Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And, certainly, these schools are not alone. There are many, many schools in the Northwest Territories that are in high need. And taking stock of those assets is important; however, in the context of, again, the riding I represent and the district that my children attend, these schools are important to me, and it is very concerning that this one school in particular missed its retrofit, has water that is -- you know, you can't consume, that exposed staff in a very troubling way. The Minister's well aware of that. It seems like those reasons alone -- like the lead in the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. For the water system remediations in schools that have identified elevated lead, will the Minister commit that any remediation of infrastructure will be paid for by the GNWT? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The roofing or roof repair projects for Yellowknife schools. Can the Minister be specific about which roofs will be repaired? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that bottleneck has been cleared. That's what I've heard. But the issue -- the question I asked was will the Minister pay for those late fees. Students shouldn't have to shoulder that burden because of a capacity issue. So I'll ask it again because the Minister didn't answer it: Will the Minister direct the department to pay the late fees and costs associated with these late payments for our students? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. That's less than minimum wage so I hope that we see some progress on that.

Finally, the committee has also recommended that interactions between jurors and other participants in the proceedings be minimized outside the courtroom with special parking spaces, access routes, and including secure areas where jurors can be alone to recharge after hearing, you know, difficult evidence and testimony in the courts. Will the Minister make the necessary changes to the Yellowknife Courthouse, and on community circuit as well, to ensure that those kinds of provisions are in place to ensure that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Justice recently announced a new program to support mental health of jurors who often go through very difficult circumstances in the course of executing their responsibilities through juries. This is relevant to a report put out by the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in May of 2018 called Improving Support for Jurors in Canada. That's a House of Commons committee. That committee made 11 recommendations, and one of these was to recommend that provinces and territories offer psychological support and counselling programs...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee examined the distinction between market and non-market communities. Most NWT communities lack a functioning housing market, meaning residents have few options beyond public housing. In these communities, the conventional housing continuum promoted by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation does not reflect local realities. Committee supports the development of a northern housing continuum that includes transitional housing, supportive housing, community-led housing, and subsidized homeownership.

Committee also explored the principle...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Saying we're going to change the strategy and actually presenting a new strategy are discrete concepts. So we had a nice document called Restoring Balance, had a press conference, it was -- we could hold it and could read it. Can the Minister commit to a new version of that updated for the changing circumstances? It has nothing to do with the government's management of the economy. And we can see it for ourselves what they intend to do with our taxpayers' dollars? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Okay. Thank you. And I appreciate that this is relatively detailed, but it's also relatively important because, like as I said, there were some high profile accidents and loss of life this summer. So I will await that additional information from the Minister and the department and make that information available to my constituents when it is made available. So I'll hold the Minister to that. But nothing further. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the fiscal update this House received last week, the Minister said that she is modifying the fiscal strategy of the government, being responsive by investing in the stability and the resilience of the territory, and this is after a loss to the operational surplus of $154 million. So can the Minister just confirm that Restoring Balance, the fiscal strategy of the House, is no longer the strategy of this government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.