Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We’d like to deal with Bill 46 and, following that, Tabled Document 188-17(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2015-2016, the Department of Education.

Thanks to the Minister. So, I’d like to know from the Minister, then, I presume monitoring and evaluation and accountability will produce a report. I think he mentioned a report at the end of his answer there. So, these reports presumably would go to the department. I’d like to know if the reports will also go to committee and to the public so that the Members and the public will know how their taxpayer money is being used. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I would like to follow up on his statement from today about Aboriginal language programs and progress. The Minister mentioned it his statement that the GNWT invests $15 million each year to support and promote Aboriginal languages. One of those is to build the capacity of Aboriginal governments to implement their five-year regional language plans. I support that change. It is a change in the approach from the department. It’s an investment in language and it’s one that’s needed, so I...

I don’t think the Minister understood what I was asking. There was an increase of nine positions from last budget year to this one. Five of them are service officers. The other four are new positions. What are they? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. Are they all new positions? There’s an increase of nine positions from 2014-15 to 2015-16. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a number of comments in no particular order. This is such a large department that it’s kind of hard to know where to start.

I appreciate Mr. Dolynny’s comments about ERI. It is a huge undertaking, and I appreciate the Minister’s response as well. But it is a huge undertaking and I do have to say that I am still concerned that the department is trying to fund most of the changes that they’re making through the ERI Initiative. They’re trying to make those changes with money from within. If we are ever going to effect change and do it properly it needs to… In most...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment:

Does the Department of Education, Culture and Employment income support division have a definition of “transitional housing” that they use to determine a client’s eligibility for income assistance?

If yes, please provide it. If no, how does the department determine if a client is in transitional housing, and if they are, how does the department determine if the client is eligible for income assistance?

What policy governs clients whose only accommodation option is a motel or hotel room? Why are they...

Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that offer of getting some information. We’ll have to get together on that.

One of the things I mentioned yesterday, and I’d like to revisit the interim land withdrawal for the land around the city of Yellowknife. The agreement, I believe, was first put in place in 2006 for five years. It’s been extended three times after that one year at a time, and yesterday I heard that there is apparently an intention to extend it forever or until there is a land claim settlement. So, if there’s going to be extensions, I’d like to know from the Minister, is it going to...

I think I got that. Thanks, Mr. Chair. That’s enough.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Lands and I want to follow up on some of the questions and the information sharing that we had yesterday in Committee of the Whole.

The City of Yellowknife has expressed interest in gaining ownership of all of the Commissioner’s lands within the city’s territory. In my mind, that’s a good thing. It’s a consolidation of lands. It clears things up and it makes it clear just what the city has and gives the city control over the whole area.

That request has apparently been turned down by the Department of Lands, and I’d...