Bill Braden

To the inclusion in the capital plan here, Mr. Chairman, of K’alemi Dene School replacement and, as we have already discussed, a new potential high school in Yellowknife, are these new additions to the capital plan? I am wondering at what point did these items get added to the plan, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to explore this issue of jurisdiction a bit more. There was of course at some point a transfer from federal to territorial jurisdiction for environmental responsibility. Is there difficulty at that sort of large high policy level, or are we simply in dispute about a single site, a single issue cleanup? What is this jurisdictional problem, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What we heard last night, Mr. Speaker, was a strong signal that Yellowknife residents are taking an active interest in what is going on with our neighbours to the north and the east. The feedback that I received was that the meeting was informative and generally well received. I hope that there will be more. Mr. Speaker, I am a supporter of the Tlicho people’s goals and dreams to have their own governing institutions and take charge of their own affairs, through the responsibilities that this government and this legislature has to pass these laws and implement the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On page 9-20, the item at the bottom of the page, the NWTTA professional improvement fund. Noting about a 40 percent increase from the current year to the coming year, I wonder if the Minister could provide some information on the case for this seemingly quite significant jump. Thank you.

Thank you. In the notes here in the main estimates, Mr. Chairman, there is no reference to any particular budget line that may be devoted to starting the implementation, and I'm wondering if the Minister might be able to speak at least on his department for what budgetary measures are anticipated to help get this strategy going. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Okay, thank you. I will ask the question whether you have any ability to know is the need being satisfied through the federal programs? Are we providing enough programs and enough access to satisfy the need? Thank you.

Thank you. In this area and coming from some of the very diligent questioning that Ms. Lee has been putting Ministers to in the area of other expenses, the Minister mentioned under student financial assistance about $4 million for loan write-offs, I believe was the term used. Could the Minister describe what is meant by the term "write-offs?" Thank you.

Thank you. An area that I'm hearing a little bit more on from some people in Yellowknife, and certainly there is a lot of traffic on the national media, Mr. Chairman, is in the skyrocketing rates of tuition and the expenses that students incur as they go about their post-secondary education. I would like to see if the Minister could tell us what are we doing to keep pace with this. I know, for instance, that we have certain caps on the amount that we provide for tuition. As generous as they are, we might be losing pace here. I'm wondering if the Minister could tell us are we monitoring...

Mr. Speaker, I have a written question for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

In the Miramar Con Mine lease agreements, is there a specified reclamation standard which the leaseholder must achieve?

With these leases does the Minister have the ability to set or alter the standards of reclamation which the company must meet?

If these specified reclamation standards are not achieved by the leaseholder, what remedies are available to the Minister to have the necessary work carried out?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.