Caitlin Cleveland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, what I often hear from employers is that, well, first of all, the median wage, it's important for people to understand is higher than the minimum wage. Quite often in the NWT, many workers are not making minimum wage unless they're in, for example, a frontline service as in a grocery store, sometimes you'll find people there making minimum wage, or in other types of industries. But often what you'll find in the Northwest Territories is in order to be competitive with other employers, employers cannot pay minimum wage. And so where we have a minimum wage...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can give the Member a yes right off the hop on that one with a specific schedule so that there are predictable visits in Fort Providence every single month. So the last visit was February 11th. The next one will be March 11th, then April 15th, May 13th, and then June 17th. And there is a schedule for the whole rest of the year so that community members will know exactly what days the office will be staffed. And this poster is also posted both at the office and at the cafe as well, and I am happy to ensure it gets posted in any other area that...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, we have funding of roughly $30,000 annually that is dedicated to young professionals that are interested in becoming business owners or further developing their business within the tourism industry. So it pairs, you know, fresh or new entrants to the tourism industry with more experienced professionals who act as the mentor. And these are people who are willing to share their years of expertise and knowledge as well as their business acumen. So, so to speak, getting to be paired up with people who, you know, have tried it the hard way or tried it...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So some of these things would be, for example, predictable office days. So thank you to the Member for raising that in her statement. Also doing things like hosting mentorship and training opportunities directly within the community. And then continuing to support local business, because we know that when one business receives support and talks about it to their neighbours that that drives momentum and also drives buzz about starting business and kind of creating that snowball effect of driving new opportunities within the region. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, the work has not progressed to this stage at this point. It's work that we continue to essentially identify, uproot, and then prioritize first and foremost at the Cabinet table in relationship to the other priorities that have been identified by this Assembly. It, at this point, really is about determining what makes the most sense. There are some items that have been identified that may have a minimal economic impact for the Northwest Territories but might be very important to one person, and it doesn't mean that we, as a government, want to...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, as a whole of government, we have some homework to do in this case. So when DIIMS was created, it did not include the creation of a mechanism to transfer files from DIIMS to the NWT Archives for review and then permanent preservation. Luckily, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is working quite closely with the Department of Finance on this to ensure it is addressed, and they are working currently on a business case for a digital record connector. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, for that level of detail, I'd like to pass to the deputy minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, the income assistance program is very legislated and so what can be provided as far as benefits and supports to residents is found within the legislation, and we have to ensure that we are applying that legislation fairly to all residents of the Northwest Territories. It is a program that is intended to ensure that residents' monthly needs are met. So, for example, that residents have shelter and they have access to heat and they have access to food. And so that is the intention of the program and how it is designed. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

So, Mr. Chair, this is a conversation that is happening within the tourism sector, with Indigenous governments as well, with investors both nationally and internationally as well. This is a conversation that has come up on multiple occasions as well when we have had conversation with ambassadors who are looking for different partnerships and relationships that can be formed and tourism is a natural one in that. And so certainly these conversations are happening and there is a mass of people out there that are looking for unique experiences in the Northwest...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, I am going to start off by saying that the experience and education that elders bring to, for example, schools and to communities is invaluable.

Mr. Speaker, the income assistance program is set up to meet the monthly needs of residents of the Northwest Territories. It does that by looking at what those basic needs are, to make sure that residents can meet their basic needs. It minuses from that any income that they might need. It adds to that the income exemptions that are available and then determines what the financial needs are from the...