Thank you to the Minister for that. Can the Minister relay that to the mayor of Yellowknife, just let them know that the tree shaking will begin to commence earnestly to get this project done. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly have a good relationship with the mayor of Yellowknife and, again, I don't want to create false hope that I have great faith that there's an easy pot for us to latch onto in the federal system right now. They, of course, are going through their own political changes, it would seem, in the next few months. But, again, certainly will commit that, at least from the Department of Infrastructure, to the extent that we are aware and do work with federal funding opportunities, again, we'll work with my colleagues here, and between myself and the Minister of MACA, we'll ensure that we keep the mayor of Yellowknife apprised of our efforts. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in late November, I received the letter from the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding my concerns about the licensing of nurses here in the North. And basically, the letter comes back and says status quo is the way we go. My question is is what's stopping the Minister for providing direction to the association saying we're making it part of our funding agreement that we find an easier way to register foreign nurses who are qualified in Ontario, Alberta, but the gatekeeper process here refuses to let them join the service that we're in dire need of help? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of work that's going on right now with the joint nursing -- it's CAN, it's the health authorities. They're all working toward right now of trying to figure out who in the Northwest Territories that they can -- like, who is here in the Northwest Territories right now that are potentially, you know, still within that licensing time, what needs do they have, and so that work is going to go out and to survey those nurses.
As for the overall picture in the -- you know, bringing in international nurses into the Northwest Territories, we are not Ontario and we are not Alberta, and we cannot support those nurses coming into the system. I've talked to my counterparts. I've recently was just in Halifax meeting with other FPTs and territorial and provincial provinces, and the work that they have to do to support the nurses coming in and, you know, and increasing support training, we have to do that right now. And Stanton and Inuvik are the only two hospitals, and then there's Fort Smith and Hay River, and we're trying to support the nurses that are going through the LPN program, the RN program, new grads coming out of the school. We're -- you know, so we -- our nurses have already told us that they cannot do this and work and do their job. So we are looking at options as how we can support the nurses, the international educated nurses that we currently have that are in the Northwest Territories. I'll leave it at that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Why don't we start with the objective of saying yes, we will find a way as opposed to no we can't do this. Mr. Speaker, Alberta finds a way. Ontario find a way. And even in BC, they have a check-in process where they monitor someone's international skills to ensure they're on pair -- on par, sorry. That said, we can make all the excuses in the world why we can't do something. Let's try an unusual one by saying how we are going to commit to doing something. So, Mr. Speaker, I prefer local nurses here. Would the Minister say or find a way to find a solution to this and provide direction and support through her department to the CAN folks, the nurses association, etcetera. Can she try -- let's try to do something as oppose -- (audio).
(audio). Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this -- since I've been the Minister, I think is the farthest that we've gone forward on trying to making sure that we're looking at a new way of trying to support those international education nurses that are here, that have been going to our MLAs, that have been saying, you know, I've been trained. And it is looking outside the box. It is working with BC. We have CAN right now working with BC trying to look at the system that they're using that they are collaborating with the Yukon right now to assess those skills, and that's what we are doing right now. So all that work is happening right now. So it is live. And when I do have more fulsome information to be able to share, I will make sure that I share it with all the MLAs. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Mr. Speaker, I heard a long time ago somebody say do or do not; there is no try. So why don't we commit to doing something. We could waive the hours through some form or regulations. It's not as simple as that; I understand that. But that said, we have very smart, capable people. Would the Minister investigate the process opportunity of waiving those hours and restrictions required by the gatekeepers, our northern nursing association, that would allow these people to practice. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are trying. That is what we are doing. We are looking at the different routes. And there are -- you know, and what we're now finding out is that educations in other countries have changed, and so, you know, by going through and doing the assessment, doing the English assessment, and using BC's model, that's what we're trying to work with right now. And so I would not commit to removing hours if that would put, you know, people at risk. I'm not saying that they're going to be at risk, but what I am saying is that we have people in these roles and we have regulatory bodies in place for a reason, and so they are working to try to make this as easy a process as possible so that international educated nurses can work in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have further questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. She might get a lot headed her way today before she goes away for a few days out of the House. So this has to do with courses that at least previously have been offered by Aurora College, specifically the housing maintainer course which has played a critical role in NWT communities. Training people to take care of housing repairs and upkeep, especially public housing units. And I had heard that perhaps this course is no longer being offered by Aurora College and that community members who are interested might have to go to Yukon university or a southern-based institution to gain that skillset. Can the Minister confirm whether or not Aurora College is still offering the housing maintainer course. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Colleagues, before we go to the yes, we don't talk about who isn't -- is in the House or not going to be in the House. So please be reflective of that. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I certainly have oversight over post-secondary in the Northwest Territories, and it's the Aurora College board of governors who has oversight over the operations of the college. But it is my understanding that the program is still being delivered at the college. But I think it's worth noting that not every single program is delivered in every single term at the college. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I apologize for that oversight.
Does the Minister happen to know whether programs such as the housing maintainer program or even the building trades helper program has to be -- is offered only at the campus communities or whether it's being offered in other NWT communities where people live, to be able to take those courses? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the apprenticeship housing maintainer program is delivered at the Thebacha campus in Fort Smith, but it's my understanding that there may have been opportunities in the past for the non-apprenticeship version of that course to be delivered in other communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the Minister have a role in at least communicating with the college the importance of offering courses like this in communities to make them more accessible as opposed to requiring people to go to campus communities, or is that outside the Minister's role and solely the purview of the Aurora College board of directors? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this type of feedback is something that I hear from MLAs. I have heard from Indigenous governments over desire for courses to be accessible within communities and have heard it from residents as well. And certainly when I get feedback like that, I do make sure that I take it to meetings that I do have with the president of Aurora College as well as the chair of Aurora College. And so while I don't direct the operations and don't have -- there is a noninterference clause so I cannot interfere and tell them what to do, I certainly do ensure that I am sharing that feedback. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of ECE also. We're just really hammering her today with the knowledge that she's leaving soon. Sorry, us new Members are still getting used to all these rules.
Mr. Speaker, for our mandate item grow and enhance the northern workforce, what specific problem or problems are we trying to address with this high-level goal? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Thank you for catching your mistake. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Mr. Speaker, it's very hard for me not to speak for the next 12 and a half minutes about this question, but I won't. I won't.
So, Mr. Speaker, with this high level -- what is meant by this high-level statement, obviously we want to grow our workforce. We want more people involved in our workforce. We want to enhance our workforce. We -- I will slow down, my apologies.
We want the people who are involved in our workforce to have the opportunity to grow their skills and to take advantage of other opportunities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What the Minister shared there was quite vague. What I'm trying to get -- what I'm trying to narrow in on is what problem are we trying to solve. What are the issues in our workforce that we're trying to solve? Is it the fact that, you know, employment at the mines has only reached about 40 percent northern over the years? Like, are there specific issues we're trying to address with this goal; do we even know? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're trying to ensure that more residents are graduating from high school, more residents are attending post-secondary, more residents are having meaningful employment within the workforces of the NWT. And I think that that's key. I think it's about growing and enhancing our workforce. I understand from the Member, though, that there's an opportunity to constantly improve the documents that we do put out. And that's why I think it's also important to reflect on the fact that our business plans are living documents and, based on the feedback from the Member last year, continue to make improvements, and these are conversations that will continue to shape documents next year.
There are some good measurables in the document as well, though, and have the Member to thank for that, along with his colleagues for some of their feedback. But increasing the number of employed income assistance clients, the number of students accessing our career education advisers, the number of SNAP students, the number of students accessing student financial assistance. There are some great numbers in there that are measurable. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, I guess to get to the point of my statement, why are some of ECE's targets on this item so vague? There are items that are very specific, like the 10 percent one I listed in my statement. But, for example, our post-secondary education goal is simply to maintain or grow. It doesn't say how much, it doesn't say when. Can we get a commitment from the Minister for these items in the growing and enhancing our northern workforce goals in the business plans that we will get achievable, measurable goals, attached to those items in the business plans. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member certainly has my commitment to treat this living document just as such, a living document that continues to grow and continues to get better every year. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, following up on my Member's statement, I did mention in there that I know the Minister's aware that childcare providers are required to complete the essentials course in order to be a childcare provider either in a day home or in a centre.
Mr. Speaker, oftentimes, you know, providers may have English as a second language or may require some assistance. Does the department provide assistance, or what assistance does the department provide to the individuals who are taking these courses? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment can certainly provide supports to people who need it. The example the Member used, for example, where people have English as a second language, the supports afforded are certainly determined on a case-by-case basis, and people who require supports can email earlylearning@gov.nt.ca. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And yeah, I would hope that that support is offered through the department to ensure that these providers can get the help they need to get these courses as quickly as possible and including the certification process.
Mr. Speaker, and the Minister mentioned the $3.5 million that was added to the budget last year for the wage subsidy. Can the Minister confirm that that funding will again -- once again be continued through the funding this fiscal year. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So when we did receive that funding within education, culture and employment, it was indicated that it would need to be a go-forward funding, not just a one-off funding. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you for that. That is, indeed, excellent news.
I guess I would ask if the Minister can commit to giving us a kind of a costed plan on how the department intends to reach the 300 spaces by 2026 that was intended when the agreement was signed with the federal government. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's not going to be one size fits all for what that looks like across the territory. The 300 spaces are certainly clear across the Northwest Territories. For example, we are repurposing modular classrooms into ELCC spaces. We are looking at, you know, how I can work with some of my colleagues on some of their infrastructure builds in order to use minimal funds to pull some spaces out of there. Some of them, of course, will of course end up being day homes, and so in people's homes. And so it's not a matter of 300 daycare spaces in this type of facility. We are really looking at the whole gambit of how we get to these 300 spaces and support the needs of Northerners as far as childcare. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Infrastructure.
Very similarly to the Minister of Health and Social Services just earlier, will the Minister please work with her colleague at ECE to make sure that folks with expiring work visas can have an extension on their driver's licenses. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe at least one, if not two or three, such requests have already come in, and we certainly will do our best to make sure we're coordinating with all colleagues here for folks -- to the best of our ability that there's not a delay or that there's an ability to be a bit flexible where feasible. Thank you.
Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
