Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We just wasted last year -- April -- and we did an implementation. So those are the discussions that we’re currently having. What kind of other changes should we undertake? If it’s going to be a threshold increase, we need to find out the cost factor and/or exemption in the household. So that discussion is ongoing and if there is, like I said, any changes, I’ll be more than willing to come back to the standing committee and get their input in the future of possible changes. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

We did make some changes to our programming back in April of 2008 where we’ve increased the threshold of $10,000 so that it did benefit some of the elders in the communities. But with respect to more changes, we’re always re-evaluating a program where it’s based on the household income. A caretaker, it can be generic where a caretaker could be making upwards of $100,000 living with a grandma. We can’t just ignore that, Mr. Speaker, and certainly those are the assessments that we need to undertake. Now we’re looking at options of individual elders in a household having two or three individuals...

Certainly I need to get back to my department on what kind of discussions they’ve had in the past or current. If they have discussed options or alternative measures to deal with that assessment tool, then certainly we can discuss those alternatives as the Member discussed earlier, possibly dealing with other jurisdictions. Those are discussions that we need to have. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the assessment, we deal with the Alberta hospital and Alberta jurisdiction. Those are the agreements that we have to deal with these inmates that are going through the process. But, certainly, we can gather more information for the Member on the numbers of agreements that we have in place with other jurisdictions, as the Member alluded to earlier. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today marks the beginning of Career Week and I am very happy to share details about some of the many events and activities going on across the Northwest Territories. Regional education authorities, community groups and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment have workshops, career fairs and other activities taking place throughout the Territory to mark the importance of career development planning.

The South Slave region is kicking off this week with a chilli luncheon and career presentation by Thebacha Business Development Services at the Fort Smith Career...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, I will move that Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Summary Conviction Procedures Act, be read for the first time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The discussion that we are having at the community level, that can certainly be brought forward to my department. We can certainly present it to a standing committee, if we need to, on the status of our discussion. So, certainly, we can do that, Mr. Speaker. I will make a commitment to gather the information from my department meeting with certain groups and education authorities and meeting with Municipal and Community Affairs and different departments what we’ve gathered. We can certainly share that information. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this area has been brought up in this House and I did commit to looking into it even further with PWS and other departments on a going forward basis. We do have some old buildings that don’t have suitable gymnasiums or other sports activities in the communities, but we are working closely with local education authorities or education councils to have some sort of agreement with them to deliver or transport students to specific areas so they can be actively involved with physical recreational activities, whether it be soccer, volleyball, hockey or other...

Those are the areas that we can certainly look at. I believe we have looked at, as a department, how we can get around where a caregiver is looking after a grandma or a grandpa or a parent so we don’t penalize the household based on their income, but we have to reassess the household where what kind of income is coming in, how can we exempt in certain areas. So those are the discussions that we’re currently having. Certainly there are going to be changes. We’ll certainly notify the standing committee. If it’s going to be a positive impact in the communities with the seniors, certainly we’ll...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Certainly the subsidies for the cost of home heating fuel for winter months for resident seniors aged 60 and older who own their own home and meet the income tests is one of the criteria. It provides an income scale and fuel scale depending on the length of the heating season. Community income threshold and fuel scale divide into three zones depending on which communities they are from. So those are the areas just capturing some of the policies that we follow through the program that we offer. Mahsi.