R.J. Simpson

Thank you. I will let the Minister of Finance find her notes on there, because I still have to find mine as well. So perhaps if the committee can just give us a minute, we can get an answer for you. Thanks.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Bill 30, An Act to amend the Aurora College Act be read for the second time. This bill amends the Aurora College Act to create a new approach to governance based on the introduction of a competencybased board. The bill also reallocates power from the Minister to the board to allow Aurora College to operate at arm's length from the Minister and limits the role of the Minister in the operations of Aurora College while legislating the role of the Minister and approving the mandate of Aurora College. The bill...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that's the plan. That's the reality. There are intergenerational housing arrangements right now, and as a government we need to ensure that we're serving the people in those arrangements. Again, there's working groups. I work with my Cabinet colleagues on a higher level, and this is the work we want to do. This is the work we have to do. We have to look at the realities on the ground and then design our policy and programs to meet those realities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's a very specific question. I believe it's she's quoting page 76 of the policy manual, if my memory serves me correctly. But the Member makes some good points, and I'm endeavoring to find out why exactly that requirement is there. Perhaps there are other laws or fire code issues related to it. So I want to find that out, and then I can get back to the Member. Because if there are some easy wins, I'm always happy to do those. But I want to note that we are also working on a seniors specific income assistance stream, recognizing that there are differences between...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We'd love 100 percent federal funding. We do have to pay for this somehow. You know, that's the big question obviously. We want a new residence. We understand that it's not suitable for what we want to do with the polytechnic. And so how we're going to pay for it is the question yet to be determined. So I can stand here and I can say we need a new one. I can't say that I have it in the budget yet, but we have already begun approaching the federal government and we will continue to do so aggressively until we get something on the ground. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As was identified in that foundational review, it is problematic, and the future plan is to hopefully build a new residence. Officials have raised this issue with the Government of Canada, I raised this issue with Minister Vandal directly. As part of the transformation of Aurora College, we need a suitable residence and that's not a suitable residence for the worldclass institution that we are creating. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So we're not looking at an action plan, to initiate something like that. However, I can say that I have had conversations with the education leaders across the territory, so the chairs of the regional boards and the local DEAs, and there has been a focus on the handson type learning, and you know, it's clear that there is a lack of those facilities in the smaller communities, and I even hear in the larger communities it is difficult to staff a lot of those facilities.

There is a shortage of journeypersons across Canada and not every journeyperson wants to be a teacher...

Mr. Speaker, the arts, culture, heritage and language play an integral part in creating a strong and sustainable territory. Living without access to live music, art shows, craft fairs, traditional events and seasonal festivities because of the pandemic has highlighted the beauty, tradition, celebration and community that arts, culture, language and heritage bring into our lives. This past year has also shown the resiliency and creativity of the many individuals and organizations who have found ways to continue to bring us together even when we are apart.

In celebration of these individuals and...

Thank you. And, of course, the facility itself is open. SMCC has been there have been inmates there throughout this process. But it would be sometime in the summer, we expect, the therapeutic model to roll out. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents: Plain language summary for Bill 30, An Act to amend the Aurora College Act; Government of the Northwest Territories response to committee bill 1219(2) report on review of Bill 20; An Act to amend the Employment Standards Act; and Follow-up Letter to Oral Question 51019(2), Universal Childcare. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.