Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, clearly we are interested in working with the committees and communities. In Yellowknife we’ve just opened Bailey House. We have the Salvation Army. We have the Side Door over here for youth. In some communities there are places for those who are hard to house to stay. But clearly, it is an issue, and we are willing to work with our Members.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. While I have some familiarity with the file, this is an issue that’s clearly within the mandate of the Minister of Health and Social Services. I will ask her to respond.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise the House that the Hon. Floyd Roland will be absent from the House for the remainder of the week to attend the Western Premiers’ Conference in Prince Albert.

Mr. Speaker, this work is underway as we speak. One of the things that has happened since we started this new Assembly is.... There has been a working group that brings in the LHOs of districts and headquarters to start looking at these policies. Some of them date back almost 35, 40 years.

While I accept with a degree of good grace the rejection of the Member to my offer, the offer is there to have her go over to the Housing Corporation, and she can look at the walls and shelves of binders. She can let us know what copies she’d like, and they’ll definitely be provided.

Mr. Speaker, there are policies — some in great number, some of considerable age, which is why we’re doing the policy review — and I make the commitment to the Member that she can have access to any Housing Corp policies she would like.

Mr. Speaker, there was some funding from the federal government that helped, in fact, build structures like Bailey House. It helped us put some money into homeless initiatives in small communities to help cover off those that are needed when it is cold and freezing outside. So we have put what money we have been able to get to use.

Unfortunately, what tends to happen when there is a federal announcement…. It is done on a per capita basis, and the amount of money that actually comes to the Northwest Territories is very small.

Mr. Speaker, there’s a distinction we have to make as we talk about the homeless. Or are we talking about individuals who may be hard to house? They are, I believe, in almost every community, including the one I come from. They have had every opportunity. Their families don’t want them staying in their houses. They have addictions issues. They have lifestyle issues. So if there is an issue of not enough houses for people, there are waiting lists for public housing.

We do struggle with the issue of hard-to-house, where they have often had programs, and they have often left the houses in...

Mr. Speaker, I can see a number of people from my constituency of Thebacha: Mr. Al Dumont, Mrs. Lynn Dumont, Paul McAdams, Loretta Laviolette, Marilyn Napier and Ethel Chalifoux. I’d like to welcome you to the Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity today as the lead Minister to provide an update on the activities of the Refocusing Government Strategic Initiative Committee. The Refocusing Government initiative is one of five strategic initiatives that form the backbone of our government’s strategic plan. These five strategic initiatives have their foundation in the vision, goals and priorities we developed as a Caucus.

The actions planned under this initiative are to conduct program review, change the GNWT’s approach to infrastructure, improve human resource management in the Northwest...

Mr. Speaker, we intend to follow the same process in all communities where there is an identified need. As we are working with communities to look at the housing configuration as to what is most appropriate, I do agree with the government that there are some things that should probably become standard design for all houses — things like three-foot doorways and access for an event, if something happens if an individual is in the house. So the Member has raised some good points.