Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do want to point out that as long as it's unregulated, we cannot prevent harm. So if we want to do harm reduction for addictions related to gambling, we need to regulate this market. Will the Minister agree to meet with the responsible gaming council to learn more about how his department can do this? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm sure you're aware, as are everyone in Canada right now, but the Blue Jays are doing quite well in the World Series. And when all eyes are looking at sports, they are seeing one thing in between the innings, advertisements for sports betting.

And currently in the Northwest Territories -- well, hold on. Currently in the Northwest Territories, we have a gray market situation. There are a lot of sports betting and there are no regulations for online gaming. We brought this up on the floor of the House before.

Without that, there's no consumer protection...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the past, saying on outset we're going to fix these problems has always been the case. So follow through does remain important. But we have contributed significant financial resources for new buildings of homes in this Assembly. We're supposed to be on track for 211 new homes. So what confidence can the Minister give the House that that money is actually going to complete these projects and get those homes on the ground? Because this audit leaves a doubt in my mind. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It should come as no surprise that I too would like to recognize President Marc Whitford, a good friend and a great contributor to our territory with his leadership of the North Slave Metis Alliance. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to pay my respects to Range Lake constituent Larry Galt.

Larry was born in Red Deer, Alberta, in 1952, and in the words of his son Isaiah, Larry was a real northern legend. A fisherman, a hunter, a mechanic, a master of duct tape and zip ties, a bush rat, a grandfather to a thousand kids and animals around the world, a friend, a sponsor, a mentor, a brother, an uncle, a son, and a father.

Larry came to Yellowknife in 1971 to work at Con Mine, and not long after he discovered life in the bush and all the exciting opportunities for adventure it offered. He took...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I see that the engagement notice has gone out as of today, this afternoon, and engagement one, which will take place during October, is around mineral resources administration, drill cores, and removal of minerals. So I'm assuming that's the part of the regulation or the policy intention that would govern online map staking because the other two are benefit agreements and socioeconomic policy to take place in November, and December is the mineral rights review board and transitioning of existing interests. So how about this, then: If we can't get a notional plan to...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Well, I appreciate the sentiments that the work is important and needs to get done quickly, but the estimate completion is still 2027-2028 which puts us into the very end of the term. And, you know, call me a skeptic, but the last time we had a major -- you know, transformative mineral -- or mining initiative was the MRA that we put in in the 18th Assembly in the final year, and still not in force, which is what we're -- why the regulatory piece is still required. So I would be much more comfortable seeing this online map staking and the technology required for it to be...

Thank you. Well, I think about the people who have to process these applications; they must be very overworked. Is the Minister going to bring forward additional staffing resources in the coming year to ensure that there's 20 percent more capacity at SFA? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, turning to SFA again, it occurs to me that we haven't asked that fundamental question: Is this going to happen again in the next intake, or has the Minister fixed this capacity gap? Are we going to have enough capacity to process the applications to ensure there are no more late payments, everyone gets the resources they need on time to succeed at school? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I'm not asking for them to pay the entire cost. I'm asking them to pay for late fees incurred because of departmental holdups because they couldn't process these payments. This is an extraordinary occurrence. Will the Minister take extraordinary action and pay these students for their late fees? It's a very simple question, and it shouldn't be this controversial. We don't need a lot of policy change. Do the right thing; help our students out. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.