t= he 2015‑16 budget, Madam Chair, I would like to acknowledge the many partners and individuals who work with the department. Togethe= r we explore new avenues of programming and to enhance existing services, includ= ing the educators of Yukon, including the dedicated teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, the Yukon Teachers’ Association, and others.
It inc= ludes the Yukon school councils, students and parents, including Yukon First Nation g= overnments and the Council of Yukon First Nations. It includes the Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon and the many community, business and other educational institutes and organizations that work with Advanced Education through the labour market framework, the Yukon literacy strategy, the community training funds and the labour market development agreements, among other programs.
Input = from partners is invaluable to the Department of Education, and the department w= ill continue to seek their involvement and feedback as it moves forward this ye= ar with the programs and services outlined in this budget.
The to= tal budget for the Department of Education this year is $181,325,000. I will begin with the capital budget estimates for 2015‑16. The capital budget for 2015= ‑16 is $26,481,000. It’s important to note, Madam Chair, that the capital budget is based on need and cash flow requirements for each project; theref= ore, the funding requested each year varies. Investing in creating and upgrading facilities for Department of Education programs represents the majority of = this capital fund.
The la= rgest current facilities project is the F.H. Collins Secondary School replacement, where construction is well underway.
$7,478= ,000 is requested for 2015‑16 for construction, project management and administrative costs. The new school building was designed with leadership = in energy and environmental design, or the LEED standard principles, and will = hold up to 750 students in a variety of learning spaces from the central gym to = the First Nation elders’ space. We just had a walk-through within the last month — and last week on the functional design each individual space = was also walked through — and the uses and the facilities contained there= in were explained. I am very excited to take a look at this school when itR= 17;s finished. I was one of the very first classes that went into the old F.H. Collins Secondary School, and I will be very interested to see the upgrade between that school in 1963 or 1964, I think it was, and this one.= p>
The De= partment of Education is also responsible for furnishing the new school building in order to prepare it for use. To furnish the school and provide the necessar= y IT and other equipment and services for students and staff, $2.970 million is required. Once the building construction is complete, the furniture and equipment will be installed. Once installed, the department will advise sta= ff, students and parents of the timeline for moving in and opening the new scho= ol building. Relating to the replacement of the school is the separate technic= al education wing, for which the department is requesting an estimate of $3 million.
We are= also proceeding with the planned updates to playground equipment at many schools. The department is committed to providing outdoor spaces where children can safely and creatively play, build friendships and strengthen their minds and bodies. In fall 2013, Suncorp Valuations inspected the playground equipment= at Yukon schools. As recommended in their report, the department developed a two-year replacement plan that began last year in 2014-15. The department anticipates this project will cost an estimated $1.46 million over the two years to provide new playground equipment at 18 Yukon schools. For 2015R= 09;16, $600,000 is requested to replace an assortment of play structures, rope climbers, monkey bars and slides. The following schools are scheduled for playground replacements and upgrades in 2015‑16: Ghùch Tlâ Community School, $70,000; Hidden Val= ley Elementary School, $80,000; Holy Family Elementary School, $70,000; Nelnah Bessie John school, $70,000; Teslin School, $4= 0,000; Johnson Elementary School, $70,000 — that includes playground and sli= de; Del Van Gorder School, $70,000; Selkirk Element= ary School, $80,000; and Elijah Smith Elementary School will receive $10,000 fo= r a slide only.
Fundin=
g is also
being sought in this budget for capital projects that help maintain other
public school facilities: $2,575,000 is requested to upgrade the Del Van Gorder School roof to support the long-term structural
integrity of the building; and $500,000 is requested to upgrade the Watson =
Lake
Secondary School roof. I’m also pleased to highlight the construction=
of
the new facility for Yukon College’s Centre for Northern Innovation in
Mining, for which $2,401,000 is requested.
This n= ew building, designed by Kobayashi & Zedda Architects Ltd., will include a workshop and a section with three classroom= s, offices and reception areas. The building will be capable of accommodating a variety of trades such as millwright and heavy-equipment mechanic. I look forward to the completion of these capital projects over the next few years= .
Thanks= to the Department of Highways and Public Works for working with Education to devel= op and deliver the facilities that Yukon needs for its educational programs. T= hese facilities are home to the many programs that contribute toward meeting the Department of Education’s vision and mandate.
I am p= leased to now discuss the main items and initiatives under the Department of Educatio= n 2015‑16 operation and maintenance budget. A total of $154,844,000 is requested for = the Department of Education’s operation and maintenance budget this year. This will support the activities of the Public Schools, Advanced Education = and Education Support Services branches, as well as Yukon College.
From l= iteracy to experiential learning to First Nation programming to language instruction to First Nation support services, the department is investing in the supports = our students need to improve their learning outcomes and succeed in their education.
To sup= port the Yukon Literacy Coalition, which runs the Family Literacy Centre programs su= ch as northern tales for northern kids, Apprentissage par Coeur and multi-age Mother Goose, the department is requesting a total = of $280,000 in funding for 2015‑16.
To inc= rease support for students, $285,000 is requested for the home tutor program, a $20,000 increase for this excellent program that is available at all second= ary schools, including the Teen Parent Centre and the Gadz= oosdaa student residence.
To pro= vide more equitable programs and support to Yukon’s rural and First Nation students, $75,000 is requested to support the continued implementation of t= he rural equity action plan. This plan also responds to data showing a gap in terms of rural and First Nation student achievement compared to urban Yukon students.
Many r= ural and First Nation students do not have access to the same range of social, emoti= onal, physical and academic supports that are available to urban students in the Yukon. This difference has contributed to a lack of equity of outcomes and opportunities. The rural advisory committee meets regularly to discuss the = plan and issues faced by rural schools and First Nation students in order to pro= vide advice to the department.
A grea= t example of the work being done under the rural equity action plan is the rural experiential models such as the one being hosted at the end of this month in Watson Lake. The rural experiential models offer rural students in grades 1= 0 to 12 a terrific opportunity to learn fine arts, applied skills and applied sk= ills training from local and First Nation experts while connecting with their pe= ers from other communities.
The success of past rural experiential models are thanks t=
o the
dedication and efforts of many teachers, administrators and department staff
who engage these students at the workshops. The Department of Education
recognizes that rural and First Nation students have lower attendance and
academic achievement outcomes compared to their urban and non-First Nation
counterparts. The department is committed to supporting these learners in o=
rder
to improve their learning outcomes and to respond to the call from Yukon Fi=
rst
Nations for new partnerships and strategies.
The Co= uncil of Yukon First Nations and First Nation governments are important partners in Yukon schools and in the success of First Nation students throughout the territory. The department supports the Council of Yukon First Nations in th= eir delivery of education services and is collaborating on the implementation of the joint education action plan over the next 10 years. The department̵= 7;s First Nations Programs and Partnerships Unit liaises with local First Nations to create programming for schools that is inclusiv= e of First Nation cultures, languages and traditional knowledge.
$1,566= ,000 is requested for the activities of this unit, such as developing First Nation curriculum and resource materials for Yukon schools. Examples of resource materials made available include reading books for different grade levels f= rom NorthWind Books, such as Making Tea at Grandma’s, Kaska Day at School, A Winte= r Camp and Finding A= span> Medicine Tree.
Great = examples of programs coordinated by this unit include: the bilingual and bicultural Champagne and Aishihik First Nations Southern Tutchone= bicultural program for kindergarten to grade 2 at St. Elias Community Schoo= l, the elders in schools program and the cultural inclusion program, which supports cultural activities in Yukon schools such as carving, moccasin-mak= ing, beadwork, bison hunts, canoe building and other cultural activities.
Throug= h these First Nations Programs and Partnerships initiatives, students are learning = about the history, cultural traditions and the important role of First Nations in this region. We will continue to work together to improve outcomes for First Nation learners and to provide all Yukon students with opportunities to lea= rn more about Yukon First Nation cultures and traditions.
The de= partment also provides students with access to opportunities to learn First Nation languages, including Gwich’in, Han, Upper Tanana, Tagish, Kaska, Tlingit, and Northern and Southern Tutchone. $405,000 is requested for the Yukon Native Language Centre with $3,037,000 requested for the salaries of aboriginal language teachers.
The Fi= rst Nations Programs and Partnerships linguist is also working with First Natio= ns to create and update multimedia resources and databases of materials to tea= ch several First Nation languages. These include Kaska, Southern Tutchone and Han with partners such as= Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Ross River De= na Council, Liard First Nation, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia.
Langua=
ge is a
bridge that connects us to each other and to the world around us. Learning =
the
languages of Canada’s diverse communities helps connect Canadians
together, including First Nations and French Canadians. The Department of
Education is pleased to offer a number of programs for French language
instruction in Yukon schools from the French first language programs at
The St= udent Support Services division coordinates other supports to meet language speci= al learning needs of Yukon students. $3,060,000 is requested for the activitie= s of this division, which provides students with support for their learning successes based on their learning strengths and challenges. Teachers, paraprofessionals and administrators work together, often on school-based teams, to identify and assess the needs of individual students to adapt the regular curriculum to meet these needs. Student Support Services offers counselling, speech and language pathology, physical and occupational thera= py, assistance for the hearing- or visually-impaired and paraprofessional suppo= rt for Yukon students.
The fu= nding request includes $7,000 for the autism spectrum disorders prevalence nation= al survey project, which is fully refundable from the Public Health Agency of Canada. Currently, comprehensive data on autism spectrum disorders does not exist in Canada and there is a need to address the significant emotional and financi= al challenges presented by these disorders as Yukon educators work to assist t= hese individuals to reach their full potential.
Madam = Chair, as you are indicating that I don’t have all that much time, I will end t= here and go through the rest of the programs once members opposite have an opportunity to comment.
Mr. Tredger: I thank the minister for his comments. I will try to be= brief so that he can finish up and we can move along with the others.
First,= I would like to welcome the officials to the Legislature and the minister to his new position. Welcome to the Department of Education and to education in interesting times. I think education is always interesting, and there are always challenges as we work together. I commend the minister for his effor= ts in reaching out to the teachers, to the schools and to the school councils = in his efforts to build a team. To me, education is about relationships, and t= he primary relationship in education is the relationship between the student a= nd the teacher. Our goal is to build a team to support that relationship, and = that goal involves the community, it involves the Department of Education and it involves parents and the school.
In ord= er to make that relationship the most effective, we need to provide our teachers and o= ur students with the supports they need to do their best in the classroom. What research and experience have shown us is that the closer those decisions are made to that classroom, the more responsive they are, the more effective th= ey are, the more efficient they are and the more successful they are.= p>
I thin= k it is important that we look at how we can decentralize decision-making so that decisions are made closest to the source, so that they are responsive, quic= k to evaluate and the most cost-efficient.
A lot = of people go into that support and I think the ways that we can support that are thro= ugh research, through ongoing evaluations, through encouraging our educators and through trial and error to take risks, to be supported in those risks and to learn from them. The best education is a continuous education — continuous progress. In order to progress continuously, we need to have our educators and our students supported so that they can grow and learn from opportunities, so they’re not afraid to take chances or to experience failure — because failure is a part of learning.
To quo= te Wayne Gretzky: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.R= 21; I think that’s so true in education. You need our kids taking shots, taking chances, trying to learn.
The Au= ditor General, in 2009 when he was evaluating the Department of Education and subsequent evaluations of different departments, pointed out that: “Strategic planning is a management tool that focuses on the future. = It helps us set priorities and goals and develop a plan to meet those goals. It also helps a department to assess how resources are to be allocated and giv= es it the scope to adjust its direction in response to a changing environment.” We need to be able to assess where we are, where we wan= t to go, the risks involved — and plan for the risks, but move forward. = span>
There = are many good initiatives underway in the Department of Education. The minister mentioned some of them: the rural experiential model, what’s happenin= g in Old Crow Flats, the projects in Watson Lake and Dawson City, the engagement= of Ta’an Kwäch’&au= ml;n, Haines Junction with Champagne and Aishihik. All these projects are to be commended. They show much promise. Let’s ensure they are given acknowledgement they deserve by properly evaluating them: what priorities, = what outcomes and what goals are being met? Let’s ensure the resources to = keep these happening and maybe to repeat them in other schools or similar projec= ts. Let’s ensure the resources necessary and the challenges overcome are acknowledged, identified and provided, local involvement is supported and successes and challenges are articulated. This will ensure that that succes= s is sustainable and, with proper engagement, repeatable in other schools.
So tha= t will be the focus of my questions as we go through looking at this year’s bud= get, articulating how we’ve arrived at a decision to spend some money. What were the considerations and, because we are fiscally aware, what choices di= d we make? How did we choose the programs we chose and which ones didn’t we choose? Again, I welcome the minister to the Department of Education.
I welc=
ome the
new deputy minister and my long-time friend, Cyndy
— thank you. I’ll leave that now. I will let the minister finish
his introductory remarks and then we’ll begin the questions.=
p>
Hon. Mr. Graham: I will just continue on here and try to hit the highlights of =
every
department. Under program delivery in the department, we are requesting
$295,000 to create an additional 5.5 full-time equivalents of educational
assistance staffing. Paraprofessional support staff, as
members know, are allocated to schools through a needs-based system =
and
we are currently reviewing that system in cooperation with teachers and sch=
ool
councils as well. This process accounts for student needs, enrolment number=
s,
student achievement levels, rural equity adjustments and student learning
profiles. School principals then assign the FTEs allocated to their school =
to
specific classes, based on the needs of students in that class. The pe=
ople who
work directly with Yukon students as they explore the rural world through t=
he
classroom and on the land, from teachers to administrators to
paraprofessionals, are the most important resource in our schools. In order=
to
provide opportunities to Yukon educators for professional development
throughout the year, $352,350 is requested. This funding will help to deliv=
er
in-service training and professional development programs like the summer
academy, which brings together school teachers, administrators and
paraprofessionals from across Yukon before the school year begins each year=
to
meet and learn about new developments in the field of education. This progr=
am
gives school staff a valuable opportunity for professional development and
collaboration on the shared goal of success for each learner. The De=
partment
of Education is committed to providing a safe, engaging and supportive lear=
ning
environment for all Yukon students and staff, where staff has the tools and
knowledge to support the success of their students. Professional development
through programs such as summer academy highlights the value of lifelong
learning for Yukon’s younger generations. I woul=
d like to
now talk about the Advanced Education operation and maintenance budget. A
diverse range of educational programs beyond the public school system are
available to Yukon learners. The Advanced Education branch promotes adult
training, post-secondary and continuing education and student financial ass=
istance
programs, as well as coordinating immigration programs for this region. A t=
otal
of $15,347,000 is requested for operation and maintenance for Advanced
Education. The De=
partment
of Education is committed to building an inclusive, adaptable and productive
workforce and to encourage people of all ages to embrace opportunities for
lifelong learning. In order to achieve those goals, Advanced Education prov=
ides
Yukoners with a diverse range of opportunities to upgrade their skillset or=
to
continue their education, many of which are targeted toward the demands of =
the
job market in this region. For example, the governments of Canada and Yukon
announced the Canada-Yukon job fund and the labour market agreement for per=
sons
with disabilities in 2014 — two major employment initiatives to assist
Yukon workers to access training and skills development to improve their
employment prospects. The Ca=
nada-Yukon
job fund provides approximately $1 million per year for the next five years=
in
federal funding to sponsor the Canada-Yukon job grant, employer-sponsored
training and employment services and supports. This fund takes an
employer-driven approach to help Canadians gain the skills and training they
need to fill available jobs. The la=
bour
market agreement for persons with disabilities provides $1.25 million per y=
ear
over the next four years to increase the representation of persons with
disabilities in the workforce through services that assist individuals with
disabilities to find, gain, maintain and return to employment. Yukon =
also
continues to receive $3.949 million in federal funding through the labour
market development agreement to assist individuals eligible for employment
insurance to seek employment or pursue training to improve their employment
prospects. Partnering with the federal government through these agreements
enables Advanced Education to offer an extended range of education, training
and skill development opportunities for all Yukoners. Addressing Yukon̵=
7;s
skilled labour shortages through these kinds of programs enables Yukoners to
participate in the workforce and to contribute to Yukon’s economy and
communities as well as provide Yukon employers with the skilled workers they
need. Anothe=
r avenue
for filling the gaps in our labour market is by promoting Yukon as a great
destination for immigration. Yukon is the best place to live, work, play and
raise a family, and many immigrants choose to make this region their new ho=
me.
In order to attract talented workers with the skills that Yukon needs from =
overseas,
the Department of Education continues to find ways to support and streamline
the transition process for newcomers to the Yukon. In new funding, there wi=
ll
be $192,000 from the federal government for the foreign credential recognit=
ion
program. In Nov=
ember
2014, the Department of Education began a two-year contribution agreement w=
ith
Employment and Social Development Canada to promote the recognition of fore=
ign
credentials in Yukon, specifically for foreign-trained accountants in this
first phase of the process. The process for foreign credentials recognition
helps ensure that immigrants to Yukon are able to transition into the jobs =
that
are available in their field of work. This agreement will include a number =
of
initiatives, the main task being the implementation of a bridging program f=
or
accountants trained outside of Canada starting this summer. The Department =
of
Education is also exploring a partnership with BCIT’s international
credential evaluation service as a service provider. Furthermore, we will l=
ead
a one-day northern summit on foreign credential recognition. The de=
partment
is also working with Yukon College to ensure that qualifications and
credentials of Yukoners are recognized by Canadian standards and employers.=
As
Yukon prepares to deliver its first made-in-Yukon degree programs in 2017, =
the
department is requesting $250,000 to support the necessary groundwork relat=
ed
to quality assurance for the granting of degrees. In order to grant degrees,
Yukon College must undergo institutional assessment and assessment for each
proposed degree to ensure that made-in-Yukon degrees meet the Canadian
standards. Instit=
utional
assessments look at governance, policies, planning and financing to deliver=
a
quality degree program, legislative authority to offer degrees, qualificati=
ons
of faculty, support for scholarly work for facul=
ty and
students and appropriate educational facilities. Degree assessment considers
the financial viability of the program, academic quality, the program’=
;s
objectives, structure, institutional appropriateness, resources, student
outcomes and their relevance. The department is currently reviewing the
assessment systems for post-secondary education in other Canadian jurisdict=
ions
to determine the appropriate system to use in Yukon. Advanc=
ed
Education is also reviewing the Stu=
dents
Financial Assistance Act as well as the apprenticeship program this yea=
r.
The review process for the Students
Financial Assistance Act and Yukon student financial assistance includes
seeking input from current, former and future students, parents, First Nati=
ons
and educational institutions, and others. The apprenticeship program review
will look at the efficiency and effectiveness of the program to define the
benchmarks that the department can use for further evaluations. We look for=
ward
to hearing the feedback gathered during these reviews. $6,965=
,000 is
requested to support the Training Programs division, which is responsible f=
or
these programs. The amount of funding requested includes $4,728,000 for the=
ongoing
support of post-secondary students through Yukon student financial assistan=
ce
programs such as the Yukon grant, Yukon excellence awards and training
allowance. A tota=
l of
$25,463,000 is requested for O&M of Yukon College, under Advanced
Education’s O&M budget for 2015‑16. This represents a base
funding increase of $562,000 to support this leading northern post-secondary
institution. This funding from Advanced Education will support Yukon
College’s programs at the many community campuses throughout the Yukon
— campuses in Carcross, Carmacks, Dawson City, Faro, Haines Junction,=
Kwanlin Dun First Nation, Mayo, Old Crow, Pelly Cross=
ing,
Ross River, Teslin, Watson Lake, Whitehorse and the Whitehorse Correctional
Centre, as well as Yukon College’s Centre for Northern Innovation in
Mining mobile trades training trailer. Yukon =
College
offers a number of post-secondary and training programs that prepare Yukone=
rs
to succeed in the workforce and in their careers, and that addresses the
specific needs of our region. For example, $75,000 is requested to support =
the
delivery of the Yukon water and waste-water operator program. Yukon governm=
ent
is committed to maintaining and improving access to safe drinking water in
Yukon. Training local people as water and waste-water operators ensures that
there are qualified operators available in Yukon communities to safely and
effectively manage water resources. Yukon =
College
also provides arts and culture programs and training to students. $474,000 =
is
requested to support the Yukon School of Visual Arts in Dawson City. At this
accredited art college, aspiring artists complete a foundational year as the
first year of study in a bachelor of fine arts/bachelor of design degree. T=
his
joint venture between the Dawson City Arts Society, the Tr’ondëk
Hwëch’in and Yukon College attracts students from Dawson, across
Canada and beyond to pursue their arts education in Yukon. This school is a=
lso
an active contributor with a strong presence in the arts and cultural scene=
in
Dawson City. Turnin=
g to
science and technology, the Yukon Research Centre at the college continues =
to
establish itself as a major centre for northern research for climate change,
cold climate technology and environmental science, society and culture.
$1,189,000 is requested to support the Yukon Research Centre as it continues
its work, a $101,000 increase since last year. In Sep=
tember
2014, the Premier announced five more years of core funding for the Yukon
Research Centre in the amount of just over $6.3 million. This funding will =
help
the Yukon Research Centre to attract third party project revenues. We look
forward to the continued growth of the research and development industry in
Yukon through the Yukon Research Centre. $1,200=
,000 is
requested to support Yukon College’s Centre for Northern Innovation in
Mining. Yukon College is implementing its five-year program plan for the
development of the centre to integrate and house mining exploration-relevant
and industrial trades training programs within the territory. Courses conti=
nue
to be delivered to Yukon residents, including First Nation students at
community campuses, and through the mobile trades training centre, which is
currently in Ross River delivering a dual credit, heavy equipment technician
course. The Go=
vernment of
Canada also has continued the targeted initiative for older workers through
Yukon College. This initiative provides an opportunity for workers between =
the
ages of 55 and 64 to develop new skills to transition to new fields of
employment or to return to work. $240,000 is requested to continue this
initiative for 2015‑16. This amount is fully recoverable from the
Government of Canada and 72 participants are anticipated for this round of
funding. This p=
rogram
helps older workers to determine what type of work is suitable, how to deal
with changes and barriers, skills upgrading and certification. It focuses on
job search training, such as resume and cover letter preparation, interview
skills and employment counselling and offers a four-week work placement for
experience. The class size is around 12 participants at a time and 75 perce=
nt
of participants who participated from fall 2007 to spring 2013 were employe=
d at
the program’s completion. I woul=
d like to
thank Yukon College for developing and delivering a wide range of quality
post-secondary programming to Yukon learners of all ages. Partners like Yuk=
on
College and others help education to evolve in this region through direct
engagement committees and consultation. A tota=
l of
$8,075,000 is requested for the O&M of Education Support Services. This
funding will support the activities of the branch, which oversees a number =
of
areas of responsibility. These areas include health and safety, student
transportation, finance and accounting, facilities management and planning,
procurement, human resources, policy, communications, evaluation, records
management and the executive management of the department. $3,867,000 of the
funding is requested for school support services, which includes staffing f=
or
facilities and student transportation, including the contract for busing. <=
/span> In con=
clusion,
Madam Chair, the department encourages everyone to keep sharing ideas and b=
eing
involved in its programs, working together to build a diverse range of prog=
rams
that reflect the needs, values and vision of Yukon. I would like to acknowl=
edge
the hard work of the Department of Education staff and my colleagues here in
the House for developing a budget that supports the success of all Yukon
learners. A big thank you to all Yukoners for their con=
tinued
support and participation in our education system through the various counc=
ils
and engagement processes that we offer. With t=
his
budget, the Yukon government will continue to deliver on its commitment of
education today for jobs tomorrow. Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Tredger: Thank you and I thank the minister for his thorough
introduction. I would also like to thank the officials from the Department =
of
Education for their pre-budget briefing. It was much appreciated and very
thorough, so thank you very much. There =
have been
a number of changes to the senior management positions. I assume there are
severance packages and cost to the taxpayers. I would ask the minister: Do
those costs come out Education or from the Public Service Commission? Does =
he
have an estimate on how much they cost? I believe we have a new minister as
well as a new deputy minister, a new assistant deputy minister and a senior
director has left. What measures are being taken to ensure the continuity of
programming and staffing to assure the staff that things will proceed ̵=
2;
that they receive some assurances that things are under control with that
amount of movement and I guess assure parents and students that programming
won’t suffer? Adding=
to that,
has the minister undertaken a review of the hiring procedures and protocols=
; in
particular, reference checks and background checks to ensure that the people
who are making those decisions are trained to do so and that we don’t=
end
up with situations that cost Yukon people — the taxpayers —
considerable money as well as students’, teachers’ and
schools’ time and effort when members of their community don’t
receive proper scrutiny before they are hired to the positions? Hon. Mr. Graham: Madam Chair, I can answer a couple of the questions. =
p>
If sev=
erance
packages were paid to any employees, it would come out of the Education
department budget, not the Public Service Commission’s. We don’t
discuss those things — the individuals or whether or not they receive=
d a
severance package — but I can confirm that yes, it does come out of o=
ur
budget. An int=
eresting
comment was continuity of programming. Madam Chair, sometimes change is
necessary because what’s going on isn’t necessarily working. I
think that the continuity of the general operation of our schools and
curriculum is something that is going on. It never slowed down. As you=
probably
know, I had a new deputy minister come into the department, but she had
previous working experience at the department level — a senior depart=
ment
level — and could pick up in a fairly seamless manner, but the contin=
uity
of everything in the department was one of the reasons changes were made. <=
/span> We wil=
l continue
offering the basic services we have always offered, but we are making chang=
es.
There is no doubt about it whatsoever; we are making changes. We are involv=
ing
more and more the school committees and our other partners in decisions mad=
e at
the department level and some of those changes that happened very, very ear=
ly
in the process were the changes in protocols and procedures that we use dur=
ing
the review of hiring new people in the department. I have=
also
stated publicly that that even included a second look at how we are using
various committees, such as the Teacher Certification Board. I’m not
necessarily saying that we are going to make changes in that area, but we a=
re
taking a look at that. We will also be consulting with the YTA and with the
people who are part of that certification board to determine what they feel
that their role in the process should be. If changes to legislation and
regulation are needed, we will proceed with those changes, but that is not
something that we are going to rush. At thi=
s time, we
have made several changes in protocol and procedures around hiring to ensure
that the number of mistakes — because mistakes can always be made =
212;
but the number of mistakes in the near future will be drastically reduced.<=
/span> I thin=
k those
were the three that the member opposite asked about — I hope those se=
rve. Mr. Tredger: I
thank the minister for that and I thank him for moving on the issues, as he=
saw
necessary. There has been a lot of concern about how positions are filled
within the department in particular, and I thank the minister for addressing
that. One qu=
estion
that was raised to me around this was one of the new procedures — and=
I
haven’t seen it personally; I’m getting this second hand —
but I would like the minister to comment on it. It is a decision that teach=
ers
will not be removed from schools during the year to positions within the
department. I can certainly see the reason for that, but I would like
assurances from the minister then that the majority — or whenever is
possible and perhaps to make it a priority — of staffing be done betw=
een
school years, so that the qualified people within our schools receive that
opportunity and because they’ve taken a position within a school,
they’re not, as it were, penalized for doing so. Hon. Mr. Graham:=
One of the very first things I did was ask my deputy mi=
nister
to institute the policy of saying that teachers should not be taken out of =
the
classroom for jobs in the department, especially those jobs that were a
short-term requirement for the department, because we found, in one particu=
lar
instance, that not only was the school from which the instructor came
disrupted, but another school was also disrupted because the position was
backfilled from another school. There =
are a
number of children who suffer as a result of these things happening. I can
assure the member opposite that we will attempt, in all cases, to avoid
removing a teacher from a classroom to work in the department, except in
extreme emergency. If there’s an emergency, then we’ll still
reserve that right. I agre=
e also
with the member opposite that we will be attempting to fill those departmen=
t positions
at a time when it’s not going to be disruptive to the classroom. We w=
ould
love to fill them all in the summer so that every instructor has an opportu=
nity
to bid on jobs such as that. Unfortunately, that’s not always the way
people leave the department, but our department plans and the school plans
— we’ll be working on. That’s what we’ll be hiring
— according to those plans. ItR=
17;s our
intent to make sure those jobs are all available to Yukon teachers and that
it’s done before the school year. That’s what the department pl=
ans
to do. Mr. Tredger: I
appreciate the minister’s answers there. It is a valuable opportunity=
for
people who are working in the schools to be able to go into the department =
if
it’s a wonderful professional development opportunity. I appreciate t=
he
minister. It comes down, I think, in large part to planning in advance so y=
ou
know what positions are coming up and when they are coming up. Sometimes in
education, we have in the past reacted to spur-of-the-moment ideas. I can
remember long struggles, even trying to set a school calendar, when
professional development dates and others were only made aware of during the
school year. Being =
able to
plan in advance and determine the positions that are needed before the scho=
ol
year begins would certainly go a long way. The other thought on that might =
be
that any positions hired to the department during the school year for which
teachers or school-based personnel might be qualified could be filled on a
temporary basis until the summer, or until between semesters if it were a h=
igh
school, when those accommodations could be made. Hon. Mr. Graham: That was part of the solution too — that we would be abl=
e to
hire on a contract or casual basis until such time as we were able to make =
it a
fair competition for all Education employees. We see that as something
that’s definitely doable because we realize that department personnel=
, or
department needs, may change during the school year and, if they do, we
don’t want to handcuff ourselves into a position where we can’t
fill that position until the next summer. There =
are a
number of options available to us, but one thing that we would like to say
about the department is we’re always interested in promoting from ins=
ide
where appropriate, and we’ll continue to do that. Mr. Tredger: I
thank the minister for his answer. The ne=
xt couple
of questions are around the importance of community involvement and the need
for a whole child support system. As we are becoming increasingly aware, the
health of a student support system, the health of the people around a stude=
nt,
happenings within communities — whether it is Whitehorse or within the
individual communities — a student’s socio-economic status and
position have a major influence on success. Poverty, isolation, access to
resources all affect a student’s ability to succeed in school. We all
know the importance of early identification and intervention, which can cha=
nge
outcomes, especially if we have community involvement and support. Critical=
to
that are the support of other agencies, the support of other students,
families, and ensuring a safe and secure environment. One of the more
successful ways to involve communities and agencies — quite often in =
the
Yukon we have settled into our silos, as it were, and Education was educati=
on,
Health and Social Services was health and social services, and Justice was
justice, and we had our silos. I wond=
er if
— recognizing that, will the minister direct, or has the minister alr=
eady
directed, schools and other departments — or talked to his colleagues
about directing other departments — to coordinate provisions of servi=
ces
to the communities and to ensure that there is time for school staff,
particularly administrators, to participate? Each community will have diffe=
rent
mechanisms. In each community it is important that it be a community-based
exercise. Will t=
he
minister make this a priority for his staff and encourage ministers from ot=
her
departments to hold regular inter-agency meetings with community members or
within the community to support school administrators to support teachers a=
nd
students and, most importantly, to support students so that they are ready =
to
learn when they are in class? Hon. Mr. Graham: I can confirm that we are working with a number of partners. W=
hen we
talk about whole child support, it is not called exactly that maybe in the
department, but we are working with Health and Social Services and First
Nations in a number of ways. While I was Minister of Health and Social Serv=
ices
and the Child Development Centre — and the coordination between the C=
hild
Development Centre and their work in the community and the Department of
Education. In fact, during my time with the Department of Health and Social
Services, we had an employee of Education seconded to the Department of Hea=
lth
and Social Services to work on joint initiatives between the two department=
s. Health=
and
Social Services and Education — just to give you an idea of the
collaboration on a number of joint initiatives, including how to improve our
service delivery and coordinate efforts to meet the needs of our common cli=
ents
— oversee the joint labour market agreement for persons with disabili=
ties
and health behaviours of school-aged children sureys=
span>
in Yukon. In add=
ition, the
complex needs committee is co-chaired by Education and Health and Social
Services, and the role of this committee is to plan for school-aged children
and youth with complex needs who access programs from Education and Health =
and
Social Services in order to better meet the needs of the students and their
families. To further emphasize that, there are over 16 issues that the two
departments are currently working on, and senior managers of both departmen=
ts
meet regularly to talk about these joint initiatives. I will name a few: I =
have
already talked about the labour market agreement; bullying behaviours steer=
ing
committee; healthy families; home-based family support program; healthy liv=
ing
committee; Canadian Joint Consortium on Comprehensive School Health ; From =
the
Ground Up is another program that they work on; complex needs committee; fo=
ur
corners partnership; and transitions to adulthood for students with
disabilities committee, which is one I’m particularly proud of because
there was not a great deal of support for students transitioning to adultho=
od
out of high school, and that committee is working hard to correct that prob=
lem.
There =
is regular
discussion between the manager of Student Support Services in Education and=
the
supervisor of these family supports for children with disabilities in Health
and Social Services. We also carry out joint meetings related to the funding
renewal of the practical nursing program at Yukon College. I believe that in
the last two programs of the practical nursing program, every single gradua=
te
was hired by Health and Social Services. We col=
laborate
as well on the children’s dental program. As I said, health behaviour=
s of
school-aged children, learning together, parent-child preschool program, and
the classroom diversity committee — so, in all of those areas, Health=
and
Social Services and Education collaborate on joint initiatives. That’s
something that is increasing. I know we’re currently talking in Health
and Social Services and Education about the birth to five-year-old children=
too
and exactly how we can collaborate more closely because we all know that the
children from birth to age five is one of the steepest learning curves of a=
ll
ages, and Education would like to assist in any way we can to improve the
outcomes for that age group. Mr. Tredger: I
thank the minister for those comments, and I think that’s important. =
One of=
the
things I was getting at, and I was thinking of it from a community perspect=
ive
and what has been proven — I know it happens in some communities and =
not
necessarily in others — but the importance of an inter-agency group
within the community, a group that might include the RCMP, the nurse, the
directors of programs within the community from the First Nation, the social
worker — so that they can coordinate their activities within the comm=
unity. In ord=
er to make
that happen, I’m wondering if the minister would make that a priority=
and
look at the staffing allocation formula to ensure that principals have time
allotted so that they were able to have an inter-agency meeting one afterno=
on a
month, or something. It does take time and it is an effort, and I know
administrators’ time is valuable, but this reaches out and involves t=
he
community. The se=
cond part
would be to look at administrator allocation time to ensure that administra=
tors
in the community have time within their day to meet with the First Nations =
and
directors of the various departments of First Nation governments, so they c=
an
include that and incorporate it into building a whole support system around=
the
children and around the schools. I gues=
s my
question is: Will the minister make it a priority, or more of a priority, to
ensure that principals, in their time allocation, have time so they are abl=
e to
do that without having to rob other jobs or programs? Hon. Mr. Graham: I know that in many of the communities at the present time Hea=
lth
and Social Services works with an inter-agency committee that includes many=
of
the people the member opposite just mentioned — the local nurse, RCMP=
and
any of the other professionals in the community that have a concern about t=
he
community’s wellness. As part of the joint education action plan that=
the
Council of Yukon First Nations and Department of Education are working on, =
this
forms a part of that plan — working closely with groups in the commun=
ity
to ensure that we’re planning not only the students’ future in =
the
school system, but the supports and interwoven — I guess it is —
wraparound supports required to ensure the success of the student in the
community as well. So yes=
, it is a
part of the joint education action plan and it is a priority with this
government. I don’t know, really, what else I can say other than that=
. It
is part of the joint education action plan. Mr. Tredger: Administrators are very busy people. I know there’=
;s
staffing allocation, and I know that in some schools the administrators are=
not
full-time because of staffing allocation. Maybe we can move on to the joint
education action plan next but just to finish up on this one — just to
ensure that administrators do have time to do that without having to take f=
rom
their regular work. Hon. Mr. Graham: Yes, Madam Chair, I can assure the member opposite that this i=
s part
of the negotiation process that will resume on Wednesday. We hope to be abl=
e to
support administrators further in exactly the manner that the member opposi=
te
is talking about. Mr. Tredger: I
appreciate the answer. Is the staffing formula part of the negotiations with
YTA? Hon. Mr. Graham: Yes, it is. That’s why we won’t be able to talk ab=
out it
at this time. Mr. Tredger: Just
further with that and in terms of supporting the students, superintendent of
schools — one of the long-term goals from the Yukon Association of Sc=
hool
Administrators has always been to ensure or find ways that superintendents
could be in their schools and understand their schools more. They were look=
ing
toward parameters that allowed superintendents a window into the schools so
that they could see what was happening in the schools and how the schools w=
ere
going, as well as a window into the department for the schools. They were s=
ort
of a conduit between schools and the department. Over the last number of ye=
ars,
there have been a number of structural changes that have given superintende=
nts
less authority within the Department of Education and less time to spend wi=
thin
the schools. That h=
as had a
couple of consequences. One is that the schools, in going to the
superintendents, weren’t always any longer going to the right person.
They had to go, again, back to two or three different directors whereas, in=
the
past, the hope was that they could go to the superintendent, who would then
know what was happening in the schools and be able to advocate for them and
then be able to take that position. When t=
he
minister mentioned all of the committees and activities going on, usually
— or in the past — superintendents are on those committees,
lessening the time that they end in schools. I’ve heard stories of
— in the last year or two — superintendents only having time to
visit schools in the communities maybe once or twice a year and, when
they’re in the schools, having only time to sit down with the princip=
al
behind his closed door. An hour or two with the principal doesn’t
constitute necessarily a school visit so, on this, I’m wondering if t=
he
department has collected statistics over the last years as to how many visi=
ts
the superintendents are going to each school, what reports are coming out of
that, who are they visiting in the schools and whether there is a move to
return some authority back to the superintendents so that they can make
decisions — again, with the idea that they are closer to what the
students need than some other officials within the department. If we are go=
ing
to try to decentralize the decision-making, it is important that our condui=
ts
have the authority to make decisions. Hon. Mr. Graham: I can assure the member opposite that superintendents have bee=
n in
schools more this year than in previous years and part of our changes recen=
tly
have been made to ensure that they are out there more often than they have =
been
in the past. We are attempting to ensure that now all things from the famil=
y of
schools that the superintendent has responsibility for go through that
superintendent. What w=
e would
also like to see happen — well, what we will ensure happens — is
that more of the people who work in the department as consultants and as
support services for the schools will spend more time out with the schools =
as
well. What we are very sure of is that all things will go through the
superintendent, so the superintendent can advocate on behalf of their schoo=
ls
with the various other support services. It is really important, I think, a=
nd
it is one of the really pleasant things that I have seen happen in the
department lately — we just met this morning — that department
staff see themselves as supports for the schools. I am not so sure that alw=
ays
happened in the recent past. It is really great to see that they believe and
they know that their role is to support those schools because that is where=
the
action is. Mr. Tredger: I
thank the minister for that. I encourage him in his endeavours. It has been=
a
long-standing goal to get the dedicated employees in the department into the
schools on a regular enough basis so that they can provide service, and it =
is
also the same with superintendents. I hope they are going to spend more tim=
e in
schools. I hope they spend some time in the staff rooms and in individual
classrooms and get to know the teachers, get to know the school and be able=
to
help the school work with the community. I thin=
k that is
the other aspect to that. I know your new deputy minister spent a fair bit =
of
time in both Pelly Crossing and Mayo, building relationships that helped the
new principals or the ongoing principal to work within the community. Those=
are
the roles that a superintendent can play. It is =
critical
though that they have the time in the schools. One of the things that happe=
ns,
I think, is that sometimes the department officials see their desk piling up
and they work at it from — and it’s a natural thing to work at =
it
from your desk. I would encourage the minister to follow up on that and
encourage everyone to get into the schools as much as possible and to find =
ways
to support them on an ongoing basis, rather than a fly-by visit. I apprecia=
te
it and thank the minister for that. The mi=
nister
mentioned the memorandum of understanding with Council of Yukon First Natio=
ns
and the joint education action plan. Do we have an update on that joint
education action plan? How will that fit in — will the CYFN education
committee and leadership committee have input into what the comprehensive
review that the minister is undertaking will entail? What types of things a=
re
going to be looked at so that we can — if I understand correctly, the=
re
is going to be a comprehensive review — how is that going to interfac=
e with
the joint education action plan? How will that lead in a few years down the
road to the new education vision? Hon. Mr. Graham:=
I will go back to the previous subject just for a secon=
d,
because when we say that we are trying to bring the focus back to the schoo=
ls,
that is something that we are really actively trying to do. As an example, =
even
Finance now has sent out some folks from the Department of Finance to assist
schools in setting up their systems or improving their systems as well. We =
are
trying to make it a department-wide philosophy. The schools are where the
action is; we are here to support the schools and it is really important th=
at
everybody understands that and believes in it. As for=
the joint
education action plan with First Nations, we now have an action plan that h=
as
been signed. What we are doing — in fact, this afternoon there is a
meeting. It is the implementation plan that will be agreed to in the very n=
ear
future. As I said, there is a meeting just this afternoon, so department
officials are attending that meeting. Once we have an implementation plan r=
eady
to go, we are ensuring, first of all, that the implementation plan is
cross-referenced with the strategic plan as well the rural education action
plan. We are trying to make sure that the joint education action plan, the
rural education action plan and the strategic plan are all interrelated so =
that
each plan isn’t saying something different. We want to make sure that
they are coordinated, cross-referenced and proceeding lockstep down the same
pathway. When w=
e talk
about the new vision that we are proposing for education, I think it’s
fair to say that the joint education action group will become one of the
foundation members for the group that moves forward. We said on a number of
occasions that we’ll be including all our partners in the consultation
and in the planning for this new vision, and I think it’s fair to say
that the joint education action group will form a basis — a firm part=
ner
— for the initial discussions. I should also mention, because not all
First Nations are on that, every First Nation will be part of it. Mr. Tredger: I
thank the minister for that. Sometimes I need a deputy minister here, telli=
ng
me which words go where. I appreciate the input of the deputy minister ther=
e. If I u=
nderstand,
then, before we begin the comprehensive review, the minister will engage wi=
th
the various partners. Will that be done in a formal or informal way? Will t=
here
be a committee set up that would then drive the comprehensive review, or wo=
uld
that be done in-house with opportunity for the various partners to have inp=
ut? Hon. Mr. Graham: I think it’s important that we just take a step back bec=
ause,
as I’ve said on any number of occasions, the work being done in this =
area
is in its infancy. We haven’t set up exactly what process we’ll=
be
using immediately. What we do know is that, internally and with some assist=
ance
from a few of our education partners, we’ll be setting out a very bas=
ic
design of where we hope to go, how consultations will occur, when they̵=
7;ll
occur and who they will occur with. We’ll get together a small group
that’s easily able to come up with a basic design and, from that,
we’ll then go forward. At this point, the department really hasn̵=
7;t
had a chance to implement any of the thoughts the Premier expressed the oth=
er
day, or that I’ve brought forward to the department in our conversati=
ons. The fi=
rst part
will be developing an outline of where we hope to go, timelines, who we will
consult with — and we’ll try to put together some points where =
we
hope to have certain things done. I guess it will be an action plan, more or
less. Mr. Tredger: Will
CYFN, Yukon Teachers’ Association and the Yukon Association of School
Councils, Boards and Committees be part of that
steering committee? Has there been any money allocated to set this in motio=
n,
or is it going to be done in-house? Hon. Mr. Graham: Madam Chair, the member opposite is exactly right. Those are o=
ur
primary partners that we’ll be consulting with to put together at lea=
st
the initial action plan, so it will be the Council of Yukon First Nations, =
the
AYSCBC and the Yukon Teachers’ Association. Those will be our primary
partners in the very first stage. At that point, we’ll decide where
we’re headed from this point on. As I said before, we have three repo=
rts
plus the Auditor General’s report that we have to take a look at. At =
some
point, we have to look at what we’ve accomplished or what the
recommendations were from those three reports — what we’ve
accomplished and what we have yet to accomplish, or even if we want to go a=
head
with some of the things that have not yet been done. ItR=
17;s a big
process just to even get started. We’re re=
ally
looking forward to it. We haven’t put any money in — in discuss=
ions
with the Minister of Finance and other caucus members. Once we get at least=
a
preliminary plan in place with our other partners, then we’ll be able=
to
determine more accurately what kind of funding we’re looking at, when=
it
will be required and what kind of process is necessary. Mr. Tredger: The Premier, in his Budget Address, referenced a new vi=
sion
within a couple of months, but my understanding is that it’s a beginn=
ing
of a process that may, it sounds like, take — it certainly won’=
t be
done in this fiscal year but in future fiscal years, and it’s an ongo=
ing
plan and, as it’s being developed, there will be various pieces of ac=
tion
on it that will be rolled out. Does t=
he
minister have any estimated timelines as to when we will see curriculum cha=
nges
and when we will see the changes to the Education
Act that were implied when the Premier said that 20 percent of local
initiative wasn’t enough? I believe that’s in the act, so that
would require a change to the act. Those =
are fairly
major undertakings and I assume they are going to cost money in the end, bu=
t do
we have any timelines on that? Hon. Mr. Graham:=
You know, Madam Chair, curriculum redesign is going on =
all
the time, as the member opposite probably knows. We’re working with t=
he
B.C. department at the present time with respect to some changes in the
curriculum — that we’ll be working with them on — and that
will probably apply to Yukon schools as well. Just in the very recent past,
we’ve had a First Nations unit in social studies 10. We’ve had a
number of other items that have come forward in curriculum changes. I outli=
ned
some that were in my opening remarks today. The cu=
rriculum
design is something that goes on all of the time. We already said that R=
12;
you know, I don’t know where the two-month=
frame
came from, because the Premier was very certain not to make any kind of time
commitments until such time as we had an opportunity to work with the
department. We will begin consultation with all stakeholders and all of our
partners this fall in 2015 — we will begin the process. This is not a=
process
that is going to take place over the next six months or even a year. I have
also said that the initial bite will be to look at high school programming.=
I
don’t see a great pressing need to completely revise the kindergarten=
to
grade 7 curriculum. We are making small changes =
in
there — we are adding more Yukon content, more Yukon First Nation con=
tent
— and we will continue to do that. Howeve=
r, one of
our real priorities was the high school curriculum. We are going to take a =
look
at the best that’s offered in academic subjects in western Canada =
212;
well, all over Canada — and we will learn and we will draw from the b=
est
as we see fit over the next little while. That is one of the reasons why th=
ere
is no money in this budget. We just haven’t really had the time to do=
it.
We will bring together some of our partners — our core partners,
I’ll call them — probably by the end of May, to ask: “How=
do
you think we should proceed with this? This is what we would like to see
happen.” Then we’ll expand that process by this fall. Again, as=
I
said, it is not something that we are going to rush into because we want to
make sure it’s done properly, it’s planned properly and we incl=
ude
everybody — including students. That is the one facet that I probably
didn’t mention before, but students have some very good ideas about w=
here
we should be heading as well — especially how they learn and what they
prefer to learn in schools. We’ll be working with students as well, b=
ut
we intend this fall to bring the majority of our partners together to begin
discussions. Mr. Tredger: I
do appreciate the minister’s comments. I believe Education is going
through a continuous process and continuous evaluation and is moving forwar=
d. I
understand that the Premier did say — and I guess this is where he sa=
id:
“Over the coming months, we will be rolling out a new vision for
education in the Yukon.” I much appreciate the clarifications from the
Minister of Education saying that indeed we will begin the process in a few
months and this will be a matter of ongoing — and lead to sustained
education. I gues=
s we will
see how that goes, and if we get to action that will be good. I guess part =
of
me was pleased to hear what the minister said, because so often we jump into
things in Education very quickly and we follow the latest thing and quite
frankly, teachers, department staff and administrators would like to do the=
ir
work and to evaluate their work and to make improvements on it there, not on
stuff that sort of rolls through on a periodic basis. We’ll be talking
about some of the programs in a bit. I did =
want to
follow-up on one of the things the minister talked about in terms of change=
s in
the department and over the last little while there has been quite a concern
about centralization of decision-making around individual education policies
and special programming. The Educat=
ion
Act is quite clear that the school administration, in consultation with
professional staff and parents, will make the determination as to whether a
student is a student with need of special education or if an individual
education plan is appropriate to meet the student’s needs. It also sp=
eaks
to the involvement of parents in individual education plans and any changes=
to
them. It has always been through the school-based team<=
/span>
that that has occurred. I just=
want to
make sure I have my right spot here. What i=
s the
minister doing to ensure that decisions around IEPs and individual student
education plans and needs are being made at the school administration level=
, in
consultation with professional staff and parents, and to ensure that parents
are apprised of their rights and included in school-based team meetings, IEP
meetings and alerted to any changes in the child’s IEP? Hon. Mr. Graham: These were a number of concerns that came to me at the very fi=
rst
school council meeting I went to and I also heard from a number of parents =
who
felt that — well, I went to the autistic society’s meetings and
there I was also apprised of the concern by parents that they weren’t
being involved in the IEPs, so we’ve heard those concerns. We made su=
re
that we’ve taken those concerns back. We’ve asked the questions
within the department about why these things are not happening. I know we h=
ad
some staff shortages and perhaps we weren’t getting out — or the
department professional personnel weren’t getting out or didn’t
have the opportunity to get out — and do as many of these assessments=
as
we should have. We will be meeting in the fall with the ASA group and teach=
ers
to talk about this a little more, but we have every intention of including =
not
only the parents, but the professionals in any further discussions around S=
LPs
or IEPs programs, consistent with the legislation — because if
that’s the law, why would we want to do it any other way? I think
it’s fair to say that we’ve heard the concerns of the parents a=
nd
administrators and we will be changing the way we’re doing things. =
span> Mr. Tredger: One
of the goals of Yukon Education has been to put children in the most enabli=
ng
and least restrictive environment. When the minister is conducting his revi=
ew
of education and looking to a new curriculum — as he mentioned and
referenced, there has been much concern about how special needs students and
their needs are being met within the school curriculum, within classrooms, =
and
the effect it has on school classrooms. Will t=
he review
that the minister is doing look at the role of special programs and special
needs students, how they are incorporated into our classrooms, and what the
least restrictive environment is, and the most enabling, and where we can
proceed with that — and also look at how we can return the
decision-making to the school level with support from the department, rather
than the decision-making being done at the department and dealt with at the
school level? Hon. Mr. Graham: I think I said in my opening remarks — we talked about a=
safe,
caring environment with the best possible learning outcomes for all childre=
n. I
should pass on a comment from a parent here, with an autistic student, who =
said
that there are problems within the system, but some people are very satisfi=
ed
with the way the system works. This parent, in particular, says they have
always been included in their children’s individual learning plan and
they are very happy with the way things are going. There =
are
difficulties in the system — there’s no doubt about it — =
but
it’s good to hear there are successes as well. I don’t know if =
the
first part of my answer answered the question that the member opposite had,
except to say that, yes, we will be taking a look at how these people are
integrated into the classroom. ItR=
17;s very
important to us too that not only they have a great learning experience, but
that the children in the classroom aren’t disrupted and their learning
experience destroyed because of the integration. Mr. Tredger: I
know I moved off the education curriculum and the Premier’s Budget
Address, but I just wanted to refer back to it. He calls it a made-in-Yukon=
K
to 12 education curriculum. The minister said that the primary focus
wouldn’t be on kindergarten or elementary schools, but more on second=
ary
schools, although that doesn’t preclude, as the minister said, some
changes at the elementary level. I understand from the minister that the re=
view
will focus primarily on, say, the secondary — grades 7 to 12.<=
/p>
Hon. Mr. Graham: That’s correct. I think I said that we would focus, at t=
his
time, on secondary school. I̵=
7;m not
saying that we won’t return and take a look at what’s happening=
in
primary education, but that will happen at a later date. At this time, our
focus is on the grade 7 to 12 curriculum and the pathways — how stude=
nts
are directed into certain pathways and how they are counselled in selecting=
a
stream of education. Mr. Tredger: I have just one further question. The Premier does stat=
e,
“We will be rolling out a new vision” and, toward the conclusio=
n,
he says, “We do have the vision.” <=
/span>I guess the vision is to conduct a comprehensive review. Back t=
o special
programs — the concern I have heard expressed is that there was an ef=
fort
on the part of previous ministers to have the number of special needs stude=
nts
designated with IEPs reduced, and we ended up with a categorical system rat=
her
than a needs-based system. I hear the minister is moving toward more of a
needs-based system rather than a categorical system if students need suppor=
t.
If they need help as determined by their local school administrator, then t=
he
role of the department is to support them in those needs. Given that there =
are limitations
in terms of our resources, schools won’t receive instruction to reduce
the number of IEPs — I believe that a number of them were moved from
individual education plans, which are recognized by the Education Act, to individual learning plans, which aren’t
— thereby not having to meet the Education
Act in meeting the needs of those students. Would =
the
minister confirm that we are moving toward a needs-based assessment of stud=
ents
rather than a categorical? Hon. Mr. Graham: Yes, I would agree with the members opposite. The individual
education plans for students will be needs-based to ensure that we have equ=
ity
and fairness for everyone. As an =
aside, at
one of the school council meetings that I attended, the school council memb=
ers
indicated to me that it was interesting to see who was coming forward to ask
for an individual education plan for their children. Non-First Nation paren=
ts
saw the individual education plan for their child as a step to get some
additional resources to help their child further their education, yet some =
of
the First Nation parents did not want to see their child on an IEP because =
they
felt that it was somehow degrading their student or their children’s
learning abilities and identifying their child as a slow learner. The sc=
hool council
in this particular area is doing as much work as they can with individual
parents to ensure that they understand the reason behind individual student
learning plans. I found it quite interesting, but I think also that one par=
ent
or one school council member said that, in a perfect society, every single =
kid
in the school system would have an education plan because every single kid
learns in a different way and at a different rate. I thought that was an
interesting comment. We don’t have the funds for that nor do we have =
the
resources. As you can see, we’ve added some resources this year to br=
ing
in more educational assistants, but to implement a plan such as having an
individual learning plan for every single student in the system, we would h=
ave
to double the number of educational assistants and that simply isn’t
going to happen. Mr. Tredger: I
thank the minister for that. A couple of comments on it — the trust t=
hat
is built up between parents and the school emphasizes the need for local sc=
hool
decision-making on situations because each student is different and comes w=
ith
a different set of parameters. In many cases, parents have not had successf=
ul
experiences in the school system and that makes them somewhat wary of the
situation. One of the best ways to overcome that is through school-based
decision-making. The ot=
her part
to what the minister said is — yes, each student is on, in a sense, an
individual education plan. I have to take my hat off to the teachers who ha=
ve
differentiated instruction in each one of their classes. They have performed
performance reviews three times annually on 20 to 25 students. They assess
where they are, where they’re going and how they’re getting the=
re,
so, in a sense, each student is on an individual education plan. Thanks to =
the
work of our teachers and their support system, we’re able to deliver =
on
that, but there are some students and some situations where they need extra
assistance and that’s what we recognize in=
an
IEP. I gues=
s this
sort of leads into our staffing policies. If I can just go back through som=
e of
my experiences, at one point the decisions were all made within the departm=
ent
and a school would receive a number at a particular time in the spring R=
12;
about now usually — saying you had 23 or 21 or 10 staffing allocations
and to go ahead and make your plan. There =
was a lot
of concern that some schools were getting more than others, and wondering b=
ack
and forth, so the department at that point in time chose just to give each
individual school their numbers. That certainly did not work. It wasn’=
;t
in keeping with an open and transparent policy, so a staffing allocation
committee was developed and that staffing allocation committee would review=
all
the numbers. They came up with a staffing formula with the intention that t=
hey
would continue to meet and evaluate to see how that would happen. =
p>
The ot=
her aspect
to that — and it was a very important aspect — is that all of t=
he
administrators were given all the numbers for all the schools, so that reli=
eved
that idea of competition and they were able to say that’s fair and th=
at with
this school — “I can see what’s happening there; they need
these kinds of resources and I can see what’s happening there”
— and the department has moved away from that under previous
administrations. I’m wondering if the minister would entertain a retu=
rn
to that open and transparent system, where the cards are laid on the table =
and
the administrators can work as a group, as a team, and feel included in the
decision-making to do away with some of the competition or the
who’s-getting-what kind of thing, so that we’re in this togethe=
r,
we’re part of a team. I would ask the minister if there are changes in
that regard too. Hon. Mr. Graham: The simple answer is yes, we’re going to make it availab=
le to
all schools. The st=
affing
allocation formula was developed back in 2011 and there have been tweaks to=
it
since, but I think that at some point it will require another meeting with =
all
the partners again involved in the allocation formula to ensure that nobody=
is
being shortchanged. I know=
I
recently met with a rural Yukon school council and the principal was there =
too
and, when she went through her staffing allocation — the principal we=
nt
through the staffing allocation as well — and she said: “We
don’t know how we got as many people as we did, but we have to tell y=
ou
that we’re extremely happy with the Department of Education.” W=
hen
I asked her what their staffing requirements were, she outlined exactly how
many people they had and I had to kind of — it took my breath away
knowing the size of the school. We als=
o realize
that enrolment is changing in schools all around the territory and, as you
know, in the staffing allocation process you cannot — even though you=
may
lose a large percentage of your students or a significant percentage of your
students, your staffing allocation cannot drop by more than one FTE in any =
one
year. It’s to protect the smaller schools from a number of staff memb=
ers
all being moved in one year. Enrolm=
ent is
changing. We see that. All we have to do is take a look at the high schools=
and
the changing enrolment in the various high schools. Those things are suppos=
ed
to be compensated for within the formula, but I know schools such as Hidden
Valley School recently made a request to us, because they have had a
significant drop in their enrolment, and they see it affecting their school
population, or their school programs. So they made a request to us to recru=
it
students from the Crestview area, which is very close to Hidden Valley. Kno=
wing
there are going to be pressures on Porter Creek elementary schools this yea=
r,
because of the expansion down in Whistle Bend, we thought it would be a
perfectly good idea to take those kids, if they were interested, from Crest=
view
and move them back to Hidden Valley, allowing the Whistle Bend children to =
come
to the other Porter Creek schools. Eviden=
tly, from
my conversations with them, they have had a great deal of success in that a=
rea,
so the department next year may be looking at increasing the staffing
allocation in that school, just because they are successful in recruiting a
number of students. The st=
affing
committee will be coming together in the fall. It’=
;s
part of the process, I guess, but it’s very important to me that
it’s transparent. As I’ve said to the member opposite on a numb=
er
of occasions, we don’t have anything to hide in the Department of
Education and we’re only too welcome to have people take a really clo=
se
look at what we’re doing. We’re pretty proud of some of the thi=
ngs
that are occurring in the department and we’ll continue to do those t=
hings
— and we’re always looking for new ideas. Mr. Tredger: There
have been a number of studies done on school catchment areas and the effect=
s of
moving them around. I’m glad the minister is open to changing the
catchment areas, because it does involve things like busing, siblings,
tradition and all manner of things. If the=
minister
is changing catchment areas and looking at that again, I would encourage
consultation with school councils and with the administrators of the school=
s,
so that can be rolled out in a planned way. I thank the minister for
reconvening the staffing allocation committee. I know, at one point, it was
dissolved, and it’s good to see it back and in operation. It’s
important, again, to involve local decision-makers in local decisions. Anothe=
r area
that gets affected with this — there are a couple of transitions that=
our
level of support changes at, and there are expectations. One of the transit=
ions
is from early childhood to kindergarten; another is from elementary school =
to
high school. This is identified in resiliency studies and all manner of stu=
dies
as critical points for students; points to particularly pay attention to.=
span> Studen=
ts moving
from early childhood to kindergarten are going from being around their pare=
nts
or in daycare to a kindergarten environment. They are going from the suppor=
t of
the Child Development Centre, which is excellent, to the support of the sch=
ool
system, which is also excellent, but of a different nature. The transition
there is critical, as well as the transition from an elementary school R=
12;
which tends to be smaller, which tends to have one class for the whole year
— on to a high school. Those =
are two
very critical areas. Has the minister had discussions with ASA, with schools
councils and with early childhood in terms of developing a transitional plan
that would look at how we move students through the system and how we suppo=
rt
them through the somewhat troubled times? I’ll stop there. Hon. Mr. Graham: The question is quite interesting because my grandson is curre=
ntly
attending the Child Development Centre. When anybody calls it
“daycare”, he is very, very quick to correct us and tell us tha=
t it
is school that he attends at the Child Development Centre and it is just th=
at
this is the little school and soon he’ll be going to the big school.
He’s not so sure that he wants to go to the big school. The transition
will be that the Child Development Centre makes sure that these kids are
introduced to the big school — as they put it — and they actual=
ly
get to spend a little time in there and feel more comfortable when they go =
on
an ongoing basis. Porter=
Creek and
Vanier schools both have transition plans. At Porter Creek, grades 6, 7, 8 =
and
9 are all together with a single program, so they are constantly working to=
gether
to assist these kids in the transition. I think probably one of the greatest
transitions I know as a child — I do remember that far back from time=
to
time — was, quite frankly, going from elementary school to high schoo=
l.
That had to be the most difficult thing ever for us as children. We were
fortunate, actually, for quite some time because we only had one school in
Whitehorse and it was kindergarten to grade 12, so the transition for some
wasn’t as difficult. It is =
something
that is on our radar. I don’t know what else I can say about it, other
than we will continue to work to make sure we have transition plans from
elementary school to secondary school, to make sure we have school counsell=
ors
that are aware of the difficult time and especially to have the kids visit
their new schools. One of the good things that I saw in the department when=
I
first joined it was the idea of school families, where you have under one
superintendent a number of schools and the elementary schools are feeders i=
nto
the high school. It is actually a great system because they are working with
the same kids throughout the system. That is something that a minister befo=
re
me must have approved and I think whoever did it, did a good job. Chair: Befor=
e we
proceed, would members like to take a brief recess? All Hon. Members: Agreed. Chair: Commi=
ttee of
the Whole will recess for 15 minutes. Recess Chair: Commi=
ttee of
the Whole will now come to order. We are going to resume general debate on =
Vote
3, Department of Education. Mr. Tredger: Just
a quick question for the minister regarding the Yukon literacy strategy =
212;
when we talked about it in the supplementary, he mentioned that the Yukon
Literacy Coalition, the Yukon literacy strategy working group and the First
Nations Education Commission held a joint meeting. They are working to comp=
lete
the strategy. He had a report three weeks ago. There was a great push to get
the literacy strategy in place before this session. It wasn’t done, b=
ut
is expected in the near future. Is the=
re an
update on that from the minister? Hon. Mr. Graham: Madam Chair, the last draft will be coming over to me in the n=
ext
little while and, shortly thereafter, we’ll have something ready for =
my
own caucus to take a look at and then would be only too happy to share it w=
ith
everyone. Mr. Tredger: I
thank the minister for that answer. Teachi=
ng
literacy in the classroom — in the past, we’ve had a number of
programs that targeted specific children with problems, like the Reading
Recovery program. There was a move over the last five years or so to go to
integrated literacy, classroom-based, and delivered by classroom teachers. =
It
did have a training component and it was successful in many ways. But there
were concerns raised that there was still a need at times for one-to-one
instruction away from the distractions of the classroom and there’s a
need for more specialized teachers to support and promote literacy and nume=
racy
with certain individual students. The Re=
ading
Recovery program has years of data, anecdotal as well as empirical data, on=
the
successes of that program. There was a concern that the program would be
neglected and thereby fade away. Reading Recovery — I would warrant m=
ost
people in the Yukon are aware and know of stories of how much it has helped=
children
who they’ve known and certainly teachers and administrators have spok=
en
very highly of it. It does have some limitations; it’s not the be-all=
and
end-all, but it certainly has been a very, very effective program. Part of
Reading Recovery that is important to remember is it needs ongoing support =
and
ongoing training. The various governments — I believe all three
governments over the last 15 or 20 years — have invested heavily in
Reading Recovery. It means training trainers, it means ensuring that each
school has a Reading Recovery teacher and that Reading Recovery instruction=
is
ongoing. It has produced quite a few dividends. If the=
minister
could give me an update on Reading Recovery — the number of teachers
currently being trained, the number of schools that are offering Reading
Recovery and if there are any elementary schools that don’t have Read=
ing
Recovery at this time — if he could also note that — and plans
going forward. Are we going to continue to make significant investments for=
significant
returns in this program? Hon. Mr. Graham:=
The short answer again is yes. In 2013-14, four new tea=
chers
were trained in Reading Recovery. The department felt that at the time that=
it
provided a sufficient number of trained teachers to address the needs of the
programming and consequently no additional training happened in 2014-15. Th=
at
will be reassessed again to determine whether or not additional training wi=
ll
be necessary. I’m informed that it is actually in process for next ye=
ar. The ba=
lanced
literacy approach is an instructional tool and it is now being implemented =
in
all classes, but we agree that supports for Reading Recovery — and I =
had
an interesting anecdote given to me by a teacher in an elementary school wh=
ere
they had a number of children who were not reading at the assigned grade le=
vel.
I think it was a grade 2 teacher who had been trained in Reading Recovery s=
o,
utilizing that approach, she took these students=
and
worked with them over a number of months. At the end of the time that the
teacher worked the Reading Recovery program with this small group of studen=
ts,
she said she found that grade 2 students were able to read at a grade 4 or 5
level, except they didn’t know what the words meant. They could read =
them
absolutely accurately, but many times they didn’t understand what the
larger words meant. To me it was an indicator of how good that program real=
ly
is. If you can teach kids to learn to read at that level before they even
understand what they’re reading, it’s amazing. I̵=
7;m a
believer, just based on that story — and, of course, I’ve had s=
ome
anecdotal stories from within the family too about Reading Recovery. I think
it’s very good. We will
definitely continue it for all kids who don’t have the necessary read=
ing
skills. It was interesting that, in 2013-14, 132 students received Reading
Recovery, and 70 percent were discontinued, according to the program’s
parameters: 21 percent were recommended to the school-based team for long-t=
erm
support; three percent moved away from the territory before completing their
lesson series; and six percent were progressing but unable to continue for =
some
other reasons. To me it was interesting that 70 percent were successful in =
the
Reading Recovery program. This year — that number is an old number. <=
/span> Last y=
ear,
$109,000 was allocated for Reading Recovery. That amount didn’t inclu=
de
the salaries of the teachers involve, but included site licences, program
materials and travel for training, and that kind of stuff. There were 14 st=
aff
positions last year allocated to Reading Recovery, and it hasn’t chan=
ged
this year. Mr. Tredger: Are
there any elementary schools that do not have a working Reading Recovery
teacher at this time — which I assume would be on the list, which is =
why
we’re doing more training in 2015‑16? Hon. Mr. Graham: That’s the intent — to have at least one in every
school, but sometimes there are not sufficient numbers of students. It is
program-based as well. It makes it very difficult, but it’s one of the
reasons why we’re providing more training to try to keep up the numbe=
r of
Reading Recovery teachers in the territorial school system. Mr. Tredger: I
thank the minister for that answer. The Reading Recovery program and its
companion in the Yukon, Wilson Reading, have many benefits besides the
improvement of the individual student. Often the professional development
teachers who have taken Reading Recovery and have taught in grade 1 use it,=
as
the minister indicated, sometimes in grade 2 or in their regular classrooms.
The direct instruction is a nice complement to the balanced instruction
happening in the classrooms. The balanced instruction works for many of our
students. Reading Recovery catches more. I̵=
7;m going
to talk a little bit about Wilson Reading because it too is a very important
aspect to many students in the Yukon school system. I reme=
mber
having a conversation at one point with, I think, the assistant deputy mini=
ster
of the time — this is 10 years or so ago — and he mentioned that
for the majority of students, reading comes through classroom instruction a=
nd
we don’t have to put a lot more money into it. For 20 percent, we nee=
d to
put in more money and payback. As we get further along for another 10 perce=
nt,
we need even more investment, but it is worth it. Those kids who need that
extra investment benefit and become proficient, they become very able
contributors to our society and, perhaps most importantly, through that
instruction they feel good about themselves. I guess
I’ll just ask the minister if he could give me an update on Wilson
Reading and whether or not that is receiving the same care and attention th=
at
Reading Recovery is, because it is a similar kind of program, once it is bu=
ilt
up at considerable investment. We need trainers and classroom teachers who =
are
trained in the venue. It never did quite get its foot in as solidly as Read=
ing
Recovery did, and I think a large part of that was because Jeanette McCrie, who is recently retired, was a real champion =
of
Reading Recovery and she put a lot of time and effort into that and inculca=
ted
Reading Recovery into all of our brains. I have seen Wilson Reading work in
schools where it has been adapted and I know the department was moving towa=
rd
ensuring that it was available at all schools. If the=
minister
could comment on that and then we’ll decide if we have to come back to
it. Hon. Mr. Graham: Wilson Reading system is still supported in Yukon schools, but=
as I
understand it, recent research on the long-term success of the Wilson Readi=
ng
program has shown that it is very effective for a smaller group of students
with specialized learning challenges. What the Department of Education has
suggested is that it should only be provided by learning assistance teacher=
s to
a smaller group of people, but we fully believe — as the member oppos=
ite
has said — in the Reading Recovery program, because any intervention
provided for students that clearly shows it improves results is something t=
hat
we should support. We are
continuing to support it and when the member opposite talked about the trai=
ning
and the requirement for training for Reading Recovery teachers, it is
interesting to see that training for new teachers in Reading Recovery requi=
res
four half-day assessment training sessions, 18 in-service sessions, and the
receipt of five school visits over the year by the Reading Recovery teacher
leader. It sho=
uld be
noted that participation in all of the training can result in some rural
teachers being out of their schools as much as 20 full days in the school y=
ear.
It is a substantial investment in time and funding to train someone in the
Reading Recovery program, but the results — as I enumerated earlier
— 70 percent in this one cohort in 2012-13 appears to me, at least, to
suggest that that training and investment is well worthwhile. Mr. Tredger: It
is very well worthwhile. As I mentioned earlier, as we go through our stude=
nt
population, we get to a percentage where I believe it is worthwhile, but it=
is
increasingly more expensive for a fewer number of people, as the minister
alluded in terms of Wilson. I can =
speak from
my experience in our school about a long-time grade 7 teacher who took the
Wilson Reading training program. She took a lot of it on her own time becau=
se
it wasn’t available, and managed to use some of her prep time and some
comp time as well. The results she found were spectacular and probably in h=
er
mind — and I go to her opinion as a long-time teacher, she felt it was
extremely worthwhile. After she retired from teaching, she went to LDAY and
continued to tutor in that way. I am g=
oing to
read a letter from a former principal who was involved in the Wilson Reading
program by way of trying to emphasize that we are dealing with not a great
number of students, but a significant number — and a significant numb=
er
who are being held back by their literacy, not by their ability to perform.
That is where the extra investment, I believe, pays off long term.=
p>
So if =
you will
bear with me while I read the letter, I’ll skip the parts that identi=
fy
persons or schools or things: “The Wilson program was brought into Yu=
kon
Education by the Department of Education, initiated and supported by LDAY,
quite a few years ago in an attempt to deal with a very serious issue: a
considerable number of our students were leaving Elementary school with a
significant gap in their reading skills — a gap that then put them at
profound disadvantage in Secondary school, with the all too predictable
outcomes. Many of our students — especially First Nations learners
— start dropping out by Grade 9 when the frustration of dealing with
secondary school requirements with their deficient reading levels grows too
great. Wilson Reading began to address that issue. At the=
time of
its inception here, Wilson Reading and later Fundation=
s
were provided with solid support: Learning Assistance teachers were trained=
to
work with students in groups and individually, and classroom teachers were
provided with training in Fundations. It seemed=
to
work. Each school which embraced Wilson Reading started to provide evidence=
of
progress — often dramatic — and parents began requesting that t=
heir
children be given the benefit of the program. Then, after several years, th=
ings
started to change. The Department of Education began de-emphasizing Wilson =
and making
it clear that it was only one part of a larger integrated Literacy Strategy.
That approach succeeded in elbowing Wilson Reading to the periphery with fe=
wer
and fewer schools having the resources to offer intensive Wilson Reading ti=
me
to those of their students who needed it the most. Not long ago, I asked why
Wilson Reading wasn’t being used in a certain school and was told by =
one
of the Administrators that it was no longer allowed! Maybe that is so, but =
even
if it isn’t, the benign neglect with which the program has been treat=
ed
in the past few years means that effectively there are fewer and fewer teac=
hers
to deliver Wilson Reading and virtually no one qualified to train staff
members. “=
;You and I
know that many of these students stand out as early as Grade Three and Four.
These are students who had difficulty with reading from the outset and who
often went through Reading Recovery in Grade One … and were frequentl=
y ‘exited’
and then put in the hands of Learning Assistance teachers for years thereaf=
ter
for part of each school day.” I noti=
ced in the
statistics about 20 percent of the students in Reading Recovery are exited
rather than discontinued. “=
;They
continued to struggle until the end of Grade Seven, often masking their lac=
k of
achievement by acting out or by withdrawing completely. “=
;I
encountered a significant number of students — mainly boys, often but=
not
exclusively First Nation learners — who fit into the above category. A
few of them were able to get some intensive Wilson Reading training and it =
paid
off for them every time. Learners who reached Grade Four as non-readers beg=
an
to see the patterns of readings through the Wilson approach, and plenty of
practice. The chances are these students had a profound reading disability
— dyslexia, for example — which prevented them from seeing the
letter patterns that you and I take for granted. Wilson Reading was able to
unlock that door and give those students the foundation needed to continue
through school. “=
;There are
many parents out there who have seen the dramatic effect that Wilson Reading
has had on their child’s progress and have been willing to attest to =
the
fact and I’m sure will be still willing to come forward.” I guess
that’s a testimony from a long-time educator. I would back that up wi=
th
what I’ve seen in the schools. I’m pleased to hear that the
educational assistants are being trained in Wilson. I would encourage the
minister to take a very close look at it, to read some of the anecdotal rep=
orts
and talk to some of the people who have been involved in the program. It is
expensive, but it’s more expensive to let these kids drift through the
system and graduate with gaps like that. If I c=
an make a
plea on this floor for Wilson Reading and Fundations=
span>
to become more integral to our school system, then I would do so and I thank
the minister for looking at that. Hon. Mr. Graham: The statement that Wilson is no longer allowed in the schools
isn’t an accurate statement. That is simply not true. The de=
partment
is taking a look at what alternatives to Reading Recovery there are for
kindergarten to grade 3 students. The member opposite mentioned one, and he
probably knows that Fundations is one of the on=
es
extensively used in Grey Mountain school —=
and it
is a Wilson program. They have found it to be extremely beneficial to a num=
ber
of students. I think
it’s really important that we keep Wilson alive in the school system,=
but
it’s only one of a whole suite of interventions we need to put in pla=
ce
to make sure that literacy skills are great for Yukon children. That’s
where we have to focus — making sure that the program we use is tailo=
red
for the children who are there. If we can get 70 percent, as we did in 2013=
-14,
with Reading Recovery, then what we have to do is take a look at the other =
30
percent and determine which of the interventions we have currently at our
disposal are correct for those students. I can =
assure the
member opposite that Wilson is not being killed off in the Department of
Education. As I said, in one school in particular, Fun=
dations
is an integral part of the Reading Recovery program. It’s something
that’s going to survive, but it’s only going to be one of a num=
ber
of initiatives that we have. Mr. Tredger: I
thank the minister for that. As the writer of the thing noted, he
couldn’t attest to whether or not it was an anecdotal thing. I would
emphasize again that Wilson is not an alternative to Reading Recovery. It
enhances our suite of options. It does require a fairly intensive investmen=
t,
both in time and money, and it does require a buy-in from the schools. Grey
Mountain is not the only school that has embraced Fund=
ations
and found great success with it. The be=
auty of
having a program like Fundations, and like Wils=
on
Reading and like Reading Recovery, is that it sets a foundation in place so,
when you have schools in rural communities or schools where there’s a
higher turnover, there’s a basis already, it is a department-supported
initiative and the process is in place to enable that to happen so that when
you have new staff in Pelly Crossing or in Ross River or in Haines Junction,
they don’t have to go and reinvent the wheel. This allows us to invest
and have a consistency of approach that helps us reach those hard-to-reach =
learners
in schools where there is more of a turnover and where, in many cases, ther=
e is
a more evident need. So tha=
nk you to
the minister and I appreciate him looking into it. I’m wondering if t=
he
minister can give me an update on Learning Together. I assu=
me from his
earlier comments that it is continuing to expand. I know that in 2013 there
were three schools where it was implemented. Has there been an evaluation of
the program identifying what were the successes; what were the challenges? =
Did
it work in every school where it was used? What supports do we need to put =
in
place? I am very excited about the program. I think any early childhood,
family-oriented program is very important. Again,=
if this
is the program that we are going to use, let’s ensure that it is avai=
lable
and that it is supported, and we know where the challenges are, we know whe=
re
to expect the successes, and we can build that into the system. If I can ju=
st
refer again to Reading Recovery — Reading Recovery has survived our
school system with all its changes for 20 years because it was evaluated,
because it was tracked very carefully, and there was anecdotal evidence,
empirical evidence, and it was well-researched. So whe=
n we have
a program that we find works like, from my reports, Learning Together does,=
how
do we make it so that it is going to have sustainability and that we can
support it through generations? Hon. Mr. Graham: The Learning Together initiative was something piloted for the=
very
first time in 2010 in Whitehorse. It is similar to programs from other
jurisdictions in the country. I think it was basically modelled along the <=
span
class=3DSpellE>StrongStart BC program from our neighbours to the sou=
th,
but it was adapted to Yukon by the Department of Education. Since 2010, it =
has
been offered at a number of locations. It is a drop-in style program. It was
offered in Selkirk and Hidden Valley elementary schools in Whitehorse, Eliza
Van Bibber in Pelly, and Johnson Elementary School in Watson Lake. From wha=
t I
have seen, the creation of the programs in Watson Lake and Pelly included
parent, community, First Nation consultation, and the program has since
expanded to the Family Learning Centre at Kwanlin Dun
First Nation and it first opened in October 2014 last year. The program app=
ears
to have been a success in many areas, so what we are doing is evaluating the
program now to determine the effectiveness. From all anecdotal responses, t=
he
effectiveness has been pretty good, but we are going to evaluate it on a fo=
rmal
basis to determine and to see, because we also believe there are some
modifications to the program necessary now that it has been running a numbe=
r of
years, so we’ll have to tweak the program to ensure that it meets the
needs of all of the learners, especially rural learners who are involved in=
the
program. So, ev=
aluation
and then, if the tweaks are necessary that we believe are indicated, those =
will
be carried out as well — but there is no intention of cancelling the
program. In fact it could even be expanded. Mr. Tredger: I
thank the minister for that and again I would just say that it’s
important to evaluate. If it is a direction that, after weighing the eviden=
ce,
after seeing the effect it has on kids and watching them for a number of ye=
ars
— which I assume we’re going to see in a very positive light
— but it’s important that we have that information at our dispo=
sal
so that we can make a decision, because in order for it to go system-wide, =
it
is a considerable investment and there are other alternatives out there so =
we
want to be sure that we get the right one or one that is adaptable to the
varying needs in varying communities and for different parents. I thank the
minister for looking into that. I wond=
er if the
minister could give me an update on the Teen Parent Centre. It has been a
wonderful program. It has met the needs of many young parents and their
children. I know a number who have benefited from the program. Is there any
intent to upgrade the facilities? Are there plans for the future to expand?=
Are
there any plans for involving or stretching that out so that it’s more
inclusive of communities and for young parents in communities to be able to
attend and be supported in a more supportive environment and work with the
staff at the Teen Parent Centre to enable them to continue at school? Hon. Mr. Graham: At this time there is no intent to diminish the program or red=
uce
the program in any way. We are continuing the program. It has a reasonable
success. What we’re attempting to do is increase the number of options
that are available to students attending through on-line offerings that wil=
l be
available, and we’re also looking at the staffing of the centre. Those =
are the
things that we’re attempting to do right now, but we’re increas=
ing
the number of offerings — no intent to reduce the program in any way =
—
and we’re looking at staffing at the present time with an eye to chan=
ging
the makeup of the staff to some extent. I beli=
eve it was
part of the educational review or the educational reserve review as well. I
will look into that and provide an answer but, as far as I recall from those
meetings, there was no intent to move the Teen Parent Centre from where it =
is
at the present time until and unless a new Selkirk Street School is
constructed. At that time we would have to evaluate exactly where we were t=
o place
the Teen Parent Centre. Mr. Tredger: I
thank the minister for that answer. Again, I would commend the staff at the
Teen Parent Centre for the work that they are doing and the difference they=
are
making, not only for the young parents but particularly for their children.=
Just a=
couple of
quick questions on Gadzoosdaa: Can the minister=
give
me an update on the numbers attending and whether or not — I believe I
have that — but whether or not there have been any students turned aw=
ay?
Is there a waiting list? How many rural people have found other accommodati=
ons?
I know that the department does provide subsidies for rural students from s=
ome
communities, especially those who are not able to get into Gadzoosdaa.
There is a living allowance provided. Could the minister tell me how many <=
span
class=3DGramE>fall into that category?
Last y= ear, I asked about attendance at Wood Street programs and specialty courses. A num= ber of times people move in from the rural communities just so they can attend = Wood Street or the specialty courses that are offered only in Whitehorse. Do tho= se students qualify for residence in Gadzoosdaa? A= t one point, if they were from a community that already had a high school, they weren’t given priority for Gadzoosdaa. Does that still remain? I guess the other part to it is that I had talked t= o a number of students at one point and they were under the impression that if = they went to Gadzoosdaa, they weren’t allowed = to attend the Individual Learning Centre, which is a — well, we will talk about the wonders of the Individual Learning Centre after. I am not sure if that implies that I didn’t know what to answer — so if the mini= ster could tell me?
Has the graduation rate at Gadzoosdaa been compared to = the graduation rate in the communities or territory-wide? Has Gadzoosdaa improved our graduation rate? Is it something that is working that way?
Finall= y, on Gadzoosdaa, is there an exit survey? I know a number = of students begin the year at Gadzoosdaa and then = leave and return to their communities through the year. Is there an exit survey d= one to see what causes them to leave, if there is a reason — whether it’s just family back home or being homesick or whether there is something that the residence can do to convince them to stay longer in the residence, some type of programming or support that we could put into place= to help the students who are living away from home at a young age and experien= cing a large school compared to where many of them are coming from?
Hon. Mr. Graham: There are 38 beds in the Gadzoosdaa residence. As the member pointed out, they are for senior secondary school students who don’t have a secondary school in their home communities.= The first question he asked was about students who do not stay in Gadzoosdaa. There are about 15 rural students receivi= ng living subsidies for residences other than Gadzoosdaa<= /span> at the present time.
The me= mber opposite probably is aware that we’re currently conducting a review of the residence. In fact, the review may be over, but we haven’t gotten= the results yet. As part of the review, the students at Ga= dzoosdaa would have been consulted. As soon as we receive the results of that review, we’ll have something upon which to base any further changes in the program.
I̵= 7;ll have to come back to you with answers on the graduation rates and if we have ever done any exit surveys. I simply don’t know if we have. I’ll get back to the member opposite with answers to those two questions and anything else we read in the Blues that I haven’t answered while I’m standing here. We’ll make sure that we answer all the questions.
Mr. Tredger: I thank the minister for that. I wasn’t aware there was a review going = on, but that is good news, indeed. It’s an important part in the lives of youngsters who are living away from home, and anything we can do to support them and support their communities in that — and part of that is the continuous progress. I thank the minister for that. I look forward to the review, when it does come out.
While we’re talking about residences, Dawson City has an excellent resource. They have built a real arts and culture centre there. The Yukon School of Visual Arts, the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture, the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, the City of Dawson and local residents have really mad= e an effort to make Dawson City a centre of excellence. I know the Member for Klondike will be speaking to that when it’s his turn to come up. Where I’m coming from is I had a number of students from my riding, from my constituency, who wanted to attend SOVA and programming in Dawson and weren’t able to find a homestay or to live with someone. The parents suggested — have they ever looked at a residence in Dawson that would allow students from across the Yukon to come to Dawson and participate in s= ome of the wonderful programming that is being offered there?
I wond= er whether the department has looked into that or whether they will look into it ̵= 2; if I could get an update from the minister.
Hon. Mr. Graham: Some years ago, we did have that problem, where there simply weren’t enough spaces for students taking the program in Dawson City. What happened then is the college contracted with a local hotel — or motel — that regularly closed down in the winter months and, for a fe= e, they stayed open — this motel did — in order to house the stude= nts going to the program. Actually, the dates worked out fine, because it was f= rom mid-September until April, and the hotel opened only for the summer months anyway.
That h= as since gone the way of the dodo bird, I guess, because the last I understood, that= was something that was no longer happening. I’ll check to make sure my fa= cts are correct. At the present time, that program in Dawson costs about a half million dollars a year. That cost is to the government for up to 12 student= s, so it makes it a fairly costly program for the government to run, and IR= 17;m afraid that, if we planned to open a residence there at the same time, it w= ould have to be cost recovery. It is, as I said, a very expensive program for the number of students we are graduating every year.
Mr. Tredger: It is a centre of excellence and may be unique in the world — certainly = in the Yukon — and it’s an opportunity that we need to invest in — those kinds of opportunities. It has many different effects. It hel= ps communities — in this case, Dawson. If we develop centres of excellen= ce in various other communities, be they around mining or skills training or f= ine arts, it will be expensive, but I think it pays off in many different ways.= I encourage the government to look at options. Maybe a residence is too expensive, but maybe there are other ways to go about supporting the progra= m. I thank the minister for that.
Last y= ear, when we were talking, the Premier spoke — rather than augment the Canada Pension Plan, he felt that an emphasis and a re-emphasis on financial liter= acy for our students would be important. We talked about the importance of cred= it cards and of debt management. I’ve heard similar comments from many sources — parents, in particular, and many students who come back and say, I wish I had learned about investing and finances in school.
We tal= ked about the lack of formal financial planning courses in our school and education f= or our students. Given that the Premier had cited this as a direction to go, rather than through augmenting the Canada Pension Plan, my impression is th= at we were going to improve the financial literacy in our schools. I know there are individual pockets of classrooms — I can think of a particular teacher who taught my daughter at one point, and had a wonderful class on financial literacy — but it seems, from my understanding, that it doe= sn’t get to all the kids across the system.
I̵= 7;m wondering if, in the past year, there have been advances made in financial literacy courses, and whether we followed up on those promises from the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Graham: The apprenticeship and workplace math 10 and 11 currently offe= red has some financial literacy component and we’re currently looking at = new math programs in other jurisdictions that have, as part of their core competencies, the financial literacy component. We are still in the process= of looking at these new math programs and, at this point, haven’t made a decision or even a suggestion as to which programs we should be following or which ones we should be utilizing.
I̵= 7;m not sure — I haven’t spoken to the Premier lately to know if this w= as an actual promise, or perhaps it was just a suggestion that he felt should = be done, but it’s a suggestion being taken seriously by the department in that we’re looking at some programs that would offer, as part of the = core competencies, financial literacy.
Mr. Tredger: I thank the minister for that and I concur that financial literacy is an important aspect, and I would look forward to all our students receiving so= me training in financial literacy, given the importance it plays.
I woul= d just like to go back to the shared resource room. We had been talking about IEPs= and special programming. Last year in September, the school councils were told = that strategic goal 3 for Yukon education is: “Yukon Education demonstrates organizational excellence through alignment and accountability. Within the spirit and intent of that strategic goal, a plan to review Shared Resource Programming within Yukon Education will occur between October 2014 and Janu= ary 2015, completed by an external consultant.
“= ;The purpose of the review is to: review best practices in special education as = they relate to Yukon policies and procedures relevant to shared resource programming; review existing service, policies, procedures and programming = for students in attending shared resource programs; provide recommendations for shared resource program improvements; facilitate a plan to implement recommendations in shared resource programs that best address student needs.”
I gues= s my question for the minister is: Has that review been completed, and will it be incorporated in the staffing and the planning for the coming school year?= span>
Hon. Mr. Graham: It’s an appropriate question, because we just completed = the review. The review is currently in — or has just been delivered to the department, so the timing is excellent. The department hasn’t even ha= d a chance to look at it and consider the recommendations at this time but, once we’ve done that, we would be happy to share it. I can’t give yo= u an exact timeline, but I would say that we’ll take a look at the recommendations and we will be able to share it with the member opposite as= quickly as we can.
Mr. Tredger: Last year, there was considerable controversy on the public schools’ Safe = and Caring Schools policy, especially as it related to the= One Heart policy in Catholic schools. I am wondering if the minister has an upd= ate. Have all the schools now adopted Yukon’s Safe and Caring Schools poli= cy? As an adjunct to that, I know last year we were working on a hiring policy = for Catholic schools and teachers in Catholic schools. Has that policy been finalized and updated?
Hon. Mr. Graham: I can say that there appears to have been a glitch in the syst= em in working with the Safe and Caring Schools policy. It has been put on hold fo= r a little while, while further discussions are undertaken. I did float the ide= a, though, and I did mention it this morning on a CBC radio interview, where o= ne of the suggestions that I have made to the department is that we take a loo= k at a Yukon-wide student behaviour code of conduct — call it whatever you want — but this is something that we would develop as a department. <= /span>
It may= be that we set a minimum level of what we consider acceptable student conduct. That would mean that you know the very basics of anti-bullying — no sexual discrimination, no violence in the school, respect and tolerance for others, and no violence toward teachers. That is where it basically came up, becaus= e of the perception that there has been a large increase in violence toward teachers. This was an idea that I brought to the department and said that we should be looking at this. I’ll take some time over the next month to discuss it with school councils and see if they’re generally in favou= r of it. It’s not something that we would be able to impose, but it would = be something that, if we instituted a code of conduct, would be the bare minim= um. Then we would ask school councils — this is the bare minimum — = to increase or to expand on our basic code of conduct if they so desired. It’s something that we will be looking at over the next month or so, = and I will be consulting with partners to determine if this is something that w= ould be acceptable in the schools in the territorial system.
As far= as the teachers and the violence toward teachers, as I have stated before, that is part of the collective bargaining process that is happening again on Wednes= day, so I will stay away from that one right now.
Mr. Tredger: I was particularly wondering about the Safe and Caring Sc= hools policy. The previous minister had talked about it being the policy that wou= ld be in all schools. At the time there was some concern about the LGBT incorporation of that — so that children weren’t bullied or discriminated against based on their sexual orientation or their gender = 212; and the adoption of a supportive policy for students in our schools that wa= y. At the time, there was some discussion around whether or not the Catholic schools would be included. The minister of the day said that the Safe and <= span class=3DGramE>Caring Schools policy would be in place, but there were discussions about — I believe it was the One Heart: Ministered by Love policy that the Catholic school system was proposing instead of it. I wondered whether the minister has an update on whether the Safe and Caring Schools policy would enable LGBT stud= ents wherever they were to attend schools under a Yukon-wide Safe and Caring Schools policy.
Hon. Mr. Graham: I should just say that we will get back to you with an answer because I am quite sure that that policy has not progressed too far. I will assure the member opposite that my personal commitment to the whole school community is that that policy will be enacted or a code of conduct will be = in place that will include such things as an LGBT — anyway it will inclu= de that policy for all schools in the territory.
Mr. Tredger: I thank the minister very much for that.
I have= just one question on the college that I would like to get to before we reach the end= of the day. In 2011, the then college chancellor was speaking about the future= of the college and his hope of receiving a large portion of the McIntyre Creek area as endowment lands so that the college could move toward the developme= nt of a university. Since the fall of 2013, when the college received a letter stating that they had five years to complete their land use plan, they have been working hard at leading an inclusive planning process.
I must= say that they have been working hard. They’ve held a number of open houses and planning processes that I know members — from Takhini-Kopper King and myself — have attended — an= d from Whitehorse Centre — to take part in that. On March 31 of this year, t= hey held the second as part of their ongoing design-your-campus project. Once t= hey complete their planning exercise, the Yukon College will be bringing the completed college land use plan back to the Yukon government where they hope that the conditions will be lifted and the college will receive the held la= nd as endowment lands. This land transfer will bring us another step closer to= a northern university.
Will t= he Yukon government lift the conditions and transfer the promised endowment lands on= ce the Yukon College brings their final plan to the table?
Hon. Mr. Graham: It’s not something we’ve discussed as a caucus. At= the time the land use plan is completed, we will determine, in cooperation with — again, there are a number of players in land use planning and in zo= ning in that area. We’ll have to come together to talk about what we’= ;re going to do.
We hav= e already committed, in the longer term, to working toward a university of the north.= I have to say that I am being a stickler to ensure that the things that have = made the college so popular to this Yukon are continued. That means that the tra= des and technical training programs that were offered, that Yukon students atte= nd, has to be continued. The upgrading programs that we would love to get rid o= f in the long term are still essential. Those programs are attended by a huge nu= mber of students and they are an entryway for many of those students into the wo= rld of employment. Those things have to continue and so I want to make sure they are not lost in a rush to become a university.
Conseq= uently, I am not saying I would slow down the process, but I want assurances that tho= se things are continued and I guess we have to look at a way forward. The other interesting part of the equation will be the cost — the cost of a university is going to be probably substantially higher than what we’= re currently paying for the college — and I want to have some kind of assurance that we are not funding a university of the north that will be utilized strictly by people from outside of the territory. I want some assurances that Yukon students will utilize the college too. If we’re subsidizing students’ tuition fees to the extent that will be necessa= ry in order to make this a viable thing, then I want to make sure that Yukon students fully intend to come to university in the Yukon.
As a y= oung guy growing up in the territory myself, I know that probably one of the last th= ings I wanted to do when I completed grade 12 was to stay in Whitehorse and atte= nd university here. I don’t know, at this point, how many graduating students in the high schools here in the territory are wildly enthusiastic about coming to a school here.
Those = are the kinds of things that we have to take a really close look at in the next whi= le, and our decisions will be predicated upon that kind of information coming forward.
Mr. Tredger: In 2013, three schools piloted a project around self-regulation and social emotional learning. This was a pilot project. Can the minister report on how that pilot project turned out, and whether that program has been expanded to other schools? Is it a program that we’re looking at and will put into all our schools? If so, what supports are going to be necessary to keep it viable going forward, so that it doesn’t become something we do for t= hree or five years and then we move on to the next event?
Hon. Mr. Graham: It’s interesting to hear the member opposite use that particular phrase, because it’s one of my favourites. Too often in the territory, we go along with the fad of the day and we implement too many things. We don’t evaluate them properly, and then we simply build on = top and keep layer after layer after layer.
As you= probably know, since 2013, we have been working with the Canadian Self-Regulation Initiative to implement the self-regulation initiative here. Eight schools = are involved at the present time. There was a first wave of schools, and now the second wave of schools — Takhini Elementary, Gh&= ugrave;ch Tlâ, Teslin, Hidden Valley, Ross River, J= ohnson Elementary, Robert Service and École Whitehorse Elementary. During the summer of 2013, Dr. Stuart Shanker and Mike McKay from the Canadian Self-Regulat= ion Initiative presented a keynote address to all Yukon education staff on self-regulation practices.
They p= rovided in-depth support this February — February 2015 — in the area of anxiety and self-regulation. Over the next three years, all Yukon schools w= ill be involved in the self-regulation initiative. The total budget will be approximately $85,000 a year. It’s being funded within our existing budget.
At the= end of this time, we will evaluate the program to see if it has actually met the objectives. The goals were to improve outcomes for all Yukon students, trai= ning and working with individual students and school staff in the use of the self-regulation framework; identifying children for focused clinical work; = and helping to generate community interest in the self-regulation framework and= its sustainability.
Those = are the goals upon which the program will be evaluated, but an interesting aside was when I was visiting a rural school. I chatted with a young fellow who was pedalling a bike and I said, “Oh, is this your punishment for being bad?” He very seriously turned to me and said, “No. No, I wasn’t bad, but I knew I was going to be pretty soon.” It is an interesting concept, Madam Chair.
Seeing= the time, Madam Chair, I move that you report progress.
Chair: It ha= s been moved by Mr. Graham that the Chair report progress.
Motion agreed to
Mr. Elias: I move that the Speaker do now resume the Chair.
Chair: It ha= s been moved by Mr. Elias that the Speaker do now resume the Chair.
Motion agreed to
Speaker resumes the Chair
Speaker: I w= ill now call the House to order.
May th= e House have a report from the Chair of Committee of the Whole?
Chair’s
report
Ms. McLeod: Mr. Speaker, Committee of the Whole has considered Bill No. 18, entitled First Appropriation Act, 2015‑16= , and directed me to report progress.
Speaker: You= have heard the report of the Chair of Committee of the Whole. Are you agreed?
Some Hon. Members: Agreed.
Speaker: I d= eclare the report carried.
Mr. Elias: Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.
Speaker: It = has been moved by the Government House Leader that the House do now adjourn.<= /p>
Motion agreed to
Speaker: Thi= s House now stands adjourned until 1:00 p.m. tomorrow.
The House adjourned at 5:24 p.m.
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