Debates of Oct. 28th, 2025

Okay, thank you, Mr. Chairman. And one final comment -- or sorry, question will be is that if the Minister could continue to work with the local DEA and come up with a plan as to look at their assessments and needs, I guess, for that school. I've been to constituency meetings where they're looking at a new school in that community. So anyways, I'll maybe put that to the Minister, when she has time, if she could maybe in her schedule to take a look at that and meet with the DEA. Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Do you take it as a comment; Do you want to reply there, Minister?

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm always happy to get together with education leaders in the Northwest Territories and have sat with the DEA in N'dilo with the Member and absolutely more than happy to continue those relationships. Thank you.

Thank you to the Minister.

Are there any further questions from the Members? Seeing none, we'll continue on.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment, education, infrastructure and investment, $21,248,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you. Members, please return now to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment on page 18.

Department of Education, Culture and Employment, 2026-2027 Capital Estimates, $25,748,000. Does the committee agree?

Committee, that concludes our consideration of Department of Education, Culture and Employment. Thank you, committee, and thank you to the Minister. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses from the chambers. Thank you.

Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 385-20(1), 2026-2027 Capital Estimates, Department of Finance. Does the Minister of Finance wish to bring witnesses into the chambers?

Thank you, please, Mr. Chair.

Does the committee agree?

Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the chambers.

Would the Minister please introduce the witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On my left, Bill MacKay, deputy minister of finance. On my right, Dave Heffernan, the assistant deputy minister and government chief information officer.

Okay, thank you. The committee has agreed to forego general comments. Does the committee agree to proceed to the details contained in the tabled document? Committee, agreed?

Thank you. Committee, the Department of Finance begins on page 32. We'll defer the department totals and review the estimates by activity summary beginning on page 33 with directorate and information items on page 34. Are there any questions? None.

Department of Finance, directorate, infrastructure investment, $41,600,000. Does the committee agree?

Thank you. Next we have the Office of the Chief Information Officer on page 36, with information found on page 37. Are there any questions? I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm very pleased to see that the Office of the Chief Information Officer is working to update and replace -- I don't know what the best word is for it -- outdated 9-1-1 systems. It's my understanding from reading a bit into it that this is both computer-aided dispatch as well as phone systems that have reached end of life and software. Can the Minister please tell me if this upgrade will help alleviate problems that we saw this past May in 2025 with a scheduled service outage? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Let me see if the chief information officer has that here. Thank you.

Oh, sorry. I'll go to the deputy minister -- assistant deputy minister.