Denny Rodgers

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We wish to consider Tabled Document 9420(1), 20242028 Business Plans in Committee of the Whole. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister. Yes, I'm aware of the $1 million in funding that was received. It was received and was to be used to develop the new Bachelor of Education program, which hasn't been rolled out yet. So what the college has been using that funding for was to develop the general studies program, which will eventually then turn into years one and 2 of the Bachelor of Education program and, if I'm not mistaken, the social work program as well. So that's what that $1 million is currently being used for.

My question is, and I believe the transition team at that budget was...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my statement, I spoke about the importance of the transition of the Aurora College to a polytechnic. Mr. Speaker, I spoke about the funding for the Centre for Learning, Teaching and Innovation that the college has been doing for the past three years. My questions are for the Minister of ECE. I'm wondering if her department would consider funding that centre to continue the important work that they're doing? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that the Tabled Document 9420(1), 20242028 Business Plans, be referred to the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight for further review. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Sure, I will kick it off with some comments. I will be fairly brief. We have some long days coming, and I'll try not to keep Members here too late today.

Listen, the business plans are great. I mean, I don't know what else I can say. I think there's a lot of excellent work done in there. I think this is

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Minister. And, listen, I appreciate I know the Minister's passionate about this project, as we all are.

One final question, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit to given that I said in my statement that the timelines are delayed, they're going to miss some of the milestones that was originally laid out in a GAN chart that we've all seen, where they wanted to be. Can the Minister commit to tabling where they are and how those milestones have changed? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. I can tell you the funding, I believe, was in the neighbourhood of about $500,000 per year. They did apply but did not receive the continued funding CanNor on that program. Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I've also addressed in my Member's statement the actual transition team and the important work that that team had been doing up until such time as the board of directors were put in place, understanding now that the college is an arm's length organization, but still much important work that we could do as a government to assist...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as brought forward by my colleagues in this House several times over the past week, the transition of Aurora College to a polytechnic is in jeopardy of not reaching some of its milestone commitments. Mr. Speaker, as a government, we must ensure that we continue our commitment to this important work. One of those commitments, Mr. Speaker, should be to fund the centre for learning, teaching, and innovation, an initiative that the Aurora College brought forward during the transition process, and, Mr. Speaker, this program provides expertise to develop new...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member's statement, right now the residents of Inuvik are paying up to $4.83 of additional costs on their gas bill due to the carbon tax.

My question for the Minister of Finance is what has this government done with regards to lobbying, imploring, begging -- I don't know, talking some sense into our federal counterparts -- to finally get an exemption on natural gas in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when those adjustments for the COLO were made, I believe they were made in the last Assembly, and they were made prior to the 23 percent increase. I don't know if the Minister can speak to if they had been taken in consideration that diesel would be exempted and natural gas wouldn't be and whether or not that's something they're willing to look at going forward as maybe, as she said, take a look at those numbers again. Thank you.