Wendy Bisaro

I don’t think the Minister understood what I was asking. There was an increase of nine positions from last budget year to this one. Five of them are service officers. The other four are new positions. What are they? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. Are they all new positions? There’s an increase of nine positions from 2014-15 to 2015-16. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a number of comments in no particular order. This is such a large department that it’s kind of hard to know where to start.

I appreciate Mr. Dolynny’s comments about ERI. It is a huge undertaking, and I appreciate the Minister’s response as well. But it is a huge undertaking and I do have to say that I am still concerned that the department is trying to fund most of the changes that they’re making through the ERI Initiative. They’re trying to make those changes with money from within. If we are ever going to effect change and do it properly it needs to… In most...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment:

Does the Department of Education, Culture and Employment income support division have a definition of “transitional housing” that they use to determine a client’s eligibility for income assistance?

If yes, please provide it. If no, how does the department determine if a client is in transitional housing, and if they are, how does the department determine if the client is eligible for income assistance?

What policy governs clients whose only accommodation option is a motel or hotel room? Why are they...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank Mr. Williams for the answer, but I’m not very pleased to hear what you have to say. Again, this has been a really long time coming and I guess I would have thought that in four years we would have been able to reach some kind of middle ground to get something accomplished.

I am pleased to hear the department is willing to go back and talk to the hotel operators again. That is something that would get this in place sooner rather than later, but I can understand why the hotel operators want to have something that’s regulated as well. I know that this is not something...

My last question here has to do with the proposed move of the NGO Stabilization Fund from the Executive to MACA. I have to say strongly again that this is a bad move. I think this particular fund reaches across many departments, as does the Department of Executive. Not that I have any qualms about the ability of MACA to handle this, but I just don’t think that the focus in MACA is as broad as it needs to be. The NGOs that access this fund provide very basic services on behalf of the GNWT, emergency shelters, housing, it’s quite varied and it’s not the focus that MACA has. I know the Premier...

Thanks to Mr. Schauerte. If there’s a capacity issue at this point, and we’re talking the ’15-16 budget, so obviously there’s nothing in this budget that’s going to allow for the legislation beyond the Emergency Measures and maybe the Fire Prevention Act. In the 18th, with the budget for the ’16-17 year, are you looking at increasing your capacity and getting more staff so that you can do some of this legislation which has been talked about for quite some years now? PATA, I think we’ve been talking about it for three or four years. Is there a plan to increase the budget so that you can get...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Thanks to the deputy minister for the explanation.

My other question here, I have two other questions actually. The second one is the amount for volunteer recognition which is $30,000. This is a large change from the last year when there was money, which was ’13-14 when it was $3,000. Nothing in ’14-15 and then $30,000 in ’15-16. If I read the description it tells me that this is to promote and encourage community volunteers and through planned community recognition events.

I guess I’m struggling with the rationale that giving money to a community for a volunteer recognition...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We would like to deal with Tabled Document 188-17(5) today, the NWT Main Estimates for 2015-2016. We’d like to continue with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and, time permitting, the Department of Lands. Thank you.

Now, I’m really confused. So, we’ve gone down $100,000 and you said it’s for a position that’s within the School of Community Government and I thought that what we were looking at was the School of Community Government. So, I’m lost. Or has it gone from contributions to compensation? Is that what you’re trying to tell me? Thank you. The light just went on. Thanks.