Tom Beaulieu

Mr. Speaker, several years ago, before I was in this House, the decision was made by Health and Social Services to move away from facilities where individuals were not necessarily aging in place in their own homes but aging in place in their own community, so they had some health facilities, which we refer to as seniors' homes, and those units were shut down. Anyone that didn't have more than 10 beds were shut down and they've kind of gone to a more central model in the larger centres.

I'd like to ask the Minister if the Minister would re-examine that decision. That decision I think was a wrong...

Many of our people either end up homeless or incarcerated due to the high rates of alcoholism, drug addiction, and a chronic lack of employment opportunities. Overall, Mr. Speaker, there are many initiatives that this government can do that can help turn things around and improve the quality of life for the people of the NWT. Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize some people in the gallery today, two members of the language board that are from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, Angie Lantz and Maro Sundberg, and I would like to recognize Vance Sanderson, father of my grandson Syi Sanderson. I would like to recognize Zoe Beaulieu Cross, my great niece from Hay River. I would like to recognize the interpreter for us this week, Tom Unka, from Fort Resolution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Marsi cho, Mr. Chair. I move that the chair rise and report progress. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I agree that those are important facilities, as well, and that does extend the time when these seniors will be able to remain in their home. Some of the decisions that I'm talking about where, to be very specific, if we were to look at the Great Elders Facility in Fort Resolution that if we were able to use those four units, we could be extending the time when the individuals stay in that community for an additional 10 years, perhaps, instead of going from in their own home, where I'm not seeing the effort that the Minister is talking about. I'm not seeing that in the community. I'm not seeing...

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is sort of difficult. I am trying to get through to how to move some of the money from the larger centres into small communities. It's kind of all over. I just had to kind of pick a Minister that I wanted to ask. I am talking about the school in Detah that is not moving up the line. There is a health centre in Lutselk'e. I would like to, I guess, focus in on the long-term cares that were approved in Inuvik and Hay River and more in Yellowknife, and I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services why the department didn't go looking more...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about the unfair allocation of capital resources by this government. For three terms, Mr. Speaker, I have been asking this government to increase spending in smaller communities. In addition and as a mandate of this government to create employment where jobs where needed most, all one has to do is to examine some Northwest Territories statistics to know that our smaller communities are where jobs are needed most.

Mr. Speaker, over the years, I have asked this government to work with our small communities on a wide variety of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just along the same line of capital, maybe not specific to seniors, however, right now, there's a great capital project going on in Lutselk'e where they're completely renovating a school. It looks absolutely beautiful, by the way. And now it's time to renovate or retrofit the health centre or replace it, so there's an opportunity now, right at the heels of the project on the Lutselk'e Dene School being completed. I'd like to ask the Minister if he's prepared to start beginning discussions with government, and not necessarily the Housing Corporation but with...

Mr. Speaker, I'm glad to hear the Minister speak about work with the community governments. I'd like to ask the Minister if there is a plan to directly fund the Aboriginal governments, or community governments, in order to address core need housing in the communities? Thank you.

I would like to thank the Minister for that response. We are not seeing the actual work on the ground. Unfortunately, that's lot of good planning, but no action.

Mr. Speaker, when is the NWT Housing Corporation planning to update a comprehensive needs survey? From 2017 to 2018, in the Northwest Territories, there were 1,200 jobs lost, so I'm assuming that that has some impact on the affordability of housing in the Northwest Territories, so I think it's urgent that we do something instead of staying with the 2014 needs survey, that we do something that is current today. So I'd like to ask the...