Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. As we are in the capital budget process, we're all aware that there is no new money for a new Yellowknife polytech campus. So can the Minister please explain why the issue of locating a campus on Tin Can Hill has been silent after much fanfare in 2023? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Member continuing to bring up the concerns of her residents around Tin Can Hill for much of the last ten months. The Tin Can Hill site was originally identified for the proposed Yellowknife North Slave Campus for Aurora College. The site is currently owned by the city of Yellowknife, so some work needed to be done to assess whether or not it was an appropriate location to consider. So prior to any potential land transfer, an environmental site assessment was required to be done. There was a phase one that was done. At the completion of phase one, it was recommended that more information was needed. So phase two was initiated. Of course, phase two, with evacuation last year, the sampling that was required could not happen last year, and so there was a delay in that process. That process was completed this summer, and a series of technical reports were produced. And what I am waiting for now is all of that technical report information to be consolidated and then look forward to being able to publicly share that information. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, you know, the Minister told me last fall that the ESA would be ready in March 2024, and then it was May 2024, and now it's nearly November. In more recent conversations, the Minister has asked me to reach out to the board to ask more questions about the specifics but then the board turned around and told me to talk to ECE. So that's why we're here today. Regardless, however the ESA turns out, however the technical report turns out, positive or negative for development, what is the intent for the MOU with the city? Will we terminate the MOU, or will we just delay a choice over and over and over again? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will admit that there are some fine lines between what decisions were made with the GNWT and what decisions will ultimately be the board of governors for Aurora College. So I will acknowledge the Member's frustration and that, but I'm happy to continue that conversation.
The phase two of the site assessment is now done. It is highly technical information that I'm going to be honest that is something that I need to be able to work with the experts within multiple departments in order to understand what is required so that I can make sure that I'm passing along accurate information to the Member. So phase two is now done. All partners involved in that being the Aurora College board, the city of Yellowknife, and also the GNWT, will ensure that everybody is receiving the same information so that we can ensure that we're working together to communicate that information. I want to apologize to the Member for the delay in that but also want to ensure that we have accurate information that we are able to share publicly. Thank you.
Thanks, Mr. Speaker. I'll reiterate my question perhaps in a different way. If the environmental site assessment and all of the technical work shows that there is contamination and remediation needed on the site, will ECE terminate the MOU? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ultimately the decision of where the North Slave campus will go rests with the board of governors, so I would need to make sure that I'm getting direction from the board of governors as to whether or not they would like to hold on to that site or see that MOU go. But for right now, I don't have that information because that's not a decision that rests with the GNWT; it's a decision that ultimately rests with the board. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Great Slave.
Yes, but as I said in my Member's statement, the board then threw it back to you when I asked them the same question.
Many Yellowknifers believe there was inadequate public consultation, a flawed site options analysis for this location. Will ECE commit to adequate public consultation and a transparent site evaluation process? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, I hear the Member. I heard the Member's statement. I hear the Member's concerns of her constituents that she continues to raise. The intent of doing the site assessments was to determine whether or not the site was, even to begin, viable for a North Slave campus. And so as always, there is a commitment to keep the public informed, to seek meaningful input on decisions that absolutely may affect residents of the Northwest Territories, and so I want to recognize and acknowledge that the Tin Can Hill is obviously a site that's very important to the residents of Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories and that should any further steps be taken beyond the -- or sorry, once the conclusion of the environmental site assessment and that information is made public, then for sure there would absolutely be public engagement that would occur.
I think it's worthwhile here, Mr. Speaker, informing this House and members of the public that while I have oversight over post-secondary, I do not have oversight over the operations of Aurora College. The board of governors does maintain that control. And while I -- it is my authority to open and close campuses on the recommendation of the board of governors, ultimately where within a community that piece of property resides is the authority of the board of governors. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.
