R.J. Simpson

Thank you. $2.3 million is what we are projecting for this upcoming here, and we do not have a wage grid in place. What we are doing is we're providing wage topups essentially. We are providing it this year and in the upcoming fiscal year, we plan to increase that funding. Thank you.

Thank you. And so there used to be a limit on the number of semesters that, as the Member said, P2s could access remissible loans. We have or we are proposing to remove that as well. We've tied the amount of those remissible loans again to the Canada market basket measure. We've increased them again. We are proposing to remove income testing for spouses and not tying them to the years of schooling in the NWT. Thank you.

Thank you. And I know that Alternatives North has been interested in this for some time and then I think they have produced reports in the past possibly, but I know they are working on another one and the department has been involved with them. So it is not something that is completely off our radar. But the Member's correct, it's not going to happen in this budget. But, I mean, the next Assembly could definitely make that a priority. Thank you.

Thank you. So the department increased capacity with two employees who worked student record employees. So they were responsible for ensuring that all of the requests for day school records were handled. And, you know, they were very busy and we actually brought in a bunch of other staff from throughout the department to help with that as well. But that those jobs, or those funds are now sunsetting as well because that the deadline for those for that class action has passed. Thank you.

Thank you. So as I stated, we are put resources in to developing language programming that can be offered at a postsecondary level. My hope is that the college, once it gets its feet under it in terms of the transformation, because there was a lot of work happening there, that they can begin looking at implementing some of those courses and that we can have these, you know, accredited postsecondary courses focused on language revitalization. Thank you.

Thank you. As it was one of our efforts to advance reconciliation. Thank you.

Thank you. So we have been adding positions. Last year there was a new position added to Fort Providence. There was a new position added in Fort McPherson. So we are using the money that we have internally to explore more creative ways to expand these services and we have been able to do that. But there's not someone in every single community in the territory if that's what the Member is asking. Thank you.

Thank you. And during COVID, the Member's correct, we did utilize technology much more often. We've provided more resources to the courts to help them manage this technology because the judges and court workers aren't necessarily tech people themselves. There have been videoconferencing systems installed in the RCMP detachments across the territory so that people can appear virtually there. Perhaps I can hand it to the deputy minister for some more discussion about the things that have happened. Thank you.

Thank you. So the Residential Tenancies Act dictates the rights and obligations of the different parties involved. I understand there are different provisions for the housing corporation than from private entities. I'm not sure if this is the appropriate time to speak to that legislation; we're not amending the legislation. There's no recommendations in front of me to amend it. So we're talking about the operations of the rental office but as to the value of the act, the efficacy of the act, I am not in a position to speak to it right now. Thank you.

Thank you. I'd like to hand it to the deputy minister.