Denny Rodgers

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this weekend I had the opportunity to attend the curling Northwest Territories Rock the Rings 2025, and, Mr. Speaker, it was the biggest one yet. 65 youth curlers - 31 from Inuvik, 12 from Hay River, and 22 from Yellowknife - had attended this event this weekend over Saturday and Sunday.

Each year, Mr. Speaker, it's great to see the skill level of these curlers improving. In addition to the curling, the participants enjoyed bowling and pizza on Friday, swimming and teen time on Saturday and, most of all, Mr. Speaker, making new friends.

Mr. Speaker, I am...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that the chair rise and report progress. Thank you.

Thank you, and I thank the Minister for that, and I think it's amazing that the president has been up there, can see for herself what's happening up there. And, Mr. Speaker, this is no way a slight on the property owner or the developer up there. We're happy to have that building in our community.

I guess my next question is, then, so will the Minister commit to looking at putting these -- I know in some units, particularly in Yellowknife, I know in some apartment buildings they have security in there because we're dealing with a building where the door is often wide open, where there's things...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about the ongoing drug issue in our territory. And I know my colleagues have mentioned it several times since this House has been elected, as well as the Premier alluded to it in his address.

Mr. Speaker, I want to speak specifically to Inuvik and to one issue. We have one apartment building up there. It's quite a large apartment building -- it's three floors, I think it has somewhere around 60 units -- and every week I get at least, at minimal two, sometimes every day, e-mails, texts, phone calls, often videos, not only of the drug...

I had a question, Mr. Chair. Certainly, you know, out of respect for my colleagues, I'll support the motion if they want to defer. I certainly know that this $12 million is used to offset the rates for the outlying communities, one of which that I live in. Certainly I would like to see more of that money in there. We did have an opportunity to review this at the accountability and oversight committee at the time as well to get those details. But, again, if the motion is to defer, I respect my colleague's motions to do that, and we'll get that information back. Thank you.

Thank you for that clarification. Nothing further, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So are these eight vehicles then being purchased here, are they specialized vehicles or vehicles that just weren't budgeted for in the capital budget and now are coming through in a supplemental? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The committee would like to review the Supplemental Appropriation (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2024-2025. And Supplemental Appropriation (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2024-2025. Mr. Chair, I believe they're Tabled Documents 278 and 279. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I apologize, I said early learning. I meant adult learning education. So, yes, so our mandate is to provide that. The buildings are certainly still going to be there. So then just for clarification, then, the intent is, moving forward, once the negotiations or once the discussion happens with Aurora College, that we continue to provide that service and those learning centres will be opened and staffed as they were previous to the college making those decisions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Excellent, that's great news, great to hear. Can the Minister kind of put some timelines around when she anticipates the president and the owners of the building will be meeting to kind of start putting that plan in place and then follow up obviously with what comes from that plan? Thank you.