Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I tabled the fact sheets. I made a statement on the fact sheets, all the information that we received by the school boards. There are always numbers changing. Sometimes it’s out of my hands. At the same time, the latest information that I received, I shared that with the general public through the Legislative Assembly and…(inaudible)…we are working with.

I have before me a finance sheet of agreed upon figures of the Yellowknife Catholic School Board signed off by the Minister’s finance director and the senior finance officer for YCS – and that will be tabled later today – that clearly shows the ECE/YCS agreed upon numbers for board funding projections. There are undeniable deficits that for conservative enrolment predictions accumulate to $1.67 million by year four all in. The impacts of this fall on the backs of our students, and this is true for many school boards.

Why is the Minister not owning up to these budget reductions so we have can a discussion based on full and accurate information?

I’m trying to find that $1.6 million. It doesn’t show on here. There is a deficit for year-end, $435,000. After we contribute on the third year, $960,000, $757,000, and year two, $219,000. That’s money that we contribute to the school board. Sure, he can table this document. This is a document we can work with.

I said we’ll be tabling this document and it’s got the Minister’s senior official’s signature on it. ECE has failed to increase the departmental budget over the last few years to the extent that they have not even met the increase in the CPI, the Consumer Price Index. That says something, but now that we do have full information here, even though the Minister cannot seem to put the numbers together and out in words here today, we do have full information.

Will the Minister finally give serious consideration to address the real budget issues that have become clear? That is, the Minister’s funding plans yield budget deficits that accumulate for YCS, as an example, to negative $1.67 million by ’17-18, in the conservative case, a deficit that is typical of YK 1, Hay River and Inuvik as well. For example, he could simply allow the proven Aboriginal Head Start program to continue in eight communities, providing both a basis for significant savings and an opportunity for a comparative evaluation of the two programs at little cost, and again, the department could put in to this House. We’re not stingy when it comes to education.

Will he do this and start to address these on the basis of real numbers which will be tabled today?

At the end of the day, the Members are asking me to go after new

funding which, obviously, we don’t have. I do not have that in my back pocket. The GNWT doesn’t have it. Again, it’s the words of the Finance Minister that we have to be innovative, live within our means and exercise fiscal prudence, the public money, to take a hard look at where we spend our money and if we do better by re-profiling part of it. We’ve done that. My department has done that. We will continue to work with the school boards to make it a very successful project.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have a budget session in a few months’ time, so there is plenty of opportunity for this Minister. Clearly, there are serious communication issues with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. We haven’t seen even an evaluation of the pilot project in Fort Providence and what the impacts of that were on the students, on the families, on the Aboriginal Head Start program. Basic stuff, and everything that comes out of the department communication is confusing and lacking in facts, just like the Minister’s responses.

What will the Minister do to not only address the current confusion of the personal and professional angst, time and money and even distraction to the Minister himself that this has cost, but also what will he do to put in place the policies and mechanisms needed to ensure this debacle does not happen again?

We did a pilot project in the three communities and there will be an evaluation on that.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of ITI in follow-up to my Member’s statement. Last year, in 2013, we had a major flood in the Mackenzie Delta from the Peel River and there were about 20 cabins that were flooded, some by two or three feet. There were actually three cabins that drifted away down the Peel River.

I’d like to ask the Minister, out of roughly 20 claims filed, why was there only one claim approved?

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for his questions and his concerns regarding the Harvesters Assistance Program that the Department of ITI has. We have $15,000 earmarked for that program on an annual

basis and we are currently reviewing the criteria for claims to be filed for access to that funding. We are going to continue with reviewing the criteria.

In the last couple of years, the Member is correct, we’ve had flooding both in the Inuvik region and also in the Sahtu and we’ve had to find funding from within the Department of ITI. Two years ago it was close to $80,000 and three years ago it was $80,000 exactly. We do need to come up with a way to fund that program and review the criteria so that more people can get claims approved when they need the funding.

The policy states the applicant must earn roughly 20 percent of their earnings on a yearly basis from on the land.

Will the department make changes to that policy?

I give the Member a commitment that we will look at the program criteria and understand there are number of elders that are out. Some of those cabins belong to elders who don’t necessarily earn a living or are retired.

Again, that criteria is under review and it’s something I can commit to the Member that we will look at that issue.

Many of those elders and people that do live out on the land do not sell what they make out there. A lot of them share it with their families or barter with other people for other goods.

Will the Minister overlook the policy and help my constituents rebuild their camps on the land?

I will commit to go back to the department and have a discussion with them about how fast we can move forward with a review of the criteria, and if there are individuals that have had applications in whether that new criteria could apply to those applicants or whether they’d have to reapply, we will try to sort that situation out for the Member in the Inuvik region. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister ensure that happens over the summer? Thank you.

Thank you. Yes, I can assure the Member that I’ll have that discussion immediately with the department. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the summer of 2013, the Department of Justice distributed a consultation document on potential amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act. In response, we received 17 submissions to that. Submissions were received from housing organizations, landlords, territorial and community agencies and some individuals. The deputy rental officer and the NWT Housing Corporation also submitted responses to the consultation paper. Suggestions for improvements to the act were also received from MLAs and will be considered as part of the consultation.

The time, energy and careful thought that the organizations and individuals put into their submission certainly is greatly appreciated. The department has now completed an analysis of the submissions received and has developed a set of proposed amendments, which it plans to bring forward during 2014.

I also wanted to respond to the Member about the application made to the rental officer related to the recent incident that occurred at an apartment building here in Yellowknife that sustained flood damage. As this matter is currently before the rental officer, it would be inappropriate for me to comment specifically on that case. Thank you.

Thank you. I’m not after this particular issue of the last part of the statement. I’m

talking about the broader picture, which is if incidents happen, what avails themselves to solutions? A bill, or I should say a tenants’ rights bill, may be the solution. That’s what I’m getting at. The Minister said any potential amendments coming forward wouldn’t be coming, probably at the earliest, before fall of this year. So that’s October or November.

So, in essence, what can the Minister do so we don’t have circumstances like this when your apartment, whatever the case may be, be it flood, who knows, fire, who knows what the case may be that happens, that the tenant isn’t shown the door and told figure it out, but, by the way, at the same time we’re taking your rent away and they have to figure it out? Something has to be done. I’m looking forward to hear what the Minister has in his ability as Minister to do something.