Kevin O'Reilly

I want to thank the Minister for that. I think I heard an explanation of the problem, but I didn't actually hear any solutions. As bad as the situation is here in Yellowknife, I'm sure it's much worse in the regions and communities, which creates a digital divide. Can the Minister explain what her department is doing to ensure accessible and affordable Internet access for all of our students?

Thanks. I think I understood parts of that. The survey work that is being done now, how is that going to feed into what this is going to look like in the future, this part of the budget? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure. I just want to follow up on questions I had for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about access to the Internet for students. In my statement, I mentioned the low bandwidth that is shared between four educational facilities in Yellowknife. Can the Minister confirm that she is aware of this problem and what is she doing about it? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks. I think it was yesterday the Minister mentioned that the current mental wellness and addictions recovery action plan is expiring in a month or so and that the new one has to be developed. The money for that program is not found here. Is it found somewhere else in the budget? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

I want to thank the Minister. I'm on a roll here. I better keep going. As bad as the situation may be here in Yellowknife, I'm sure it's much worse in other regions and communities, and it creates a real digital divide here. Can the Minister explain what his department is doing to ensure accessible and affordable Internet access for all of our students?

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Now to the last line here, fees and payments, this one does jump around a fair bit. Back in 2019-2020, it was $15 million, which is $10 million more than what is anticipated next year. If I can get an explanation of what this covers, let's start with that. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I noted in my statement that YK1, YCS, CSFTNO and Aurora College share the same meagre bandwidth through a data feed provided by GNWT for all four institutions. Can the Minister confirm that he's aware of this problem, and what is he doing about it? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Okay, thanks. Yes. That helps me a lot. I appreciate that. The contract services line, can someone explain to me what that is? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I am just trying to understand a little bit more about the breakdown out of the three categories on the bottom part of page 189. I see the grants, contributions and transfers, that amount, and that seems to correspond with the money that is given to Health and Social Services Authorities. It's just a flat-line amount. Maybe I will start with that. There is no fluctuation whatsoever. How is this amount determined? The fact that it has just stayed the same over three years just seem a bit odd. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Look, I'm very supportive of the pilot program. I'd be happy to see it made permanent in some way. After the evaluation, is it the intention of the department to work this into the next budget cycle or look at a potential supplementary appropriation? Thanks, Mr. Chair.