Ultimately, the basic funding granted to the community organizations of the Northwest Territories is approximately $600,000 a year, and it is supplemented by ad hoc projects. Core funding makes it possible to maintain a minimum level of community infrastructure to support the activities designed to provide services to the community, whether it be for youth, seniors, immigration, health or something else. A minimum human resource and organization level is required to maintain the community vitality of a network. Beyond that, the infrastructure put in place over time has consisted of schools, day care centres, the college I talked about earlier, the continued existence of the radio station and a newspaper, despite a very small number of people. That is essential.
In response to your question, sir, I would like to comment on the impact that human resource retention and turnover have had on our governance capability. We do not always evaluate the consequences of the fact that the administrative staff and volunteers of our organizations change regularly. That requires a very significant degree of governance support and virtually constant or continual training. Every year, there are new people around our tables and taking over the leadership of community development. Our ties with the communities and government organizations have to be re-established regularly. Federal officials experience the same thing.
I have witnessed the change in resources at Canadian Heritage every year or every other year for the past eight years. Those people are also facing the challenge of taking charge of themselves as a community.
From a community management standpoint, constantly training people to take charge of themselves as a community is an enormous challenge.