Charles Dent

Frame Lake

Statements in Debates

Debates of , (day 12)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that we can point with pride to our seniors' programs here in the Northwest Territories. I think the programs that we offer seniors right now are if not the best in North America, they're at least the best in Canada. So we already have a very good program. I think it's important to remember that we call this program a subsidy. No matter what the cost of oil or propane or wood goes to, we provide the same amount to seniors each year. So we're prepared to help seniors, to assist them to stay in their own homes. We're hoping that the communities and families...

Debates of , (day 11)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that we're talking about two different things here. Right now, the LHOs are responsible for delivering the housing to clients, almost like a landlord. So they set the rents. The rents are not related to the income of the family or the occupants of the house. Each house has a rent that is established by the LHO. People then come to ECE, as they would in Yellowknife or any other market community, to get a subsidy so that they can afford to pay whatever rent is set by the LHOs. At ECE, it's not a question of how much the rents are; it's a question of how you...

Debates of , (day 11)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll put that on the agenda for our next meeting for discussion. But I want to assure the Members that the membership on this committee right now is at the most senior level. We're talking about deputy ministers and assistant deputy ministers who are actually involved in this now. I think that tells the Members the importance that this government puts on this sort of work, and I want to make sure that we're keeping it at the most senior level. So we will have the discussion, but I'm quite satisfied that right now this issue is being given the level of importance...

Debates of , (day 11)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not positive, but I do believe that the issue of residential schools is dealt with in our curriculum in the Northwest Territories. I'll have to undertake to provide the Member with more details in writing as soon as I can. Thank you.

Debates of , (day 11)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd be happy to meet with the Member and see if we can find a mutually convenient time in the very near future.

Debates of , (day 11)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department has no capital funds in its budget for any libraries in the Northwest Territories. Having said that, I've offered previously to meet with the Member and representatives from Behchoko to see if there's anything that we can, perhaps, look at in a joint proposal. But at this point, this government doesn't have any money for any library for capital expenditure. Thank you.

Debates of , (day 11)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Because of turnover, I can't say that today every single employee has complete training. We may have some new employees who may not have completed training, but there is regular and ongoing training. There was a training session for income support workers just last week, and we do ensure that our supervisors work with new people to provide training in the regions where necessary. I believe that all of our employees are up to date. We work to ensure that happens. In most communities where we do not have a full-time or part-time worker, the service is provided by...

Debates of , (day 11)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mrs. Groenewegen is right. As we have seen this program move from one department to another, the subsidy program has definitely shown us or caused us some problems with that transition. We have formed a working group that involves everybody right from my deputy minister to the head of the Housing Corporation and regional staff to try to deal with issues like the one that the Member brings forward. As we heard about them, we try to address them on a case-by-case basis. I am not sure if the Member’s constituent needs to come into the office every month. In this...

Debates of , (day 11)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure that we can ever promise that we'll have a program that allows people to pay what they're willing to pay, because some people may not be wiling to pay anything. But, Mr. Speaker, the rent scale itself again is a question that should be directed to the Minister for the Housing Corporation. It's the Housing Corporation that is responsible for setting the rent scales. ECE, through our Income Security Review Program, or process, will determine what levels of subsidies are paid so that people will know how much they are going to actually have to pay no...

Debates of , (day 11)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Members are aware, we've been involved in a review of the income security programs for all of our subsidy programs across the Northwest Territories for some time. But this government, when we transferred the subsidy from the Housing Corporation to ECE for delivery for public housing, made a public commitment that there would be no changes to the program for at least the first year. So we said that before April 1st, 2007, there would be absolutely no changes to the subsidies, and that was something that Members of this House wanted to hear. So we have stood by...