Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. The office of the Auditor General conducted a performance audit of income security just recently, spanning from April 2009 to September 2012. There has been a review, I guess, from outside, highlighting various aspects within the income security framework. The last changes we made were in 2007 after a review of our income security, so we’re just waiting for the outcome of the office of the Auditor General, what the outcome would be, and then we have to follow through with that. We’re just waiting for that, and proceeding once we get that information.

The reporting and also appointing is laid out in the legislation. The president reports to the board, the Board of Governors for Aurora College. Also, I have working relations through various areas with the president. If there are things that need to be addressed or issues or concerns or ideas, then we would meet. The same with the college chair. I would have frequent contact with the chair as the need arises. But the reporting mechanism comes down to the president to the Board of Governors of Aurora College.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is an area that we have been discussing interdepartmentally. There is the TSC chargeback, I believe, in every department. Our Department of Education, Culture and Employment, I believe we’re one of the biggest users along with Health and Social Services because of our videos and linkage.

We’ve been exploring different options on how we can get away from that specific area where our Internet accessibility is quite large and part of the GNWT system. This whole fibre optic link and also the e-learning is a small piece of it, but that is an area that we have been...

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. The Member has raised this issue on a few occasions and we forwarded that to the college. The college, as you know, delivers these specific core programs that are needed, based on the assessment that they have. They usually do their research and their survey, their studies, interviewing students or community members, and based on that, if there is a high need for renewable energy program, then they would pursue it.

At the same time, it is with the college. As you know, there have been some changes within senior staff at the college. I have re-delivered that to the new...

Again, as indicated, we just received the letter from the college that is showing expression of interest. That’s all it lays out. Now our department and the college need to sit down and discuss that, the interest, and where we’re going to go with that. Although we speak in general terms, we are talking about capital planning process. We will get there when the time comes. Now we are going to have my department meet with the college.

With representatives at the regional level I believe we cover all five regions. Other communities, as well, beyond the five regions. We can provide some detailed information on the data itself and where individuals can collect that information via if it’s not on the website where it is at. We will find that out from the regional perspective and from our department.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I have with me, to my left is Gabriela Eggenhofer, deputy minister, Education, Culture and Employment, and Mr. Paul Devitt to my right. He is the director of strategic business services with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. The child and family resource centres, the two communities, again, working very closely with them. We had some challenges with the community of Ndilo. Their CEO left and he was actively involved with developing the proposal. So time lapsed and we continued our discussions in the early new year. He left around December. So right now, as it stands, we’ve allocated funding. I believe it was the first or second week in February. We were assured by the group that are working closely with us on this particular project that the funding that’s been allocated to them that there was...

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I do remember the Member raising that issue, and we will do it for next year. I’m kind of surprised that it was still here too. We’ll make that work.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. Obviously, there has to be a financial accountability. On an annual basis we receive financial statements from them. I believe it’s audited financial statements from them on an annual basis. That clarifies where expenditures happen and in what areas and so forth, staff, administration, the schools, student programming, all of that. That’s how they base it on annual expenditures, through audited financial statements.