Caitlin Cleveland

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, certainly the program's not designed to cover 100 percent of the expenses of seniors and elders across the Northwest Territories. It was designed to cover up to an average of 80 percent of those fuel costs. And so that's why the client navigators will work with seniors to determine what their income is, what money they do have coming in, and can work with them on a budget that would work within their income threshold amount. One of the things that I think is really important here as well, and certainly the Member for the Sahtu asked about it...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, if I can say to Members, if they want me to follow along in the business plan, it would be helpful if they gave me a page number.

So in regards to the changes in the labour development and standards section, we've gone from 2024-2025 Main Estimates of $17 million, and now we're sitting at 2025-2026 Main Estimates of $18.9 million. And so if the Member is wanting me to reference a different section, very, very happy to speak to specific sections and what the changes might be.

As far as changes in number of employers itself, I guess in that case would...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, there's certainly annual reports that do come out of Aurora College every year where they show a breakdown of their revenues and they also show a breakdown of, for example, what is spent on transformation versus what is spent on number of students at the college.

As far as the -- well, first of all, I will note it hasn't been a full year that they have had that funding either so that funding would have been appropriated around November 1st following our fall sitting, and it would be worthwhile during our meeting next week asking about that because...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I cannot stress enough how important ensuring access to education is in our territory. You know, every aspect of our lives is directly related to access to education. And access to education, I can say, is incredibly important to me. We're working certainly very hard within the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to address the need to improve the education outcomes of students right across the territory. And I would be happy as well to sit down with the Member and show some of the actions that have taken place over the last, I believe...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Yes, that was part of the redesign.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, Absenteeism of our students across the Northwest Territories is a huge issue and has a direct and significant impact on the education outcomes of NWT children in every single community, in small communities, in regional centres, and in Yellowknife. It is one of the strongest ways that we can support our students to succeed is by making sure that they're in school. And it is remarkable -- and I don't have the data with me but I'd be happy to show the Member -- that when a student misses, you know, even a couple of days here and there, it very...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, shortly here I'm going to pass over to my left to ADM Beauchamp. But this is a benefit that low to medium income seniors receive. And the number of seniors that we have in the territory are certainly growing. But through yourself, Madam Chair, may I pass to the assistant deputy minister.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I certainly want us as a territory to be very ambitious and to -- I'd love to see us set targets we know we can't meet and, you know -- that sounds silly, but in the sense that I always want us to be wanting more and wanting to grow bigger and wanting to achieve greater things as a territory together. That said, I know that there is -- we also want to be able to ensure that our goals and our targets are within reach. And so as a Minister, I don't want us to see 570 here and then pat ourselves on the back. As a Minister, I want us to see marketable...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, I want to be clear that Aurora College indicated that they would not be keeping the bricks and mortar facilities open as part of their new plan. They have yet to divulge what their plan will look like going forward.

I also know that myself, along with the Aurora College board and chair, as well as the Aurora College president, will be at a briefing with standing committee I believe next week, next Thursday, and so certainly look forward to sitting with Aurora College as they inform committee of what their plans are.

As far as the dollars, so for...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, one of the things that has happened that has come into play right now is that the Student Financial Assistance program was also improved in the last Assembly at the same time that the income assistance review happened and the income support review. So through -- and the way that the changes happened were increases to basic grants, monthly living allowances, and that also expanded the remissible loan for all residents of the Northwest Territories, and that is a key difference here. Before it was only for students schooled in the Northwest...