Mahsi. Mr. Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. One area that is of interest to me, and there's a few of them, buildings I guess, around the territories is the makerspaces. And it would be nice to see some of that rolled out into some of the other regional centers and maybe, to some extent, to the smaller communities as well. Is there any thought, I guess, or has there been any thought in how to address that and promote that from the department's side? Thank you.

Mahsi. Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am a huge fan of the makerspaces as well. I know that the makerspace here in Yellowknife has done a lot with an initial investment from ITI. In fact, I think I'm meeting with them for an update tomorrow because they are continuing to see an expansion of their programs. I can say, very frankly, the thing that I've heard from them as to what their success has been, as well as in Inuvik what the challenges they're seeing, is having a local champion, someone who also believes in the program as much as the Member and I do. We can provide those dollars, but if there's not someone to grow and expand the program, it won't grow and expand. It does need someone there. So yes, Mr. Chair, we're happy to work with any local community, community organization, that's interested. There is funding available under the innovation strategies with the department, but we need someone at the community level to be the champion. Thank you.

Mahsi for that. Next, I have Mr. O'Reilly.

Yeah, thanks, Mr. Chair. So earlier I'd asked about whether there were any organizations that did not receive the 2.2 percent increase, and on page 230, it's pretty clear that a number of organizations did not receive the increase, or at least areas - advance the knowledge economy, Business Development Investment Corporation, commercial fisheries, Great Northern Arts Festival, SEED. You know, I recognize that some of these are, you know, programs rather than individual NGOs but can the Minister -- you know, some of the other ones did, like community futures, community transfer initiatives. Could the Minister try to explain again for me why some programs got an increase, and some did not? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, thank you, I'm happy to have the question. So this wasn't intended to be a blanket increase to every funding pot, every contribution agreement, every grant agreement, every program dollar that goes out the door to the nonprofit sectors across the Northwest Territories. This was to address the fact that for up to now, non-profits were out offering services and conducting business really that, without their taking that on, the Government of the Northwest Territories would have to take it inside. So the easier examples often are around the health and social services side. So, for example, you know, organizations that provide sheltering services, that provide disability services, that provide residential services. On ITI's side, it's tourism association that does work and the CF's deliver the programming to the business sector on our behalf. If they weren't doing it, public servants would have to do that work. Public servants see increases obviously in their wages. The non-profits were not. That was the gap that we were trying to fill, not to increase every single, you know, project-based fund that goes out the door. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Just for clarification, what was the CF you mentioned?

Sorry. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Community futures. The community futures organizations.

Mahsi. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Okay, I got some specific questions about some of the funding programs here if I could.

Let's start with advance the knowledge economy. Yeah, there's a big drop there from 240 to 100 this year. And I see that there's actually an ongoing engagement that I think ITI seems to now have the lead on this. So why has this dropped, especially when, you know, there's this public engagement going on and probably looking for some money to maybe start to implement and do some things? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, there were two areas of sunset in here, and that's what led to the drop. The first is with respect to the advancing the knowledge economy, there was a position there that is -- as that work has advanced already now and there is this strategy in place that that position is gone. And then also there's some changes with respect to, again, the makerspace, money that was there has moved out as well. So, you know, in short -- and then to say that, yes, there's the work that's going on currently on the regional economic development plans but that wouldn't necessarily -- depending on -- well, depending on what comes of those plans, it wouldn't necessarily come in the same spot here. There may be -- I mean, there could be a whole number of different ways to advance individual projects and plans across the individual regions. Each one may well be quite different. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So let's talk about the knowledge economy piece. I think somehow the name's been morphed into something called the innovation action plan, which I really don't understand what it means. But I think it gives the connotation that somehow something has to be new and swanky before it's going to get funded. It's really -- looks like it's really aimed at the commercialization of knowledge. I think there's a number of other aspects here, like, you know, intellectual property rights when it comes to traditional knowledge that needs to be looked at. But in any event, I disagree with the name that the Minister's given this. But if the regional economic plans are in here, what's the status of that work and is it actually going to get done in the lifetime of this Assembly? And although the department seems to be out there talking about regional economic development plans, the mandate item actually is about setting regional economic diversification targets. That's something different than a plan. So maybe the Minister can address a few of those comments. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So work is underway right now to put together regional economic development plans. And I know I've had this conversation with the Member before as to whether one can have a target before one even has a plan so, you know, again, and we may have to agree to disagree about the process by which that is determined, but having something there, having some guidance and some direction so that communities can then develop their targets once they know some of their areas, that may well be the ultimate outcome of it. But it's meant to be something that empowers and drives community economic development and in a measurable fashion.

They are expected to be completed this Assembly by -- certainly before the August session, if not hopefully even sooner, much sooner than that.

And the knowledge economy versus innovation, Mr. Chair, I think it was -- if I'm not mistaken, last year we went out to do the work around the knowledge economy. It came back very, very clearly from the consultation process that went out publicly that most folks did not like the word "knowledge" economy. They didn't understand it, didn't make sense to them. So, you know, it's not unanimous by any stretch and this House shows that, but the recommendations we got quite firmly were to make it a name that more people could identify with and that aligned more to the federal government's approach which may help us get some money for it. Thank you.

Mahsi. Mr. O'Reilly.

Mr. Chair, yeah, I guess we're going to have to agree -- continue to agree to disagree. So where does the remediation economy fit into all this stuff? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, that is something that is a ITI lead but it is worked on, as I mentioned earlier, a shared area with Department of ENR as well. And right now it's under ITI as there's a discussion paper out for comment and review, and it would certainly be helpful if more people would look at it and provide their comments and feedback to it. Thank you.

Mahsi. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So is there any money earmarked in this budget for further work on our remediation economy? And I guess I'm not talking about the $20 million contract that went to a southern firm to do remediation at Cameron Hills where nobody's getting any jobs out of it from the Northwest Territories, but is there any actual dollars in here for further work on remediation economy? Thanks, Mr. Chair.