Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre

Thank you. The Member has covered a lot of areas here with regard to the special needs funding, Mr. Chair. Certainly I would agree that accountability is an important element of any funding that we do. We've been working on a framework for accountability, or concentrated on one. We do get annual reports from the school boards back to us, and in some cases it has a lot of detail in it, in other cases it doesn't have as much detail. We need to continue to work on that, Mr. Chair, to ensure that we do get the kinds of answers, for example, that the Member is bringing up, that we do get an appropriate accounting in detail on all of the expenditures. However, I should point out that the school boards have been very good, very consistent with providing us some detailed business plans and reporting back to us. It is certainly an area that we appreciate the boards on. I think they can go somewhat further. We can demand more, and certainly we'll do that. Thank you.

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. One question about Aurora College housing and the obvious need in Yellowknife. The Minister has indicated that it makes more sense to talk about a purpose built facility at some point that would encompass housing as well. But in the meantime, we have a real shortage of housing. We know in Inuvik the college has been able to cooperate with the private sector and enter into some leases to get the Blueberry Patch. In Yellowknife, that's private sector housing at Northern United Place that was leased, I guess, in a block for the college. Students who are fortunate enough to get into those units pay a special college rate for those housing units in Northern United Place, but presumably they use their student financial assistance to do that and there's some subsidization over and above. Now if you have to get your own private housing in a community, you also use your student financial assistance to do that but there's no subsidization. If that is indeed the case, then really you are fortunate to get into college housing because you're in a much different situation than someone who didn't make it onto the list.

I guess I would ask in dealing with the short-term need, why wouldn't we look at landlords in the city who might be willing to enter into an arrangement with us to lease us blocks of housing somewhere in the downtown core for five years, 10 years, something like this so that we can provide college housing on a temporary basis in this form and not have to have students rely on going and finding their own private accommodations and use their student financial assistance for that. Maybe the Minister can indicate why we haven't looked at some sort of an arrangement with other landlords, or if indeed he'd be amendable to pursuing options that would allow us to meet this housing demand on a short-term basis until we had some more comprehensive, broader, larger plan in place in future years whenever we find the capital dollars for something like this.

Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We'd certainly look at that possibility. We would have to do it as part of our business planning process because it would entail extra funding to support the college, unless the college has surplus funding. Of that I don't know. Certainly the idea of looking at that would be a possibility for us to investigate.

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Thank you. I certainly think it is something that should be well within our mandate to pursue. The Minister indicated that we had a certain number of the Blueberry Patch units reserved for leasing. If the need should arise, we can go and get another 10 units for students who might need them at the Blueberry Patch. Presumably we're not currently paying for those units. So we're saying, if the need arises and the demand is there, we'll go out and lease those extra 10 units from the private sector. But why not in Yellowknife? If we can document the demand, then let's go out there and cut a deal to lease some space from the private sector in order to provide adequate housing for students.

Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I said, we can certainly look at that. We'd have to look at college funding and the kinds of requirements that they would need in order to support such a move. Thank you.

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Okay, I'm saying let's look at it because we know the demand is there, we know that there's a waiting list. The Minister has indicated that, should the demand arise in Inuvik, we would certainly go out and cut that deal and make that arrangement. Presumably that would require going for extra funds, and I'd fully support that. I think it makes a lot of sense. But then let's talk about the demand in Yellowknife right now, and talk about going out and pursuing deals with other landlords so that we can meet the need. It seems to make sense, and I'm sure the college would agree that this would help them better deal with student housing if we gave them the latitude to go out there and do that. Otherwise we really have this two-tier system in Yellowknife: those fortunate enough to get into subsidized college housing, great, use your student financial assistance, it goes a lot further; those who aren't, too bad so sad, as my colleague Ms. Lee said a few days ago. You're sort of stuck and your student financial assistance isn't going to go very far, but we know you don't get different amounts. Some are better off than others and it doesn't seem right. Thank you.

Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I said, we'll have a look at this with regard to the availability, with regard to the possibilities and with regard to the financial implications. Thank you.