Daniel McNeely

Thank you, Madam Chair. My only question on this activity is on the per unit operating costs, we have 2900 housing units here. What is the operating monthly cost per unit? I know it fluctuates here and differs from community to community depending on items like fuel, for example, but I think historically we were in the neighbourhood of $1,275 for the operating costs of one unit. Can the Minister explain. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I too am hopeful and optimistic on a good news reply.

My third question to the Minister is workforce development also requires tracking results and making improvements as needed. How will ECE measure the success of trades training programs to ensure they work for the residents? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my statement on trades training, my questions are to the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment. What is ECE doing to ensure that trades training is tailored to regional and communities' specific labour market needs? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. As I mentioned, that's the only question I had on this activity. Mahsi.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I received a number of communications and a letter from the regional leadership in the Sahtu sharing their frustrations of the announcement made to close the learning centres. And I don't see a need -- I will support this motion. I don't see a need to give money to an operation that's going to shut their doors. But as previous colleagues have said, come back with a plan and we'll reinstate that funding. There's different conventions and different options to appropriate that money there. But ultimately, there was a plan that was drafted to keep the doors open in these...

Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you to the Minister for that reply. As I recall there, I said it was really a substantial amount of training dollars. I was quite surprised that it was into the several millions of dollars for their training plan. So I thought to myself when I seen it here -- and if you're having discussions with the federal level, I'm quite fine with that there. I just see an opportunity, and I'm just wondering if the Minister is on it, which I take it she is, to acquire a maximum amount of capital there for our training plans. Mahsi.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll just stop there and reserve additional questions there. But I'm happy with the responses that I've received so far from the Minister on preparations after budget season. Mahsi.

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. I had to borrow your earpiece there; I think somebody's trying to stop me from setting some demands.

I'm glad to hear that the Minister is open to review that. Like any other efficient policy, it's only good as its periodic or annual reviews. So I shall take that home that -- and tell some of the recipients to the program that, yes, the Minister is going to be reviewing that. We can understandably say that these voices from the recipients to the program are really being addressed on their high costs of living in most of these little communities, and you can...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will give notice that on Thursday, February 27, 2025, I will move the following motion:

Now therefore I move, seconded by the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, that this Legislative Assembly resolve that the current situation in the town of Norman Wells is a state of emergency for humanitarian reasons;

And further, that this Legislative Assembly calls upon the Government of the Northwest Territories to communicate this state of emergency with the Government of Canada seeking humanitarian aid for the community;

And furthermore, that the Government of the Northwest Territories...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I recall a number of years ago the two Indigenous organizations there, the GTC and the Tlicho, acquiring substantial amount of training funds through Skills Canada, and I thought that was quite complementary to the training plan that they outlined in the article there. And I'm just wondering if there's some departmental efforts in acquiring a partnership for accessing some of the Skills Canada funding available? Thank you, Madam Chair.