Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thanks to the deputy minister for that response. My next question is in the area of early childhood development and learning. I mentioned I was very pleased to see the $1.24 million investment into this program. I wonder if I could get some specifics on what the intention is with these dollars and confirmation that these are new dollars. So, are these new dollars and where they’re going, and maybe I’ll just throw out another part to the question on the financial side. I don’t see this reflected in the budget. The budget, in fact, has gone down from the revised estimates...

Thank you, Madam Chair. It’s a short motion. I move that this committee strongly recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment work with representatives of the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning on the legislative steps necessary for Dechinta to become an accredited post-secondary education provider with the potential to become a degree-granting institution. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’ll just follow up on a couple of things. On the last series of questions, I think the relevance is we are putting in place early childhood development programs knowing that we don’t have a lot of expertise here. The last time I looked, our graduates from ECE programs at Aurora College did not meet federal standards. It sounds like some work was done and we decided we can’t afford that. That’s unfortunate, but I do appreciate the effort to support, through scholarships, early childhood students who choose to pursue those qualifications through other routes. It would be...

I know the Minister is aware of their work to seek to expand their programs based on the tremendous success they’ve enjoyed. I know the Minister’s heard those statements and questions in the House and so on. Is there a plan to increase the funding for Dechinta in this budget?

I know the Minister is aware that we are in a vulnerable situation. We don’t want to undermine the industry from the very start, so I’m sure there will be sensitivity to that. While most of our mushrooms are world-class, clean and safe to eat, some areas that have been tested showed high concentrations of contaminants. Areas near Tibbitt Lake and west of Yellowknife, for example, may not be safe. World markets will test morels from the NWT as they have done in the past. Findings of contaminated morels would make it hard for the mushroom industry to rebound from the negative publicity. This has...

Thank you, Madam Chair. What is the Minister’s understanding in terms of this being an issue for students? Are they having problems accessing that support or are things, according to the department’s experience, sailing along smoothly with that aspect?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are following up on my Member’s statement for Minister Miltenberger, Environment and Natural Resources. It is anticipated by mushroom experts that this summer’s harvest of morels will be the largest ever, this spring’s harvest. The industry that last year brought in a few million dollars is set to bring in exponentially more and perhaps for years to come.

Can the Minister indicate what plans are underway to capitalize on this renewable resource harvesting opportunity? Mahsi.

I’ll look forward to that information and I understand now that the actual surplus is about $1 million right now. So I’d appreciate that information.

Just related to Aurora College programs and some of the issues that had come up before, the housing for people who live in Yellowknife, students that choose to go to Aurora College is not supported at all, unlike people who live outside of Yellowknife, and yet they are still giving up their life as income earners to attend college. I know the Minister is aware of this issue. Is there any contemplation on a policy to address this deep concern to...

Thanks to the Minister there. Is there an attempt to move social workers around or to place them in cultural situations where they’re comfortable, that sort of thing? Do they receive the training for cross-cultural situations? Mahsi.

Thank you to the Minister for that. I’ll look forward to those. I’d like to just move to Aurora College now. That’s a big figure there, adult and post-secondary education, $37 million. I know $33 million or $34 million is for Aurora College.

I’m trying to understand how it is that Aurora College has now developed an ongoing and running surplus of $9 million. I’m trying to read the annual reports. It looks like they’ve overspent in a number of years. As an arm’s length they get granted more money and then go and spend all of that and it builds up as surplus and now it’s running at about $9...