Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jun 08/01) - The board of management has tentatively set next Wednesday to rule on whether or not it has the authority to ask the conflict of interest commissioner to abandon her investigation of the complaint against Jane Groenewegen.
In her application to have Carol Roberts removed from the investigation, Groenewegen argues Roberts' public comments and e-mail correspondence to complainant Jack Rowe raise reasonable apprehensions of bias.
Roberts has completed her investigation and is in the process of writing the report, which she had planned to table before the legislature this session.
Upping the limit
The limit on how much a business can borrow from the Business Credit Corporation will soon be doubled if Joe Handley, the minister responsible, has his way.
With permission from MLAs Handley fast-tracked first and second reading of a bill to increase the limit on loans to $2 million.
Handley said the increase comes mainly in response to requests from Northern companies looking to get involved in oil and gas projects.
Missing $1.8 million
Though it didn't have to, the government should have spent all of an increase in education spending it budgeted for last year, said Yellowknife MLA Brendan Bell.
Because enrolment in NWT schools did not increase as much as anticipated last year, the government spent only $2.8 million of a $4.6 million funding increase aimed at bringing down student-teacher ratios.
"I am wondering why we set the bar so low we could hop over it on one leg," said Bell.
He said the $1.8 million would have gone a long way toward helping the education system recover from years of underfunding.
Education Minister Jake Ootes said the money was not spent because the anticipated growth did not occur.
Frame Lake MLA Charles Dent said the government should stop viewing legislated minimum teacher-student ratios as targets.
The additional $2.8 million allowed the government to lower the legislated minimum ratio to 16.5 students per teacher from 17.
"It costs much more to teach adults," Dent said. "How can you even measure the cost to society in terms of the best potential of those who do not succeed?"
Aboriginal holiday
In his sessional statement, Premier Stephen Kakfwi said the government will propose June 21 be made a statutory holiday starting next year.
"Think of what a powerful statement we will be making to the rest of Canada when we become the first jurisdiction in the country to honour National Aboriginal Day as a holiday," the premier said.
