Kieron Testart

I am unsure what the Minister's needs are, but the needs of my constituents are lower rents and more affordable housing. Mr. Speaker, it is not just the Housing Corporation that provides support for co-ops. It is also the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and the Department of Justice who all provide either administrative support or are some way responsible. Will the Minister commit to forming a working group with those three departments to build on the success of housing cooperatives?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Kam Lake is home to two of the Northwest Territories' housing cooperatives. These are great communitydriven housing communities that allow for housing options that are below market rent. In fact, the average price for a threebedroom apartment in Yellowknife is around $2,300 a month in rent, whereas, at one of the housing co-ops in my riding, it is $1,400. That is an incredible amount of savings. I am wondering if the Minister has looked into starting a pilot project to develop more housing cooperatives here in Yellowknife and across the Northwest...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have some questions for the Minister of Education on the funding to Aurora College. When the Minister and his department were involved in discussions with Aurora College about identifying reductions, was a discussion held about how the college could leverage additional funds from other sources, from thirdparty sources, to make up the reductions that our government was asking of them? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the cuts to Aurora College. I am simply confounded by how stubborn the Minister and the government is being with the cuts to the social work program and the Teacher Education Program. How much public backlash and criticism must they face before it becomes evident that this is not what the people of the Northwest Territories want? It is not about us, Mr. Speaker, about the Regular Members, but the people we serve. Their voice has been loud and clear on this issue. They have protested outside this legislature. They have written...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My concern was that we would be reviewing this in the head of such a policy existing, but I am pleased to know that it does, in fact, exist. That eases my concerns procedurally around this process. I am content with that. As soon as the Minister feels he can share that policy, I am sure we are all happy to look at it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am not sure if this is the place for it, but I have a question: in light of the amalgamation, does an establishment policy exist for this new Department of Infrastructure? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the response from Mr. Neudorf. Can the department provide us with any detail on the economic benefits that have come from the impact of the grant funding so far? I will just start with that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have three letters I would like to table. One is from Ms. Karen Lapine-McFeeters, a third-year Teacher Education Program student. One from Her Worship Lynn Napier-Buckley, the Mayor of Fort Smith, and a member of the Board of Governors of Aurora College; and a letter from Chris Westwell, an actively engaged and concerned citizen. They are all in reference to the cuts at Aurora College. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased that the Minister has made it clear that our government is driving the strategic plan for Aurora College. I do think that is problematic. I think that we need to decide if it is going to be a thirdparty organization that can decide its own priorities or if we are going to decide its priorities for them. So, I am going to ask the Minister, just clearly: is he willing to put a hold on cutting funding to Aurora College so they can preserve these two existing programs until such time as the strategic plan has been completed and has been considered by this House...

Perhaps, maybe, that is the point. Are we too involved with the daytoday operations of this college and providing strategic direction to them? As my honourable friend, the Member from Hay River North, pointed out in his statement earlier, issues with the success of the college are not new, and instead of helping them, we seem to have been turning away from that and are now offering them guidance on how to cut programs, not how to improve programs.

My question, Mr. Speaker, is: given that 66 per cent of the revenues of Aurora College are provided for by government and, in our neighbouring...