Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Crown corporations are set up to manage government enterprises that run like businesses. These government-owned corporations operate at arm's length of the government.

Both Northwest Territories Power Corporation and the Aurora College are established in legislation as territorial corporations. What else can they have in common? In both cases, Mr. Speaker, the GNWT has dissolved both public boards that was tasked on running them.

In May 2016, the Minister responsible for NTPC revoked appointments. The board of directors were replaced to save a million dollars to put...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just in regard to that, thank you for that answer, Madam Premier, but what do you think is the timeline? You say it's negotiations. How long are we looking at negotiations? Is there a timeline on that? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just in regard to increased tourism across the Northwest Territories, we have a really good one in Sachs Harbour, tourism. We have a good one in Paulatuk. In my home community of Tuktoyaktuk, I guess we've been left hanging because, right across this whole territory, there are parks and RV parks that are paid by the territorial government, and we asked for that same service in Tuktoyaktuk and they wouldn't do it. Now what happens is we are finally getting a trailer, but in the last three years, we've been using a shack with a woodstove and hiring our own staff through...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Has the Premier issued the direction of discussions with Ministers Simpson and Thompson respectively about the completion dates of transformation of Aurora College and the polytechnic to develop a governance of options, and also NTPC?

Good job. That is almost a yes, Mr. Speaker. Which practice principles do you feel are most important, and which could the GNWT improve upon?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome my constituency assistant who just started working with me, Mr. Vince Teddy. Welcome to the Assembly. I am really honoured to be working with him for the people of Nunakput, Mr. Speaker.

Also, I would like to welcome Dan Gruben from my home community of Tuktoyaktuk, and Denny Rodgers. Thank you, and welcome to the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That's a lot of good news for a question I did not ask, but I'm thankful to the Minister. Thank you so much; that's good news for me. Core funding, Mr. Speaker; that's what I was talking about. It's not the new funding. Our community governments are struggling, because we're getting less and less. It's not so much less and less; it's the cost of doing business in the community, right? Like, I sat on council for three years. We struggle, struggle, struggle. We stretch everything, Mr. Speaker.

Core funding. Has the department presented its findings to the NWT Association of Communities? If not...

MACA's own business plan has the acknowledgement that, "If the department remains unable to provide adequate core funding to community governments, the consequences could include the inability of community government to adequately deliver core services and maintain capital assets."

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In 2014, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs conducted a municipal formula funding review. The purpose was to update community governments and funding models, to ensure fair and transparent funding. This has revealed a significant gap between the needs of municipalities and the funding that they are provided.

The Minister of the day of Municipal and Community Affairs, the honourable Alfred Moses, advised the 18th Assembly that the gap was approximately $39 million. In 2016, in the mandate, the GNWT committed to developing a strategy to close the funding gap...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government has a new mandate purpose, to provide communities with opportunities in their additional revenue to offset the cost of delivering their core programs. How realistic is the GNWT to do that, Mr. Speaker?