Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There's a vacancy of a highway inspector in Fort McPherson. Has this position been filled, or is there any interest in this position? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't know if that position's been filled or not. I know, like any position in the GNWT and in the territories, we are struggling to recruit people. So I'll have to find out for the Member and get back to him on whether that position's been filled or not. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Oral questions. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, further to my colleague's comment on economic development, Mr. Speaker, if we want our youth to contribute to the NWT economy, we need SFA to be proactive. With that in mind, can the Minister provide rationale as to why the student financial assistance regulations allow for programs or courses in the access programs at Aurora College to be considered post-secondary level but exclude bridging, preparatory, or transitional courses or programs which in mind serve the same purpose? Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by acknowledging the comments of the Member and let her know that I am looking into kind of where that differentiation is, and how we can be a lot more clear about this for residents.

So, Mr. Speaker, there are some transitional or bridging programs that students can qualify for -- or may qualify for funding for under the SFA program, and that's for ones that earn credit toward a certificate, diploma, degree. And so in that example that the Member gave during their statement, there are paramedic and medical -- or emergency medical training programs that are delivered through designated institutions leading to recognized credentials that are eligible for SFA. And I think that's the really key part, is that it has to be accredited and it has to be eligible for credentialing so that we can ensure that we're investing in programs people can take and take into the workplace. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. Okay, Mr. Speaker, how does the department plan to address the systemic barriers that prevent students like the 19-year-old Tlicho citizen from Behchoko accessing financial support for training that directly contribute to fulfilling critical workforce gaps in the territory? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if a person is doing a training program that is less than 12 continuous weeks or is kind of more in tune with workforce development training, there are programs that are available through the labour side through workforce development. And so depending on what the program might be, there is that side of things. And there also is the student financial assistance that's really focused on certificates, diplomas, and the degree funding area. So we do have a whole breadth of programs that students can access. But the really key part about this is we want to ensure that at the end of the day students are ending up with credentials and certifications that they can carry from workplace to workplace to workplace. Thank you.

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

Thank you. What alternative supports or funding mechanism are currently available or being considered for students pursuing nontraditional or short-duration programs that lead to essential certification in fields like emergency response and health care? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, in addition to the workforce development programs that I just spoke of that I would be very happy to provide the Member with. We also have upgrading programs directly in our high schools. There's the adult learning basic education that's now been taken online to make sure students in every community have access to it. That's through Aurora College. We also have alternative high schools in the territory where people can do modularized learning. I know the House has heard me speak about Phoenix School before. There's also Sunrise Institution up in the Sahtu. So there's multiple different examples across the territory of alternative learning environments for students. In addition to that, we'll also see some new programs come out of education, culture and employment in response to the closure of the community learning centres by Aurora College, and those are leading directly to the purpose of employment. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I just want to continue my questions with the nominee program for the Minister of ECE.

So legal aid in the NWT does not cover immigration law issues. Other jurisdictions offer these services to residents. Will the Minister commit to investigating this issue with the Minister of Justice and provide information on services that might be developed or, barring that, supports and pathways for newcomers who need them? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I can definitely work with ECE officials in order to explore this further. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Banner day.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT lacks robust newcomer supports. Without appropriate services, newcomers are deterred from choosing to remain in the NWT. Providing those services is top of mind for organizations like CDETNO, FFT, and the Literacy Council. I know the Minister knows this, and she speaks with them. Can she confirm as to whether in her conversations with these support organizations, who have flagged key services for newcomers that lack adequate funding, whether these services will be addressed by her department or federal funding partners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So settlement services in the Northwest Territories are funded by the federal government. This was a key topic of conversation at our meeting in Toronto, and I will continue to pursue increases in settlement services for the territory. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm sure more information will come out in due course. But just to confirm, the Minister said the allocation has been restored to 300. Does that mean that 103 spaces will be open for this remaining calendar year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The quick answer is yes. And the added information to that is that we have until the end of the year to use those spaces, and so this is something that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is going to have to work on in very short order.

I'd also just like to reflect on the work that staff have done in order to support this program for the year. They've been working, you know, on their heels all year and being very responsive and as responsive as possible with the amount of requests that have come in. So I just want to thank them for their incredible work on this. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the requests to correct the decline in mining is financial incentives that will help support the industry, lower costs with very high cost jurisdictions. We hear that all the time. So can the Minister inform us of the mineral incentive program, how -- what its uptake was or is currently and what the economic benefits have been to our communities as a result. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of ITI.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, we have $1.5 million in our mineral incentive policy program that provides funding to people who are, for example, doing exploration in the territory and working to advance projects. Typically, in an annual year, we see some of the funding for the MIP program actually return to the territory if people are unable to use it. So events in the territory like forest fires can actually have an impact on whether or not the proponents can use the full amount. Thank you.