Bob Bromley

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...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister for Health and Social Services, in recognition of the Social Workers Month here. I would like to ask, recognizing the importance of the work that these workers do, what supports are in place? Frequently our workers, I know, deal with sad and sometimes traumatic situations, and that can take quite a toll on people and families, and people might even take it home and the consequences can disperse out. So, what supports do we have in place for this particular group of workers who have their own unique issues and require our support...

Thanks, Madam Chair. I guess the significant thing to me is that the starting place, the amount per student doesn’t change each year. So they start over again with a clean slate. So I appreciate that explanation. I think I’m getting there. I’m starting to get there, I think, according to the Minister’s staff.

I just had a question on the education renewal. I heard in a response yesterday that the education renewal includes a number of initiatives, which are one or two-year pilots, and I heard that many education renewal initiatives are one or two-year pilots. Can I get an idea of what those...

Just moving on to education operations and development, let’s see if I can get through this smoke and mirrors here too. Just on student achievement, obviously, the slight rise. I think the deputy minister had it right. One data point does not make a trend. What other monitoring do we do on student achievement and do we have other sources of information other than the EDI?