Schools will do 'utmost' to help teachers wanting to leave N.W.T. over holidays, says government

A representative with the Northwest Territories' department of Education is defending a plan that requires teachers who want to leave the territory over the Christmas break to apply for the leave and not get paid for the two weeks spent self-isolating when they return.

John MacDonald, assistant deputy minister of Education, Culture and Employment, said the plan was developed by the government after discussions with the teachers' union and the various education bodies across the territory. 

He said they "explore[d] options to make it possible for people to maximize their holiday leave opportunities and to be able to travel if they could."

Mental health has to be at the forefront here.- Matthew Miller, NWT Teachers' Association

Teachers who apply to leave over the holidays must also say why they want to, and create two weeks worth of lessons plans. Local principals and superintendents will decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to grant the request.

MacDonald said he's gotten mixed reactions from teachers.

"It's a complex issue," he said. He said teachers who would normally leave during the holidays aren't happy with parts of the plan, while others understand there are risks associated with travelling over the holidays given the increasing number of COVID-19 cases across the country.

He said the fact teachers won't get paid while self-isolating upon their return is part of the collective agreement.

"They have a number of contract days that they're required to work," he said. 

Mental health concerns

The teachers' union has raised concerns about how the plan will impact teachers' mental health.

"People are not looking for a simple vacation," said Matthew Miller, president of the NWT Teachers' Association, in an interview with CBC earlier this week.

He said he's heard from teachers who have partners with young children in different provinces; others who have had a recent death in their family down South; and others who feel completely alone in the communities in which they're in.

"Mental health has to be at the forefront here," he said, adding that at last count, there are 866 teachers across the Northwest Territories and the overwhelming majority of them come from outside the territory. 

MacDonald said that's why the government included "a leave option that would allow some individuals in some circumstances to be able to leave for those very reasons."

He added the government has programs to help support teachers' mental health, and said he's aware there's been an increase in their use recently.

"We're always looking at ways where we could try to provide mental health support," he said.

'It looks different in every community'

MacDonald said as principals and superintendents make decisions regarding the requests to leave over the holidays, they will take into account what their schools need to operate under normal conditions after the holidays.

He said one school may be able to accommodate two teachers leaving while a smaller school might not.

"It looks different in every community," he said.

"I do know that superintendents will do their utmost to try to accommodate [requests to leave] within reason."