Jane Weyallon Armstrong

I see it says here, you know, service gap relating to educational support assistants. Why, why only this? Why not on speech and language, OT, etcetera, to help improve the outcome of our students, the educational outcome for our students, especially those starting at elementary, JK? The overall picture here should have been focusing on improving the education outcome. You know, in small communities we have on average less than 50 percent graduation rate compared to over 80 percent in Yellowknife, you know. The outcome for YK is better than small communities, and we know it has always been like...

Thank you. Okay, because I know this $14 million came about because the majority of the people -- or majority of the positions affected Yellowknife school. You know, like, I think we were talking about, like, 75 positions that were affected. And I have an issue with that, you know. If we don't know why $14 million -- or why JP application were denied in -- especially in Yellowknife, was never a major issue for us in small communities because we know the majority of the -- are Indigenous, so it's being utilized well. So why are we spending $14 million? So where is this $14 million going to come...

Thank you. Can the Minister provide information as to how many elders' arrears in writing off old mortgages files are completed. Currently, we still have many elders that their pensions are being garnished and they are on payment plans. Thank you.

Thank you. What alternative supports or funding mechanism are currently available or being considered for students pursuing nontraditional or short-duration programs that lead to essential certification in fields like emergency response and health care? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, further to my colleague's comment on economic development, Mr. Speaker, if we want our youth to contribute to the NWT economy, we need SFA to be proactive. With that in mind, can the Minister provide rationale as to why the student financial assistance regulations allow for programs or courses in the access programs at Aurora College to be considered post-secondary level but exclude bridging, preparatory, or transitional courses or programs which in mind serve the same purpose? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we all know forest fire 2023 affected a lot of NWT residents mentally, emotionally, and financially. When Behchoko was evacuated in 2023, we had residents, both the seniors, families with small children, escaping to Yellowknife with fires both sides of the road. And our elders, depending on the space in the facilities, our elders were sent to various places. Some of them were sent to Sahtu, and a lot of them were sent to Yellowknife. And when that forest fire evacuation happened in Yellowknife, many of our elders got caught up in the system. Some of them...

Mr. Speaker, this is the same questions that I asked Minister of housing, so it still relates to finance, so do I need to --

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is for Minister of Finance. So my first question: Can the Minister of Finance provide a timeline of when elders with arrears and outstanding mortgages be completed within this fiscal year. With the high cost of living, especially in small communities, this will benefit many of our elders living on fixed income. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. Okay, Mr. Speaker, how does the department plan to address the systemic barriers that prevent students like the 19-year-old Tlicho citizen from Behchoko accessing financial support for training that directly contribute to fulfilling critical workforce gaps in the territory? Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the closure of the Aurora College 19 community learning centres, students who live outside of Yellowknife, Fort Smith, and Inuvik, face even greater challenges in accessing programs or transitional -- or transitioning successfully into university level studies. These students are left with few options to upgrade their skills or complete prerequisite courses and, as a result, face barriers to obtaining funding under the student financial assistance program.

Take, for example, a 19-year-old Tlicho citizen from Behchoko who was denied financial...