Julian Morse

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for the answer. So I think the Minister's touched upon something important there, and that is that the communities currently the way the plan is written, communities can come for reimbursement but, Mr. Speaker, this doesn't get at the issue of the costs of capacity building for communities to respond to these emergencies. So communities are in a position right now where they are taking on responsibility that I don't think was completely clear that they needed to take on. I think that that was very clear during the wildfire season last year...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, how is the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs proposing to deal with the lack of capacities communities have to deal with the increasing number of emergencies within their boundaries? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I would like some further detail on what the GNWT is doing to support the college in showing their commitment to seeing this project through to success.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I spoke to milestones being missed at the college and the president asserted that they are not adequately resourced to achieve transition. Mr. Speaker, what is the Minister's response to these revelations? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for that answer. You know, the board of governors has kind of stated that they need support, financial support is needed. It's clear that they're not able to achieve milestones on their own. So I'm looking for a commitment from the Minister to show the GNWT's commitment to this project and seeing it through and would like to hear further from the Minister on that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, we are coming towards the end of the existing mandate for which a number of milestones have been missed. I'm curious what the Minister's plans are for a renewed mandate and, in particular, how we're going to ensure milestones are being hit in that mandate. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on May 16th, the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment received a presentation from Aurora College leadership on the status of transition of public college to a polytechnic university.

Mr. Speaker, I was encouraged to hear from the president and board chair that they are committed to seeing the transition through; however, I am disappointed to note that they also shared that they are off track from the established timeline and are not expecting to be able to deliver the NWT a renewed polytechnic university in May 2025 as planned.

If we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Premier for the answers. Certainly myself and a number of Members have been pressuring him about the importance of long term funding for our NGOs, and I do appreciate his attention to the matter.

What are the government's plans to ensure sustainable and sufficient funding for the Spruce Bough program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize my most vocal constituent, Mr. Kevin O’Reilly. And, also, I note his son Rene O’Reilly is in the audience. And if there's anyone else from Frame Lake up there I missed, I do apologize; I just can't see you here. But thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I've said, and I think many members have said before, that what we need our NGOs to be focusing on is doing the work and not necessarily looking for funding, and we do hope to see the GNWT supporting them in that.

Mr. Speaker, just to the point of buying time, I question the Premier, we constantly seem to be caught off guard by these funding pots lapsing that we've known years in advance are going to lapse. So why is the GNWT failing to plan ahead and ensure long term and sustainable funding for these critical programs in such a way that we don't have to buy time at...