Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health and Social.

When will the communities/schools be eligible for funding to take the "Drop the Pop" challenge?

How much will each community/school be eligible for participation funding?

When will the "Drop the Pop" campaign be communicated to our communities/schools?

Will the communities receive recognition for participation in the campaign?

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The $4.8 million to fund emergency and other repair programs and various seniors' programs, under this concept here, is a certain amount allocated out of this solely for Senior Citizens’ Home Repair Program? I know the Minister indicated earlier that he said it is application based. It is pretty general. Everybody could fill out their application under the emergency and it would eat up on the other programs. In this funding or the different programs he has outlined, do they have a certain amount of money that is dedicated solely for that purpose? I wanted to ask...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I wanted to ask the Minister again in terms of the coordination efforts by Housing with other departments in terms of developing the lots for the communities for these units to be in the communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, these programs are application based, so some of these elders would need some good quality time to sit down and take the application in English and translate it into Slavey and then have it again translated back to English. I hope that these liaison people who are in the communities would have that type of support from the local district offices in the regions, and then also from headquarters, that these programs need to be filled out properly by the elders and they have to know how these programs run and that there’s only so much money allocated per...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Minister. The Minister’s question mark on the federal government’s final commitment to release some of the funding for us to continue on with the housing in the Northwest Territories. I wish you luck in terms of securing that funding from the federal Minister and have approval from the Treasury Board. That’s still up in the air. We’re going to have to wait and see on that. The deal’s not done until it’s signed off and all set to go here, like other things this government has planned for the Northwest Territories.

In saying this, Mr. Minister, in terms...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Much of the discussion at the committee level over the budget planning cycle has focused on the need for a new mandate and structure for the NWT Housing Corporation.

With the transfer of responsibility for existing social housing to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment there is an opportunity to revitalize housing programs to meet the housing needs of all northerners.

Over the next year, the committee will be working with its Cabinet colleagues to come to a consensus on how government can best address the housing shortage in the NWT.

Once roles have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My apologies to the powerful Premier, Mr. Handley. I hope he doesn’t tell me to take a hike here. I’d like to ask Mr. Premier, in terms of the National Energy Strategy going forward to the Premiers and forwarded on to the Prime Minister, what would be in the National Energy Strategy involved this side here in terms of putting together something that would be supported by all Members within the Territories to bring this forward to a final recommendation? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Premier of the Northwest Territories, in light of his meeting this weekend with Premier Danny Williams in terms of some sort of a cooperation strategy not to take our flags down, but to get the attention of the federal government in terms of our similar types of resource revenue sharing deals. What are the Premier’s plans in terms of working with the province and through the Council of the Federation? I’d like to ask the Premier in terms of his meeting with the Premier of Newfoundland. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. In terms of the part of the consultation and coordination with the communities that are going to receive these units, would the Minister then look at the other departments that need to be part of this consultation and coordination to get these pads ready? An example is the MACA sewer and water system, and NCPC for power poles that need to be in these lots, and probably other agencies and other organizations to coordinate that this is what needs to happen to have these lots prepared and ready for these units that would be coming into the communities. Thank you.

Mr. Chair, I just wanted to ask the Minister about his comments here in terms of the housing that he’s planning to put into the communities. Even 118 units, even if we don’t receive any type of favourable response from the federal government, we have 118 units, as you mentioned. That’s quite a few units. How is it going to work with the communities in terms of putting these units into the community in terms of the lot development, power poles and any other infrastructure that has to go to get a lot ready for these units? Right now they’re sort of rushing the lots to get into the...