Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will support this motion as well. In small communities, we can see and feel the funding gaps greatly, especially in small communities where a lot of our infrastructures are deteriorating. Even in my community alone, to replace the water and sewer line will cost about $10 million. We have to apply for outside funding to fix that. So this funding gap will help greatly, especially in small communities. Thank you.

Thank you for that information. Mr. Speaker, why is the department -- I heard this from countless people, a lot of people are saying this. Why is the department still putting Indigenous children into homes with different nationalities and different cultures from their own? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had question for Premier, but he's not here. So I will wait until tomorrow. But I will ask Health and Social Services questions regarding child welfare system.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Chief Jimmy Bruneau residents.

Mr. Speaker, in 1970, the Rae Band Council formed and elected Rae-Edzo School Society to build and operate a new school called Chief Jimmy Bruneau School with a capacity of over 400 students. Chief Jimmy Bruneau School also included a 100-bed residence run by the school society for nonlocal Tlicho students. This residence housed Tlicho children from all of the outlying Tlicho communities as well as N'dilo and Dettah.

Around 1992, when Akaitcho Hall was in the process of closing down, Chief Jimmy Bruneau School became a regional...

I'm surprised she said that because we got to sustain our economy, and economic development is important for the NWT. So that's why -- and especially in small communities with high unemployment rate, so that's why I'm asking, you know, especially within this area, because it does affect us too. We have constituents that benefit from these programs. So it's more of a comment. Thank you.

I have no more further questions for this page. Thank you.

Okay. Well, thank you, that's good to know.

For the contract services, I know that, you know, there's a big difference from 2022-2023 to current. Well, last year there was $100 million, so now it went down to $29 million. Can they explain that to us, why this contract services is low? Did they -- so where are we spending more money? Because it doesn't seem like there's lots for the emergency management here. Thank you.

At the last Assembly, there were six new positions that was approved, and it seems like the six new position, it's all going to be in -- it's all in the headquarters, nothing in the regional. Is there any positions that's been allocated to the regions?

Yeah, it says here program management, it went down from -- well, this was because of the forest fire, responding to the forest fire and the flooding, for 2023-2024 from 166 to this current fiscal year 29,000 -- I mean $29 million. Sorry about that, $29 million. So I just wanted to ask the department how are they budgeting for the natural disaster, like, for this coming spring, summer?

Yes, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Premier for the answer. And it will be nice to know who was the Premier in 2007, and maybe Mr. Hawkins was part of -- was a Regular MLA as well. So somebody didn't do their job here.

So, Mr. Speaker, can the Premier explain whether there is anything within his powers as Premier that may be available to him to intervene in this final settlement agreement to include affected NWT residents within the recipients of the case? Thank you.