Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked the Minister of Finance and the Minister of ECC to come into this House today and bring with them their compassion, empathy, and a commitment for financial support for businesses and individuals impacted by the wildfire. I guess the answers to my questions, which will be asked, will determine if they did.

So, Mr. Speaker, has the Minister of Finance given any consideration for additional financial support for those that fled the fires and received no financial support for rooms and meals? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've had a couple of calls, people asking about accommodation, and I'd like to ask the Minister who it is that residents need to contact to access these accommodations? Thank you. Is it the Pathfinders, or who is it? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, residents who covered their own evacuation costs continue to request financial support. As such, I have requested each to provide me with copies of their receipts and to sign a statutory declaration stating they have not received funds from other sources to cover those costs. These documents will be provided to this, and the federal government, for reimbursement consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I will provide context as to why residents may have covered their own costs and not followed MACAS's direction to use a designated evacuation centre. Mr. Speaker, let me...

Thank you, Madam Chair. You know, I look at this motion here, and I guess I think back to, you know, when the fire started and what happened throughout. You know, I spent most of my time in Hay River during that period. And you know, I saw what was going down. I saw the interaction, I guess, between government, between volunteers, you know, and with the community as well. And you know, at that time, I was thinking, you know, what we need is we need some better coordination with all these groups because in the three disasters we've had, what I found was everybody sort of kind of walks away and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm if there and I think he alluded to it. Is there a limited time these temporary accommodations will be made available to people who lost their homes and if there is a limited time, what criteria will that be based on? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I see the Minister for MACA is smiling over there, so.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of MACA confirm if temporary accommodations are available for those persons who lost their homes during the wildfire will be made available and under what criteria? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker oh, sorry, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Here I was wondering what the Member was doing standing. Anyways, yeah, I'm you know, I'm in support of this motion. And I guess as an engineering technologist, now I can belong to an organization actually in the Northwest Territories. And it's good to see that there's a number of other people in the same boat as well. And we can participate in the organization that with like minds and hopefully do some good. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've got a couple of people who are actually in the temporary accommodation right now and they've been told they might only be there until the end of November. And the Minister alluded to that it would be end of or in January. So can extensions be granted, or can the Minister at least let the department know or let so they can tell these people that they're good until at least January and then, you know, they'll be given some time; it won't be, you know, a week before that they're told no, the extension's not going to be there or they are going to get an...

When we're talking about incorporation. Will the Minister commit to identifying the financial amount we are talking about and whether it would have to be allocated in one fiscal year, or could it be accomplished over several years? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me if incorporating the HRHSSA into the NTHSSA was to proceed, what would the process be and the timeline to complete such amalgamation? Thank you.