SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro used the first day of assembly to ask Premier Bob McLeod about the status of promised public consultation over a handful of bills passed before devolution.

Earlier this year, the assembly passed mirrored versions of 27 federal bills without public consultation due to time constraints with the commitment the government would provide an opportunity for meaningful public discussion over the summer.

To facilitate the discussion, assembly built a website in late May where people could read and ask questions about the new bills.

"There have been approximately 500 hits on the website with a number of people accessing various pieces of legislation," reported McLeod last Thursday. "There have been no substantive questions or expressions of any concern about any of the legislation on the website."

He broke down statistical data for the website, devolution.nt.ca, which showed 537 people viewed sites describing new legislation with an average of 2.25 minutes spent reviewing the material. There were 184 visits to the question and answer page and no submitted questions, comments, requests for briefings or written submissions.

"In my mind, the fact that there's little to no response means everybody in the public is happy with the mirrored legislation," he said.

Bisaro disagreed, arguing the lack of response could indicate a lack of publicity and again asked McLeod to commit to meaningful public consultations.

McLeod said assembly will commit to another round of advertising for the devolution website in November.

ECE talks Jr. kindergarten funding

The junior kindergarten debate continued Thursday when four MLAs grilled Education, Culture and Employment Minister Jackson Lafferty about the way his department is rolling ahead with the program.

Hay River South MLA Jane Groenewegen's line of questioning turned into pleading as she asked the minister to let her community opt-out of junior kindergarten. She argued there are already many options for early childhood programming in Hay River and junior kindergarten will "gut" these programs.

Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins continued Groenwegen's line of questioning, warning Lafferty he will "single-handedly collapse the daycare system in every large community."

Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley and Mackenzie Delta MLA Frederick Black Jr. also aired their concerns with Lafferty.

This debate follows the department's response to a motion urging the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to find new funding for its junior kindergarten program and ensure its implementation doesn't negatively impact existing daycares in larger communities.

Lafferty tabled his department's response to the motion, forwarded Hawkins in June, on the first day of the fall session on Oct. 16.

The response reiterates the stance ECE has maintained since the announcement of the free and optional program that will roll out over three years, beginning with the territory's smallest communities.

The response argues the territorial government provides $150 million a year to the eight education authorities, which is $17.5 million above the legislated funding level for 2013-14, and that education authorities will only have to re-profile five per cent of its budgets to allow for junior kindergarten.

On top of that, the document states the department is providing $15,000 per classroom in one-time funding to all of the territory's education authorities to help schools fund start-up costs for the program.

MLAs have frequently criticized the way ECE plans to implement junior kindergarten, saying it will lead to negative consequences to the quality of curriculum for all students and that other early childhood programs, such as Aboriginal Head Start, will be destabilized.

Day shelter programming questioned

Range Lake MLA Daryl Dolynny asked Health and Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy why the Safe Harbour Day Centre doesn't have core programming during assembly on Monday.

The department is currently in a two-year, $619,400 contract with the NWT Disabilities Council to run the shelter.

"The day shelter is currently providing basic services - a warm place for people to go and referrals," explained Abernethy.

The minister also indicated that his department is looking at expanding services by bringing in public health workers and rolling out more opportunities for users of the day shelter to get referrals for programming.

"It's a matter of going to people who need these services, we don't need more money, it's about getting people to connect and the day shelter is where that can

happen," he said.

Dolynny continued to press Abernethy for "solid targets, timelines and dollars for withdrawal management programming."

Abernethy said the programs are already in place and although he didn't provide a timeframe.

He added that public health workers will be visiting the day shelter

in the future.

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