Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, if our education outcome is improved in small communities, we would enjoy -- we would have -- our Indigenous students are going to -- that's the same -- that's what we want for our Indigenous students as well, if our education is improved in our small communities then they will have the same access and we will have a lot of our students in that field, in the doctorate, in a Master's program, you know, undergraduate degree. But in the meantime, I know what I'm doing here so -- okay, so I -- I'm going to get back to the report, yes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about the future for public housing in the Tlicho region.

Mr. Speaker, it is a priority of the 20th Legislative Assembly to ensure sustainable financial resources for housing programs and projects. When we talk about public housing, we mean programs that provide income-based rental housing for the residents most in need, like elders and families with little or no income. But residents are saying NWT Housing is not functioning the way it is supposed to.

Yesterday, Behchoko Ko Gha K'aodee held a public hearing on housing in Behchoko...

(audio) that response. So how much money is the department spending on collecting housing arrears to keep the office running? That's what I was trying to get at. Is it necessary for the NWT Housing to exist? You know, because we're not getting anywhere with them.

So my final one, will the Minister commit to visiting Behchoko to see the conditions in some of the housing stock? Thank you.

Okay, thank you, Mr. Speaker for that information. Can the Minister give us the average time a person is expected to be on the waitlist for a public housing unit when we have four maintenance people working there? So thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us how many tenants relation officers are currently employed in in the region? Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we have a lot of people on the waitlist for housing, and we know housing is a crisis in the whole of the Northwest Territories. But I think in Tlicho region, we are experiencing the worst, especially in Behchoko, so. And we have four admin staff, four maintenance people, and we have lots of houses that's in great need of housing repair, and we have about at least over ten houses that are boarded up. So with that in mind, can the Minister say how much time or money the Government of the Northwest Territories spends on collecting housing arrears and how...

My Member's statement is on Tlicho region so I'm talking about Tlicho region and in Behchoko. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 8, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act.

Bill 8 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on June 12th, 2024, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development for review. Through the committee's review, the committee received 11 written submissions from Northwest Territories' students. We also held a public hearing in Yellowknife where we heard from the bill's sponsor, one member of the public and the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. All...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to ask the Minister if the Minister can make a commitment to come and visit Tlicho region, to visit some of the schools that needs a lot of help, that we need a lot of program and services, if the Minister can come and visit our school in the near future? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, she didn't answer my questions. There was physical and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language, numbers, and etcetera. But anyways, I will go on to a second question.

Can the Minister explain why twice as many students are listed as vulnerable for small communities when compared to Yellowknife? Thank you.