Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are expending the resources in this budget. We are committing to legislation in the future, but I think there are people worried about it now. When will they start seeing a difference in crime rates? When will they start feeling safer communities? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wish I had an answer for that. This is a tough situation. Everywhere that I'm aware of, where there's a demand for drugs, there's an influx of drugs. There's a flow of drugs. And so until we address that demand, it's going to be very difficult to stop the increases in crime. But that being said, the Member noted that there have been significant increases in drug busts, in charges, in seizures of handguns, so we are seeing the impact of enhanced enforcement. Unfortunately, there's also enhanced crime. So it's a bit of a -- it feels like a bit of an arms race right now. And we are making an impact. And I appreciate the Member bringing this up and actually all the Members in this House, it's one of the few things that we can all agree on is the need for more enforcement in this area. And that's really a sad comment on the state of things, but I think that it shows how important it is that we do continue this enforcement and these enhanced efforts. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Justice. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these efforts are largely designed, I think, to combat organized time. What are we doing about community policing to make sure there's, you know, reassuring community safety officers on the streets, providing that support at the local level, connecting with people, especially the unhoused population that make a big difference in Yellowknife. We have a pilot in Fort Liard. Is the Premier willing to bring that pilot into Yellowknife and into other centres, like his community of Hay River, so we have more presence on the streets keeping people safe? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ultimately, I would like to see an expansion of the community safety officer program. I can't comment on where such a program might be most effective. Right now it is being piloted in Fort Liard. And the program will be evaluated, and that evaluation will inform the types of communities where such a program would be the most effective. So we want to make sure we're getting the best bang for our buck. And so maybe it is a small community type of program, maybe it's for regional centres, it could be for Yellowknife. So that remains to be seen, but we are continuously lobbying the federal government for support for these types of initiatives. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Justice. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the interim mandate letter that was issued in the last Assembly by the previous Minister of education expires in July. So that's where the July timeline comes in, is that the existing one expires in July. So that project has been jump started by letter from myself to the board of governors, and that project is currently underway between myself and the board. And it is the intention that, yes, it will continue to outline intentions for the board of governors and Aurora College to continue along with their transformation efforts, but it is really a collaborative process that is done between myself and the board, and so we have to ensure that we are both in alignment on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister define the difference between intentions and direction? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I could definitely provide a difference of definitions of the two. But the reason that I am saying that there is an intention rather than a direction is because I am reminded it is a collaborative process. I want to ensure that both of our voices are in it because we are both agreeing to something in it. But from myself, I do have an expectation that transformation is part of that mandate letter and is part of the marching kind of direction of the Aurora College as well. I think that this -- I agree with Members, this is a very important project. It has a tremendous amount of opportunity for the territory, not only to attract new students and new Northerners but also to ensure that we are continuing to build a skilled workforce for Northerners. Thank you.

All right, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that answer. According to Global University Systems Canada, it says Canadian universities represent a formidable economic force with far reaching impacts. Mr. Speaker, we can only get to that and achieve those types of things if this mandate for the transition portion is funded. Therefore, if it's going to be part of the marching instructions and directions, will it be supported with some type of financial support specific to transition? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to start off by just first thanking Members for continuing this conversation on the floor of the House and out in public as well because I do think this is a very important project, and having their voices lent to it is very important.

Mr. Speaker, while I am not responsible or accountable to the operations within Aurora College, I am accountable to the dollars that we as an Assembly approve for Aurora College for their running of their programs. When transformation was underway in the previous Assembly, it was agreed by senior management of Aurora College, as well as senior management from Education, Culture and Employment, that the funds for the Bachelor of Education and the diploma of social work would be repurposed for the purposes of transformation to be able to continue to fund that project to go forward. And so if those funds are not enough and are not being used for that purpose, then I would also have -- because of my responsibility to the dollars that are spent through my department, have the responsibility of going back to the college as well to ensure that they have the dollars that they need but that they are also spending the dollars that they have been provided with a form of accountability and, of course, positive return on investment for Northerners. So that is definitely a conversation that has to happen between myself and board of governors. And less than a week ago, it was the first ask for additional funding that I received from Aurora College. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Member from Yellowknife Centre. Final supplementary.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I heard that correctly, that was the longest yes I've ever heard, or we'll find a way if it's not available. And the Minister's welcome to correct me if yes wasn't in there but that's certainly what it sounded like. It was difficult to follow, but I think I got it.

So, Mr. Speaker, once the mandate letter is drafted and sent, obviously in agreement -- I've listened to how the Minister chooses to proceed on this one -- would she be willing to make that mandate letter public? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely, subject to legislation, I'd be more than happy to make anything public to make sure that I am following the rules of the Northwest Territories but certainly I definitely agree in transparency, and I want to encourage and support the Member's desire to continue to stay afoot on the happenings over at Aurora College, the direction they've been provided, and also the timelines that they intend to adhere to.

Mr. Speaker, the reason why yes, was a little bit longer is because I've answered this question numerous times and want to ensure that I'm getting all the information out there because this is, I know, a subject of great interest to Members. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before I give my question, I do want to have a quick congratulations to Minister Semmler and Minister Kuptana and their Member statements today and congratulate them on this special day as well.

Mr. Speaker, I spoke about the waiting lists and the issues around housing in my community. My questions are for the Minister of housing. The first question is how many vacant units are there currently in Inuvik, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Member from Boot Lake. Minister responsible for Housing.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Currently in the town of Inuvik, there are five units for occupancy that are in the process of being allocated, seven units with repairs in progress, and 14 units requiring repairs that have not yet begun. While officially we have 26 units vacant in Inuvik, five will be shortly occupied. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Minister for that information and hopefully we can get those repairs done sooner rather than later and that we have the funding certainly allocated to do that.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister provide the current number of clients on the public housing waitlist in Inuvik?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In Inuvik, like many other communities across the North, we have a long waitlist. In Inuvik, we have a total of 80 families on the waitlist, one-bedroom 52 families; two-bedroom, 17; three-bedroom, we have 8 families, and the four-bedrooms, we have 3 families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Minister Kuptana. Obviously, that speaks to the need, Mr. Speaker, that we need, you know, additional housing not only in Inuvik, and I'm sure that's, as the Minister says, throughout the territory, especially in our regions, smaller communities.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit to prioritizing housing for the elderly and disabled? I'm not sure how many of those families or how many on those lists for the one-bedroom are elderly or have disabilities, but can the Minister commit to prioritizing for disabled residents on the waitlist and elderly residents, please?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And this subject, with elderly and disabled residents, it's become a discussion item, a discussion point, throughout the Northwest Territories and with the Council of Leaders. So as part of the strategic renewal, Housing NWT has committed to ongoing policy and program improvements and will work with NWT Housing Forum to consider additional changes to the point rating system that may be needed. Housing NWT works closely with the Council of Leaders housing working group to update its policies in the 19th Assembly as part of the Housing NWT Strategic Renewal.

The current point rating system, after input from the working group, includes considering suitability, adequacy, and affordability of the individuals' current housing arrangements, as well as considering social factors such as victims of family violence, individuals with disabilities or medical conditions aggravated by their current living conditions, or those individuals who are homeless.

Housing NWT does design and maintain some homes that are designated for seniors or those with mobility/accessibility requirements and is currently delivering five duplexes to five communities across the Northwest Territories designed for specific clientele. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.