Julie Green

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. One of the most remarkable transformations to take place in the life of this Assembly is the approach to post-secondary education, in general, and Aurora College, in particular. Our mandate directed us to expand opportunities for post-secondary education, not to dismiss the Aurora College board, order a foundational review, and make plans to establish a polytechnic university, but that's what has happened and we are better off for it.

The government's decision to cut the college's budget started this transformation. It took weeks of questioning to understand that this was a...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am wondering if the Minister could provide some detail of the item with the title "Yellowknife Vulnerable Persons Shelter." What is this building about? Where is it going to be located? Who is paying for it, or what portion is the GNWT's, and so on?

Yes, I would appreciate the Minister providing that information that he just cited to Priorities and Planning. The point here is that childcare is not a money-making proposition. It is run on a cost-recovery basis by non-profits. I don't know of any exceptions to that. So the daycare environment in Yellowknife is not really any different than it is in a small community. There aren't bag of money sitting around to create childcare spaces. The Yellowknife Daycare Association is a non-profit that recently constructed a large new building, fortunately, and they have a big mortgage on it, so I'm...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Is the Minister open to having the same kind of discussions with the community of Yellowknife around the J.H. Sissons school rebuild to figure out whether there's a partnership possibility to include childcare spaces in that school? Thank you.

Thank you. I like the idea of making schools hubs. That's the point of putting gyms in schools, so that the community will go there and use it as a community centre. On what basis is childcare considered in some of these projects and not in others? For example, it's my understanding that the Colville Lake School is going to include childcare. Can the Minister confirm that, please?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I receive a lot of calls from seniors who are concerned about homecare services. Ultimately, what I would like to leave them with is when they will see the benefit of the recommendations of this report. Thank you.

I appreciate the reminder from the Minister that homecare is actually for all us. I benefited greatly from their attention during an accident that I had at the beginning of this Assembly. My question for the Minister is: what is the status of the homecare study now, and does he know when it will be made public?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. If anyone had told me all this good would come from all the disruptive and apparently arbitrary decisions made two-and-a-half years ago, I would have had trouble believing it. My hope is that the 19th Assembly will continue on the course now set for a promising future. Mahsi.

Nothing further. Thank you.

Thank you for that information. Is it possible for the Department of Education to work with childcare providers in Yellowknife to create space in the new school building that will replace J.H. Sissons, to explore that possibility? Thank you.