Julie Green

Thank you. I appreciate that answer. Often, Yellowknife has been short-changed in public housing because of the fact that there is a market here for rental accommodation, and so I will just leave that where it is. The Minister referenced the CMHC decline. It was my understanding that the National Housing Strategy halted the decline in CMHC funding. Can the Minister confirm that, please?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my questions are about Emergency Protection Orders, also known as EPOs. I understand that there is some research going on with respect to Emergency Protection Orders in which the department is collaborating. Could the Minister please tell us more about that project? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for that answer. My next question is: if three months is too long of a waiting list, and I agree that it is, it's a long time to wait, then what would be an acceptable waiting time? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, on Thursday, March 8, 2018, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that the Legislative Assembly supports the goal of increasing women's representation in the Legislative Assembly to 20 per cent by 2023 and 30 per cent by 2027; and, further, that Members of this Legislative Assembly work together and individually to identify and implement a wide range of strategies, including positive action, public debate, and training and mentoring for women as leaders to achieve these...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I appreciate that the 2017 report came out this week, and so I will just say to the Minister that I'll come back to this before the end of the session. One of the things I did wonder about, though, with service levels is how long the wait is to see a legal aid commission lawyer for someone who is looking for that service. What's the waiting time? Thank you.

Thank you for that response. I have nothing further.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am happy to hear that the Minister is willing to do that. What we heard from the inmates we met was that this was critical to their success. Rather than being discharged into the same kind of housing situation that they left when they originally got into trouble, they would be in a place over which they had control of who was in and out, and what was going on within the place. I recognize that this is an investment, keeping people in their own homes at a cost of, let's say, the average rent for a two-bedroom in Yellowknife, which is around $1,650. It is a lot cheaper...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Sure, I would appreciate having an idea of how long it takes from the time there is an application made until the time it goes to court, which would be the only part that this office would have responsibility for. Other than that, I have no further questions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Those are the challenges, and I am happy to hear that they are being considered up front. One of the real successes that Guthrie House has is working with residents to find them housing. They start working on the question of where they are going to be released to, almost from the time they come into Guthrie House. The idea there is that no one would be released into homelessness. I would like to know whether the department is also making this a priority; that is, where are inmates going to be released? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Minister may have heard me ask questions about the public guardian. I realize the public trustee is a different position, but I do wonder about the kind of backlog, if any, the public trustee office has on applications for its services. Thank you.