Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's a lot of sweat equity that needs to be put in to apply for federal funding. The requirements and forms can be quite complex. Can the Minister of ECE explain how her department envisions helping organizations to grow capacity to take advantage of ECE's new vision for small and medium arts organizations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ECE has been distributing just under half a million dollars to approximately 17 organizations across the territory and ECE also, in October of the previous of this previous year entered into an agreement with the Canada Council for the Arts, and this was an agreement for $750,000 of funding to help support arts organizations in the Northwest Territories. And part of that funding, ECE was able to hire an arts officer, and this person is currently working on a work plan and funding program guidelines to help organizations develop as the Member is speaking about in her statement and in her questions today. So this person will also be connecting local arts organizations to local funding and also national funding opportunities, and I'm really excited to be able to share more details in the new fiscal year. Thank you.
Okay, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure I heard a clear answer today, but that's okay. If it's for the next fiscal year, I appreciate that. I'm glad the new arts officer position was created, but can the Minister explain why there have been no public information nights up to this point about all these big changes or at least none that folks I have spoken to have heard about? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while changes are currently rolling out in real time, there's also more changes to come, and so the intent is that with this new position and the work that they're doing, that ECE will be in a position to communicate some of these changes in the next fiscal year and to be able to meet with existing and developing artists and to find out what their goals are and how different funding that's available can support that. And so I hear what the Member is saying, and I think the Member is one step ahead of ECE but ECE is happily working to catch up to where the Member is at and what the Member is asking for and is really excited to be able to work with arts organizations across the territory. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for the compliment that I'm speedy.
Will the Minister of ECE commit to providing Pathfinder services as and when needed by small or medium arts organizations to reduce barriers to access for our northern artists to funding? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I'm very happy to be able to say yes to the Member on that one. ECE and ITI are committed to providing pathfinding services for artists and organizations across the territory. This work is underway and is expected to be launched this summer. And so I'll make sure that I share those new happenings with Members so that they're able to share that with artists in their community the across the territory. In the meantime, there are arts funding available through ECE and through ITI, and there's staff members eager to support people to direct them where to go for what best suits their goals. Thank you.
Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Great Slave.
Member from Sahtu.
