Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm happy to talk about technical assessments today with the Member. This one definitely bridges a relationship between my portfolio and one of my colleague's portfolio over in infrastructure. So Yellowknife schools were not originally included in the assessments for many years because they're not technically GNWT assets. However, because the GNWT funds the major capital upgrades, those buildings have been put back into rotation. And I can confirm for the Member that multiple Yellowknife schools are on the assessment schedule for next summer. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm going to go on to my next on the list is from the Mackenzie Delta.

Okay. I'm going to go to the Member from the Deh Cho. No questions.

I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Very excited. Mr. Speaker. It would be nice to end today -- well, we're not ending today per se, but, you know, work towards the end of today on a positive note. And the reason I'm bringing this up, in my Member's statement yesterday I talked about the naming of the Whitford building, Mr. Speaker. And there's not a specific guideline through the EIA or housing that says how do we need name buildings that are non-office buildings, but let's follow the office building process and protocol. And section number 5, Cabinet may approve a public engagement process, so may, to solicit name and ideas for owned buildings. But it also says that they could do it on themselves through their own process. And, of course, I want to highlight one sad note which is they only like to name buildings after people who are deceased sadly.

However, that being said, encapsulating everything I said yesterday in my Member's statement and today, would the Minister of housing be the champion to announce today before this House that she will go forward and advocate at the Cabinet table that we name the 53rd Street building, the barrier-free building, the Whitford building from now and onto the future? Thank you.

Thank you. I'll go to the Minister of Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member puts me in a very awkward position because I want to be respectful to the memory of Mr. Tony Whitford but there is a process that we have to follow. There are policies we have to follow. So I'm willing to have a discussion within Cabinet to talk about this, but I can't make the announcement today, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, item -- guidelines, checkbox number 5 says may create a process. So in other words, you don't have to have a process. We could have the political courage and excitement to do the right thing, Mr. Speaker. So I'm asking the Minister if she doesn't want to be the champion today -- that gives you a little bit of room -- maybe she could highlight before this House what process she speaketh of. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd have to look at the information to find out what exactly is the process to naming the building, the step-by-step process. We'll follow that process, and I'll work with the Member to ensure and provide him updates with the process itself. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife Centre. No further questions? Thank you.

Next on my list here I have is the Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while I generally appreciate the rosy disposition of the Minister for ECE, I have to express a bit of confusion. Mr. Speaker, the college is bleeding staff. They're missing milestones. There's no public statements on the indications about the transition so I have to say I'm a bit confused. The Minister seems to be quite confident about the transition, but all the public indications are showing that it's not going well. So, Mr. Speaker, if things are going well, where are the results? Where's the urgency? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister of ECE.

Mr. Speaker, I didn't particularly hear a specific question the Member wants me to answer other than where is the results. But I want to respond.

Absolutely, it is my goal to lead the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. That is what I've signed up to do, and that is what I'm doing. If I stand here and talk about doom and gloom, I'm not exactly leading people into prosperity, leading people into the next stages. I absolutely support, which is what I have said -- I support the transition and transformation of the Aurora College into a polytechnic, and I will continue to support that project as long as we are funding it, as long as we are -- as a government are funding it and expecting it. And that is through dollars that we approve in this House. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And while I appreciate the answer, the Minister's also responsible for mandate and direction, so it's not just dollars.

Mr. Speaker, I've heard things such as the college has been approached by entities offering to build housing, offering to provide a campus even, and the board has been rejecting these offers. What is going on, Mr. Speaker? How could a board committed to transitioning to a polytechnic possibly want to turn away from such opportunities for this kind of collaboration? Again, Mr. Speaker, I want to speak to accountability. What is the Minister's relationship with the board, what is the Minister doing to ensure that the board is advancing this transition at the pace that we need it to advance knowing that it is already off track? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm in a bit of a difficult situation here where I'm being held responsible, really, for operational items. And I'm not in charge. I do not have the authority over the operations of the college. However, what I do have control over is the mandate agreement which we set together which we're in the process of setting right now. I also have control over the accountability framework which was just put in place and I intend to use. I also do have control over the funding framework of post-secondary institutions and Aurora College, and I intend to use that as well. These are the three key tools that I have at my disposal and have authority over and will use in this process. That accountability framework is a key piece, and that was just put in place this summer. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister concerned about the milestones that the college is facing? Does the Minister share my concern that the project appears to be significantly off track and that does not appear to be reversing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It is always a red flag whether we miss any deadline whatsoever. It is always a red flag. We make deadlines which are commitments to the people of the Northwest Territories and the public. That is definitely a concern of mine. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm going to go to Frame Lake for final supplementary.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And knowing that we are seeing red flags, the question I have is, is the Minister willing to take decisive action, if necessary, to move the board forward, to move this project forward, to ensure that it gets back on track in a timely fashion? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I intend to use the tools that I have at my disposal to guide Aurora College board of governors and to also support them as best as I can through this transformation. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So my questions this time are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Still on the subject of net-zero climate targets but specifically with regard to industry and the mining industry. Has the Minister had conversations with existing mining operators, such as Rio Tinto or De Beers about their net-zero climate targets and opportunities for them to better achieve those targets in their NWT operations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've had the opportunity to see some of the results of some of the efforts of diamond mines. Reo Tinto is a great example. They have -- as my colleague, the Minister of Infrastructure spoke to, they have their wind and solar farms that they use up at site. And I know that this is certainly not only a focus of theirs but a focus of multiple mining operations. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And through those conversations, has the Minister been able to glean or identify any opportunities for further work in other areas, such as transportation, to reduce emissions and have more clean energy in those operations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in all of the conversations that I routinely have with industry, one of the things that comes up quite often is the relationship and significant pairing between clean strategic infrastructure development and attracting investment to the Northwest Territories, which the Member spoke about in their Member's statement today. Yes, absolutely, I am aware of programs that are tied to net-zero. We, in fact, as the GNWT are seeking funding through the critical minerals infrastructure fund that will help us advance clean energy in the Northwest Territories, and we will continue to look for these opportunities in order to not only support our own goals but also support the goals of industry as well. Thank you.