Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I had an opportunity to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services some questions regarding foster parents, and I have some follow-up questions for him today. Mr. Speaker, I believe that people who open their homes for our youth are amazing and kind-hearted people. How does the Department and the NWT Health and Social Services Authority show appreciation to the foster parents annually? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for providing this information and clearing up some of the concerns and issues that I've been hearing. Finally, given the importance of fuel supplies to communities, what lessons has the Minister learned from this experience to help avoid a similar case in the future? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'd like to ask the Minister: whose responsibility was it for the bad fuel that was supplied to the communities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I would like to thank the Minister for his answers here today. I guess I am trying to understand the budgeting process and getting it out there, so can the Minister provide us information on how much money is allocated for foster caring, maybe not here today but provide it to us later on so that we can have a better understanding of the money that is put into this? Because, if we see a shortfall in it, then maybe it's something that we need to look at to help improve our foster cares out there.

That is great to hear. Again, I am looking at the territories and trying to see how we help recognize our foster parents, and it's great that a coalition does that, but sometimes the coalition does not exist in some of these smaller communities, that I am aware of. Has the department looked at recognizing these foster parents, especially on Mother's Day, Father's Day, like even a small gift like a box of chocolates or a card?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I spoke about a pay it forward program in Fort Simpson. Today I would like to speak about a second program established in the region. It is largely in part to Mr. Troy Bellefontaine. In the summer of 2016, Troy began researching Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and, in November 2017, he began accepting registration for this literacy program.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a program that sends one book a month to children between the ages of zero months to five years. The program is partly dependent on donations, as the cost is $3.55 per child per...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Attendance is very important come September until October. They are part of the funding formula. How is this fair if they don't have a requirement to be in school? To me, we shouldn't have them as part of the funding formula. I think they should be left out because they have the option to come and go as they please and as the parents please, which I understand. They are part of the funding formula, so if you register 35 kids in junior kindergarten on September 1st and the attendance is sporadic and you want the school boards to be honest about it, we are going to see a...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will try to be quick. Can the Minister tell us what percentage of the enrolments are for fours and fives in our system? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yesterday, the Minister talked about new leases or new existing leases or there's no new equity leases. The situation is that, if I bought a car and I sold it to the Minister, he doesn't have to go back and pay the dealership. It doesn't happen that way. I get the money, and then we move on and I get the rights to the vehicle. Again, I'm not talking about new leases. I'm speaking about honouring the equity lease which existed with the original owner. Will the department honour the existing leases to the new owner as they purchased that? That was what they're trying to do. They're trying to...

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I asked the Minister of Lands some questions about equity leases, and I would like to follow up more today.

---Laughter

Well, I am just trying to make the Minister of Infrastructure happy here today. Mr. Speaker, my question again is to the Minister of Lands. My first question is: if all equity lease payments are made by lessee under equity leases and the lease is assigned, does the lessee who makes the payments get reimbursed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.