Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During my Member’s statement, I highlighted some of the problems we face in regards to apprenticeships in the regional centres, and I imagine they are much worse in the smaller communities. I have had business owners and journeymen comment to me that the system is better putting up roadblocks than helping Northerners achieve success. I ask the Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment what his department is doing to specifically address the issues we face in regional centres and small communities, given that the current system is inadequate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are various ways that the department is working with our stakeholders to adjust the issue that the Member brought up. First of all, through Aurora College, we do offer trades technical training at Thebacha Campus. We also work with the Mobile Trades Training Unit in Aurora College up in Inuvik. As with Skills 4 Success Initiative that I mentioned in previous answers to questions earlier this week, through implementation programs, programs are being aligned with identified labour market needs. With that said, we also want to make sure that communities and regional centres and organizations also take some of the responsibility, and through that, we do have some regional training partnership committees that focus on some of these areas. We’re looking at what they are bringing forward, and seeing how we can implement those areas. Mind you, the department is working with Public Works and Services, and the NWT Housing Corporation with apprenticeship programs as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Given the frustrations that have been expressed by entrepreneurs and journeymen and the Chamber of Commerce, will the government commit to meaningfully consulting small- and medium-sized businesses in the regional centres as they improve existing programs and develop new programs?

The government is committed. We are a partner on the regional training committees that have a wide range of partners and key stakeholders that work with other GNWT departments, the Aurora College, divisional education committees, Aboriginal governments, business development corporations. So yes, we are committed because we do sit on these regional training partnerships, and almost every region in the Northwest Territories does have these regional training partnership committees, and we are still committed to working with them to address some of the issues that the Member has brought up.

Just a comment: I look forward to working with the Minister on solving some of these issues, and I will be following up on the progress they are making on the floor of this House in the future.

Mahsi. I will take that as a comment. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I would like to know if the Minister has reviewed the employment rates across NWT communities. Thank you.

Mahsi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member knows, this is my second term of the Legislative Assembly, and on a yearly basis we do review those unemployment rates. As I was answering questions earlier in the House, we are taking actions to address some of these unemployment rates throughout the Northwest Territories, in small communities, regional centres, and here in Yellowknife as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Just to be clear, I am talking about employment rates, not unemployment rates. Is there any sort of plan to increase employment rates in communities in Northwest Territories?

Yes, we are working with, as I mentioned earlier, the regional training partnerships committees. The department has also created five new positions for Employment Transition Officers that work within the communities to help people transition from unemployment to employment opportunities. That is in some of the regional centres throughout the Northwest Territories, and we also have career development officers that we are trying to get more involved into the schools while they are working with Income Assistance clients.

I would like to ask the Minister if there is some sort of concentrated effort in communities that have the lowest employment rates.

At the current time, we don't have a concentrated effort where some of the lowest employment rates are. We do have some opportunities coming up with the possibility of some big infrastructure projects that this government might approve, and based on where those projects might be, we can focus on those areas, as well as support all regions in getting employment rates higher.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I realize the Minister is just starting on working with the employment rates, but I would like to just get a feel for the communities, what is coming, so I would like to ask the Minister what the next steps would be, in gauging people as it relates to the employment rates in small communities. Thank you.

We are going to be releasing a labour market information report next month. It’s going to give guidance and direction in where we need to go. We are also looking at programs within the Aurora College system to address some of these issues based on what that report says, but also, our Skills 4 Success Framework and some of the other work that we are doing with the regional centres. I think in the next little while, as we get our mandates from this government moving forward, we will know which direction we are going to have to move forward in, hopefully, and look at increasing our employment rates throughout the Northwest Territories.

: Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Yesterday in the House the Minister said that there were a total of 259 individuals who would need long-term care beds in the next 10 years. And he said that the cost of each bed was $130,000 per year. But his total figure for that investment was $200 million, so I didn't really follow the math on how he got to $200 million. I wonder if he could explain that figure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For clarity, we know we need 259 beds by 2026, and based on our traditional procurement method, that takes you anywhere from $800,000 to $1.5 million per bed to build using traditional procurement, which is around $200 million to build or provide those 259 beds. We do have an average of around $130,000 per bed to operate beds, which works out to about $33.5 million at today's dollar for providing services for 259 beds. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks to the Minister for that clarification. My question is: Could we save on the building costs by repurposing Stanton Territorial Hospital, for example, as a long-term care facility for elders?

That’s one of the suggestions that's been thrown out during the election and since the election. As I indicated yesterday, we're going to have to look outside of the box on this one. We're going to have to consider all opportunities for the construction and the provision of these 259 beds, so we're open to pretty much anything at this point. As I indicated yesterday, I'm in the process of writing a letter. I'll have it to committee this week to share that report with them. I'm also going to be seeking an opportunity to have a briefing with committee so that we can go through some of the details and we can start getting some input from Members, because this is a huge problem, in my mind, this is something we need to have a plan to deal with over the next 10 years, and given the sheer cost of this challenge in front of us, we're going to have to be creative, we're going to have to think outside the box. So absolutely, we're looking at all opportunities.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Item 9, written questions. Member for Frame Lake.