Thank you, Madam Chair. Just in regards to our youth contribution programs, basically the same line of questioning in regards to: what are we doing and what are we offering in the communities, and is that for the Inuvialuit? Us being in Nunakput, does it go through, do you deal with the community per se, or do you understand deal with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in that with the funds? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister of MACA.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We've had a Beaufort-Delta sports distribution of federal funding that went out. I'm not too sure how the money was distributed throughout the communities. I'll have Ms. Eleanor Young elaborate. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Deputy Minister Young.
Thank you, Madam Chair. When I spoke to the COVID money, particularly, it was distributed to the regional and territorial sport organizations as well as to community governments. For our youth funding and other funding that you see there as part of our main estimates, the eligibility is slightly different. In a number of those programs, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, for example, are eligible to apply to run programs, as well. It's not just community governments that can access our funding, so we do support other organizations to access funding and run events, as well. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just in regards to when we give all this funding out, do they have a contribution agreement, timelines in regards to reporting back for the funds that they receive? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The money that was distributed is the federal funding. I'm not too sure of the criteria that is expected, but because this was a COVID distribution, I will have Ms. Eleanor Young elaborate on the response. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Deputy Minister Young.
Thank you, Madam Chair. For the COVID support money we received from Sport Canada, the reporting requirements are very minimal. It's something the department can do just on who we gave the money to and what kinds of events they were going to operate. For our own departmental programs, we do have financial reporting requirements that we ask organizations to complete, and we do support them in completing those reports. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have a comment in regards to all the funds that the federal government and the territorial government have been giving. I see a lot of it in my communities. It's all positive, all of the different little programs that they are doing, with the sewing programs, with the youth initiative programs that they do have. I just thank them for that. Just making sure that my riding of Nunakput is getting its fair share, too. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister of MACA.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, I can assure the Member that Nunakput is receiving adequate funding for youth and recreation. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Any further questions under regional operations? Seeing no further questions under regional operations, please turn to page 347. Municipal and Community Affairs, regional operations, expenditure summary, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $101,516,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Committee, we will now turn to the School of Community Government beginning on page 351, with information items up to 354. Questions? Member for Thebacha.
Madam Chair, for the School of Community Government, I agree with the concept, but I think we are going towards the concept of the polytechnic university. I think that some of these funds should be geared to a program at the new polytechnic university. This type of funding should be going to the polytechnic university and not in community governments.
I know SAOs are very hard to come by, even at a regional level, even at a First Nations level, and I think that, if we combined our forces with the business management courses and everything else that is offered at a polytechnic, we are kind of duplicating what we are doing here. If we are going with the other concept of a polytechnic university, I think that's where all of this funding should be going towards, making sure that every community has the proper SAOs.
There have been a lot of problems within the North. Forensics were going on in different communities. There are all kinds of things that have happened. Sometimes expectations are not there, and we spend a lot of time trying to correct those expectations. It is time that we evolved to the more formal training at the polytechnic university and stop duplicating programs. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Did you have any comments?
Thank you, Madam Chair. I support the School of Community Government, obviously, because we do have a different expectation within the department in working with our smaller communities. I will bring this back to my department and have the conversation with my colleague, the Minister of education. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am looking at the actuals for 2019-2020 for compensation and benefits at $847,000. It has gone back to its original estimate of $1,096,000. I am just curious to know: there are no changes to positions within this area of the department, so I am just wondering why there was that drop over the last year. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister of MACA.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I will have Ms. Eleanor Young respond. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy Minister Young.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't have the detail in front of me, but what I would expect is this is probably a situation where we had a vacancy for part of a year or something along those lines. I can check that detail and get back to the Members just to confirm why the difference exists. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for that. It's more just me trying to learn, sometimes, what the budgets are and how the GNWT operates. More of a comment. I just want to say that I think it's actually great to see increased budget to A Brilliant North, and I do also support the School of Community Government. I hear what my colleague is saying, but this, to me, seems like internal training, almost, for community members, a way to train community members on the operations of the government. Maybe I could ask if that's a correct assumption to make in this area. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister of MACA.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am going to have Ms. Eleanor Young respond. Thank you.
Deputy Minister Young.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, that's a correct assumption. It's designed as an executive learning program. You may take, for example, an accounting degree at school, but then you come and you learn about municipal accounting at the School of Community Government so the municipal application of it. That said, we are obviously very closely having conversations with the polytech about where the polytech evolves to and what that does to the school when it is opened. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you for that, Madam Chair. My next question is: does this organization or this area of the department support SAO development and retention? I have become aware, in my time in the North, of how difficult it is for SAOs to be retained in small remote communities at times, often being at the whim of mayor and council. I'm just curious to know: is this an area where the funding would be to support those types of employees and their roles? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister of MACA.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We do have funding that does support communities in the transition of SAOs. I don't think it's in this section. I will just have Ms. Eleanor Young respond. Thank you.
Deputy Minister Young.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, there is training for SAOs under the School of Community Government, an occupational certification, if they so choose to go there. The Brilliant North funding you see there is really targeted to governance training and SAO training, primarily, right now. Through a collaborative effort, NWTAC and LGANT, the Association of Communities and the administrators' association, help us determine where to target that Brilliant North funding. Currently, it is targeted to SAOs and governance, so council training. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just more of a comment, again, I want to reiterate that I think that that is a key area and very important to be providing those supports to SAOs because I do think that high turnover rate of SAOs seems to be affecting the North. Like the conversation we have had with the teachers, it is way better to retain people we already have with northern knowledge than trying to retrain and bring up people all the time from the South. More of a comment than anything. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Members, we will stop here and take a recess before we return and finish up this key activity. Thank you.
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I call Committee of the Whole back to order. We will continue on. We are under Municipal and Community Affairs, School of Community Government. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. When I look at the School of Community Government, I've heard tangentially from a few communities that it's good, but it's $3 million of the budget that I don't really know much about. My question to the Minister is: I know it doesn't necessarily operate as a school, per se, but is there an annual report or some sort of document where I can find out more information about the School of Community Government? I've looked on the website, and it seems that it's kind of sparse in the reporting. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister of MACA.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I will have Ms. Eleanor Young respond. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy Minister Young.
Thank you, Madam Chair. There is currently not an annual report, but we could put some information together. Essentially, we offer training in about 10 or 15 different occupations that are related to community governments, everything from senior administrative officers down to works and recreation staff, as well as council training for council, and we work with CIRNAC to deliver First Nations governance training, as well. The gamut of what would be within a community government's area of responsibility, there are different training courses tied to. We can put more detailed information together, but to answer the question, no, no annual report produced. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes. Perhaps, since there isn't an annual report, a review is perhaps what I'm looking for. When I look at something like this, we did the Aurora College foundational review, and we looked at how many people take the courses. We got a figure out of that of the cost, what it is actually costing to run these courses per person. Do we have any figures of, in a fiscal year, how many people take courses in the School of Community Government? I'm just trying to get a sense of the scope of this. Thank you, Madam Chair.
