Robert C. McLeod

We’re always looking at ways that we can improve the delivery of our program. We have allocated, in the past number of years, a large amount of resources to the communities. I can stand here and quote some numbers from the Member’s constituency where one particular community received $4.7 million since 2007. Another community got about the same amount. We try and distribute the resources that we have equally. We’ve been fortunate in the last number of years with the federal investment. We’ve been able to allocate more resources. With that money being sunsetted we’re back to our historical...

It’s obvious that there has been some concern with the fuel tanks and, more specifically, the wood pilings. As far as public education, I would have to follow up and see what’s out there. This has been a longstanding issue, the pilings in particular, so folks out there are well aware of some of the challenges they face. The fuel tank issue is just a new one that’s been out for a bit here. There’s still a process that has to go on where we need to educate the public and make them aware of some of the challenges they face with the fuel tanks.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to provide Members with an update on the Public Service Capacity Initiative, which Municipal and Community Affairs is jointly implementing with the Department of Human Resources, the NWT Association of Communities and the Local Government Administrators of the Northwest Territories.

The program was introduced in 2009 and has been developed around a series of actions that are aimed at enhancing community government public service capacity. Building public service capacity in both the GNWT and community governments is part of the Refocusing Government...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. They had originally intended to purchase the property but it worked out in the end where it was decided that it was a lease, so it is a lease. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the better news is the LHOs are not going chasing after these people. These folks are actually coming into the LHO office and they are verifying their income and they’re getting reassessments done. People have taken it upon themselves to come into the LHOs, which is really encouraging, and if the LHOs find that there’s somebody that they need to see, well, obviously, they’ll contact them and tell them they need to come in. So the communication is there, but we do have clients that are coming into the LHOs and getting reassessments done and in some cases it’s working out for them...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve been very encouraged by the number of people that have been coming into the LHOs to get reassessments. The percentages of people that are coming in are improving each time. We have made some progress is writing off what is perceived to be artificial arrears, and as long as they come and verify their income... In one particular case a person came in and verified all their income for a period of that time and left the LHO owing zero arrears. We do note that is helping some people and we’ll continue. Once I get the updated numbers, I’ll provide them to the Members.

I will commit to the Member that we will have a look at how land is disposed of. Again I just want to assure the Member and Members of this House that this land was all disposed of in accordance with and all the proper processes were followed. They had expressed an interest, they got a hold of us, we worked with them and a deal was worked out. Though some people may not like the decision, that’s just the way this whole thing played out and the Norman Wells Land Corporation has some development plans for the future to benefit their people and if there’s an opportunity there for us to help them...

No, the survey has not been done. It is the intent of the Norman Wells Land Corporation within the next three years to have a legal survey of the land done and then at that time they will purchase the property.

I will get the information together for the Member. I know this particular year we’ve had over 800-and-something applications territory-wide. I’m sure we can break it down and get the numbers that the Member is requesting.

Those programs, as the Member said, were all discontinued. They were rolled into our basket of programs. As I said, the senior preventative maintenance is still geared towards seniors. Our CARE repair program, seniors would qualify for a lot more than they would under some of the old programs, from $20,000 to $90,000. The Member said they had to wait with everybody else and that’s usually what happens, but seniors are given a priority, as I pointed out to the Member.