Jackson Lafferty

We are not filtering the process through the college to me as Minister responsible. If there is a request, I usually get a heads-up from the college, the board chair. We would have these communications. Our staff would work on a plan from there. We have constant contacts between my department, my role as the Minister responsible for the college, and the board chair.

The board chair was just reappointed, so we have a positive working relationship. We are going to continue that. Anything that’s addressed by the Board of Governors is addressed with me as well. I make the decision, so it’s not my...

The funding that we provide to the schools is based on enrolment. Not only that, but there is indexing in pricing, whether it be the salary of those qualified people in the education system. Also, the operation costs. As you know, every year there is an increase in costs. Those are some of the areas that does capture. I’ll get my director to maybe elaborate about the process itself of enrolment and so forth, because he’s actively involved in this area.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. It does capture some of those comments that the Member is referring to, whether it be fuel costs going up and food costs going up. So we’ve been monitoring that. If there is an increase in those areas, then obviously there is an increase in our budget as well. We will continue to monitor it. If there needs to be changes to the budget, then we will be before standing committee to reflect those high costs of living.

In 2007, again, we have increased our funding based on communities’ needs and high cost of living and so forth. We continue to do that. Based on the outcome of this...

There have been other private sectors, as well, just showing an interest in how they can get involved, providing some options. Just preliminary discussions with potential industries or private sectors, I should say. It is the college that has been showing interest, as well, so we will be meeting with them. I’m sure they have been meeting with various private sectors as well. That detailed information will be brought to our attention.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. The announcement came from the federal government directly to Aurora College, for Aurora College to deliver or enhance the ALBE. It’s specifically for ALBE programming, so they made it clear from the federal perspective. What we currently provide funding to ALBE is above and beyond that, so we are, as a department, working again closely with the college. There has to be a planning process to expend those funds through the college, so even though it’s their funding, we, as a department, still continue to work with them. This is an area that has been earmarked for the college...

We can provide that. We have a lot of information. We have done our research, our homework, even across the Northwest Territories, how much the individuals are making. It does vary from region to region and the most isolated communities versus the larger centres, so we can provide it as an information package to the Members for their review.

Mr. Chair, I already spoke to the reporting mechanism, the college Board of Governors. We are talking about the Board of Governors for the college. The reporting mechanism is through the board chair, the board council, on to the president and on to my department. My senior staff would deal with that directly. She is also considered a manager in the position that she’s at. She would deal directly with my deputy or, in absence of the deputy, the assistant deputy minister. Those are the structures that we currently have. Again, reiterating that we are assessing those key areas. We are going...

Anything to do with arts, we are there. We want to be involved. Through the coordination, if it’s a centre that’s infrastructure, and we have to work closely with Public Works and Services. Other agencies are out there that we provide funding to. Whether it be the arts council, the heritage centre, the cultural projects, cultural organizations, all these different groups we have to engage. Again, it’s part of the capital planning because we are talking about centres. Anything to do with arts programming and so forth, we are willing to work interdepartmental, which we currently are going with...

I can’t really speak specifics to the recommendations that will be coming down. I believe it will be tabled this week. So we’re just waiting, and I guess we’ll stay tuned until it’s tabled. Then from there the detailed information will come out. In due time, we’ll have to follow through with their recommendations. It is before the office of the Auditor General, so I really can’t speak to it at this point.

There is an interest to have a facility in Yellowknife. That has been brought up on numerous occasions in this House, and we are working towards that.