Caitlin Cleveland

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, the upgrading through Aurora College is currently free to students and so that's where we have invested in that. In addition, through the feds, they do have funding for a university college entrance preparation program. And at this time, that is how we have invested in as to make sure that it is accessible to students as a midway point, and so certainly if we -- there'd be a significant policy change and an additional funding mechanism if we're then funding this outside the territory as well.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I will pass to the deputy minister. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, the loan limit for all students is $90,000. There is an unlimited amount of semesters for Indigenous students, so the semester portion is a grant and then on top of that it's the -- the remissible loan and the repayable loan. As students return to the territory, that remissible loan naturally comes down and as they repay their repayable loan, then the repayable loan portion comes down. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, yesterday in questions that I received from the Member for Yellowknife North, we explored the question around early assessments for students, especially in the early years, to ensure that we're establishing baselines and making sure that we are discovering any concerns or challenges that might arise as early as possible. And so that is something that we are looking into within education, culture and employment. And I continue to work quite closely with the Minister of Health and Social Services.

And in addition to that, the Member's second...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So client navigators do work all year round for the entirety of the month and are quite busy serving Northerners throughout the month. While some people are on, you know, a more routine of coming in, there's often people who come in midway through a month to receive supports from the government based on what their employment is like, what their needs are like. And so these people are incredibly busy all year round. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'd like to pass this one to the deputy minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, the highest loan, so the repayable loan, is the additional $1,400 a month, and the loan cap overall for students is $90,000. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're certainly working on the required legislation for the Aurora College Polytechnic. That work has not stopped. That includes pieces like establishing a framework for that, evaluating what clauses from the existing Aurora College Act would be imported into new legislation, and also looking at the legislation or university or polytechnic legislation from other jurisdictions like the Yukon, speaking with counterparts over there as well, to find out information like what has served them well, what they would have liked to have seen different or what they...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, within a few days of the end of the month, residents can contact a -- or any time after the 25th of each month, residents can reach out to their client navigator to work on their paperwork for the following month because the income assistance program is meant to be a month-to-month program to help residents meet their basic needs, so for example their rent, utilities, etcetera. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, and we continue to work on those pieces of legislation internally to the department. Thank you.