Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank my colleagues for their support. As well, I’d like to appreciate the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation for being proactive on this issue, but certainly there’s a gap in our programming. There’s a need here or else a motion like this would never have been discussed in our committee system and with other colleagues.

For instance, I’ve got a senior that exhausted all the programs the Minister spoke about, so how do we address his concerns? We’re going to have to come up with some kind of new program or a targeted program and...

Seniors are given the priority but that doesn’t appear to be the case. I’ve got a senior in Trout Lake who applied for programming but exhausted all programming available that the NWT Housing Corporation has, even though he’s an elder and a senior. I asked specifically, he’s a senior, he needs emergency repairs, what can be done. They said, no, he’s exhausted all areas. That’s why I believe we should reinstate at least the seniors and elders repair program to address these specific needs.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask questions to the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation, specifically to a seniors home repair program or lack thereof.

In 2006-2007, the NWT Housing Corporation consolidated its program into four programs and when they did that they took the seniors and elders’ repair element out of all the programmings and didn’t give them specific recognition. I’d like to ask the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation what his department is looking at, how we can address the needs of our seniors and elders in our small and remote communities.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of my honourable colleague’s motion to maintain the facility and jobs in their community. I’m very supportive of all the many members throughout his community that took the time to sign petitions, get a hold of their MLA to highlight the issues in the media. I think that is how our consensus style government should work. I am supportive of it. I am always saddened to see regionalizing or centralizing our goods and services, particularly those that provide services to people. I hate to see it happen, but hopefully the government can listen to...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Despite that I still believe that our Housing Corporation should gravitate towards a seniors and elders program designed specifically for maintenance and care and even replacement of small household items. I’ll be making a motion to that later on in the day.

We had 416 elders up taking the seniors program in 2005-2006. Can the Minister even detail how many elders are up taking our programs this fiscal year?

That’s not the response I get when I work with the Housing Corporation. They say specifically that there is no seniors program available. In the past we’ve had six successful programs. There was a Seniors Home Repair Program, a Seniors/Disabled Preventive Maintenance Initiative, Elders on the Land, Adaptation for Seniors’ Independence, Seniors Independent Living Strategy, and a Senior Housing Initiative. Those programs are non-existent in our Housing Corporation anymore. I believe that we should look at that and reinstate that. I’ve had situations in my riding where seniors are not eligible...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My riding has the highest percentage of households in core need in the Northwest Territories. There have been some wins, but we are losing ground in other areas like an independent appeals mechanism, maintenance program for elders, mould. One of my constituents finally got access to a home repair program after fighting for seven years, Mr. Speaker, and that’s great news. But after seven years of fighting, others still don’t have access. My constituents are frustrated. There is no appeal process. They appeal to the person who told them no in the first place. It...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, February 24, 2011, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Sahtu, that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommends the NWT Housing Corporation reintroduce a home maintenance and repair program for seniors. Thank you.

That is what I expected. It is a little bit more technical in nature and I will be glad to provide a written internal memorandum to the Ministers’ office. Thank you.

I’d like to thank Mr. Aumond for that response. I think if there’s a way to work with the Village of Fort Simpson and to work with MACA to go to the bank and say there’s a contribution here that won’t impact their budget too much, I’d certainly like to see that kind of dialogue and I’d certainly like to facilitate that kind of dialogue as well. I’ll take that into consideration. I do have a trip planned to Fort Simpson by the week’s end. I’ll certainly raise it with Mr. Mayor and his council and see if they’ve had any more thinking around this. The other fact is, is that opportunity still...