Kieron Testart

Thank you to the Minister for that. And I know it's emerging, and I know governments are still coming to grips with it and are moving slower than the private sector. But does the OCIO have a mandate to look at AI integration, like strategic AI integration to capital systems? I mean, I don't know what to call it, but that's kind of the idea here is to say have you tasked the OCIO to do this kind of work to be proactive about the implementation of emerging AI technology and tools into existing or new systems. Thank you.

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. 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...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I've asked about this, you know, about AI policy for the government, and I happily see correspondence from the Minister's office on how we're managing AI usage as a government. But I'm wondering if we are in discussions or planning to incorporate that into our information technology, like our enterprise-wide information technology systems. Because, you know, we're seeing more and more movement in this space. It's currently driving global markets and, you know, potentially we're entering into a bubble. But, regardless, I think it's safe to say the technology is here to...