Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I still think we should have fair compensation for day home operators that are doing the same work; they're just not getting paid the same amount.

Mr. Speaker, currently the age ratios for younger kids is -- needs to be adjusted -- let's just put it that way -- to 18 months and under. If we did that, we'd get more infants into these spaces. Right now, it's really only about the older kids. Will the Minister change the definition for infants to 18 months and younger so we can get more kids into care, get more people back to the workforce after their parental...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, day homes are struggling with stagnant subsidy support from the government to provide $10 a day daycare. One of the things they're asking for is for additional services to be charged back to clients. This is something clients are okay with. It's something that already happens in Alberta and other jurisdictions. Will the Minister permit day homes to charge additional services -- charge for additional services they provide? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Well, just to be clear, I don't want to see it just done this term; I want to see it done next year. We need to move this project up. I mean, if we're talking about getting it done this term, it's still too far off. We are able to move very quickly if we put our collective willpower behind it. And, you know, with the MRA, for example, I mean, that development didn't have buy-in at first and then buy-in was developed and then it moved very quickly after that was -- after that took place. So with the inclusion of benefit agreements and a few other pieces like that, they...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I'd like to ask questions about the replacement of the mineral resource information system. Is this project currently on budget and on schedule? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the problem has been identified publicly as more applications than there were previously that overwhelmed existing resources. Is that the case? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, who is responsible for the delays that incurred the late fees - was it the students working their summer student jobs and being late in applying, or was it the department that didn't have capacity to meet the demand that was late getting out? Can the Minister just clarify who is responsible for incurring the late payments, because I'm confused. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked questions about late payments for SFA students. The Minister said that she will not pay them back even though we have a process for paying back income support late fees incurred on income support payments. Will the Minister work with her department to find what barriers exist to paying off these late fees so we can give our students a break? Thank you very much.

I am going to take that as a yes, Mr. Speaker. So thank you for that to the Minister, and I hope she communicates that to day homes soon because they're still unaware of that change.

Mr. Speaker, the work of day home providers is different from daycare centre providers. Their wage grid does not take into account longevity of service provided in the North, education, or Indigenous knowledge. Will the Minister update the wage subsidy for day home providers so it reaches parity with daycare centre providers so we're not playing on two different playing fields.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When Prime Minister Trudeau introduced $10 a day daycare, early learning and childcare became far more affordable for Canadians and for Northerners. This was a game changer for my family and many others in the NWT. For working parents with young children like me and my wife, affordable daycare isn't a luxury; it's a necessity. Now ECE's role in daycare services has significantly expanded and with it, the Minister's responsibility to ensure her department effectively manages partnerships with both day homes and childcare centres, ensuring subsidies and regulations are...

Thank you. That's good to hear, and I'm pleased that we are making progress in this area. Again, I have my own reservations. I know a number of my constituents and my own immediate family have reservations about this technology, but it is here to stay.

In those digital services conference and jurisdictional -- or sorry, in FTPs and things like that where the Minister is speaking to other colleagues, have there been any movements in other provinces that look promising for the Northwest Territories as well? I'm just wondering if we can get almost a sneak preview on that. Like, if we see those...