I thank the Minister for her answer; however, I'm still trying to understand. If they cannot do their income tax, they don't do it, how is rent calculated so they have to pay for it? I have lots of -- I shouldn't say a lot, I have a number of constituents who have asked this question and I cannot honestly give an answer. So I'm asking the Minister: will she please explain how it is calculated and it's implemented?
So we do try to base our rents off income. We are moving with the income tax and some people have been allowed to file their monthly income statements. However, if neither of those are provided to the Housing Corporation, in all fairness to people we still have to define a rent, and so we do charge the top market rents on our rent scale to people who do not either give any form of income provided to us.
I thank the Minister for her answer. I totally support the idea of making sure people file their income tax. So I guess my next question is: now that we understand that it's at the top rent if they don't file their income tax, will the Minister make a commitment if people do file their income taxes that they'll be retroactive to look at their cost for the rent?
It is not the priority of the NWT Housing Corporation to punish people. People who do come forward and bring in their income assessment, we have gone back and renegotiated their rent charges based on their income that they supply us.
Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I really thank the Minister for her answer. I have never, ever said that the Housing Corporation has been punishing the clients there. We are just trying to get them educated to get their income taxes in so that they can verify their income.
Mr. Speaker, in regard to the survey that the Minister has talked about, has the department been calculating or tabulating the results that have come in? She's talked about over 1,000 people who have submitted their results. Has the Minister been able to get the department to start tabulating these results from the survey? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am actually quite glad that I get a chance to talk on that. I think the department knows how anxious I am to get the survey results in. It was really painful, actually, to extend it for another month to get people. Not that I don't want to get the feedback, that's why I agreed to extend it, but because I recognized that we have a lot of work to do. Yes, we are very fortunate that we, actually, most of the people, the replies have been done on the Survey Monkey, the electronic tool. We only had a few that came in in written form. We have been busy right now. We have been implementing those written formats into our Survey Monkey tool, and we have begun the process of categorizing. If people are talking about, for example, home ownership, we are putting them into a batch. We are beginning to split things up so that we can find common themes.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier today, my honourable friend, the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh asked about a program evaluation for the Teacher Education Program. I'd like to ask the Minister of Education: has a program evaluation been done, yes or no? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned earlier, at the beginning of this process, our department, the Department of ECE, worked in collaboration with the Aurora College staff and executive to identify reductions within their program services. I will have to find out from the department if there was a full evaluation done on the program and get back to the Member on that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It is a little concerning to hear that we are not sure if this was an evidence-based decision to cut this program, or if it is, in fact, a political decision to cut, to save some money and support the fiscal strategy of the government. Can the Minister at least clarify that point? What is motivating this decision? Is it, again, to meet a reduction target, or is it because we want the best quality education for Northerners?
As I had mentioned earlier, as Members of the Legislative Assembly, sometimes you have tough decisions to make. In terms of reductions, my department, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, worked with the department at Aurora College to identify where reductions could be made in Aurora College. The consultation took place. They looked at the programs, looked at what the impacts were, and as you have heard on many occasions the fiscal situation that this government is in and the fiscal responsibility that we have as legislatures on the public purse, sometimes you have got to make those difficult decisions. These were two areas of reductions that were brought forth to the government, and we are in the process of debating that at the moment.
I do appreciate that the Minister is taking a firm position on this, and arguing that position. Just as a matter of course, I do not agree with it. I think if we are going to find those redundancies that we can live with, they should be redundancies that are based, or reductions that are based on evidence. Again, we see that the Minister does not have that information at his fingertips. The strategic planning process, what is the criteria for that? Is the criteria for that broad statements of fiscal responsibility and political direction like that, or is it a strategic plan that is based on evidence, that is based on feedback from students and course facilitators? Which is it, Mr. Speaker? Are we making decisions for the college based on political expediency, or are we making decisions based on sound, solid evidence?
As I mentioned earlier when I was responding to another Member's questions, on average, for the last three years, we have had 29 students enroll in through the TEP program. For the last three years, on average, we have graduated seven. We are currently in the same process this year, and I encourage all the students who are in the program right now, to study hard, to work hard, and to get that degree so that we can employ you in our schools, in our communities. We are also currently working and supporting 33 students outside of the territory.
These are evidence-based decisions that were made when we looked at the programs. Obviously, we do not want to put a number to each graduate that we have, but when we make our investments, they have got to be strategic investments that gives us the best outcomes that will help our communities and help our northern education system. We continue to support the students who are in there right now. We continue to support students who want to go and get educated down south. These were evidence-based decisions, and as I mentioned, as a Member of this Legislative Assembly, there are times that we have to make hard decisions based on the fiscal situation that we are currently in.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think we have to give our students the benefit of the doubt. There is an awful lot that goes into pursuing an education degree. I hear the Minister say this often, that he's encouraging them all to study hard and get those degrees. Will the Minister make the commitment to saving this program if enough students graduate? If the entire class graduates, will he put the money back in the program, because that seems to be the criteria he's putting forward today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The whole process of this, when it came to light, there was information that was shared with standing committee. The standing committee was aware of this last year. We worked with the board. The board executive was known of this when we worked with the executive moving forward. None of this is new. This is where we debated in the House during budget session, and that's what we're having now is a healthy debate on the programs. These two programs were identified, and we will be debating that when we get into the main estimates in Committee of the Whole.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 484-18(2): Kam Lake Environmental Assessment." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document. It's from The Hill Times dated February the 1, 2017. It is titled "Divide and Conquer: How the feds split the provinces in health talks." They have outflanked their provincial counterparts entirely, says one source close to the talks. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table four documents. The first document is Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee. The second document would be, Minister of Health Mandate Letter from the Prime Minister's Office to Minister Philpott, and also a letter from the Office of the Prime Minister to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, a mandate letter, and also an office of the Prime Minister letter to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, a mandate letter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Friday, February 17, 2017, I will move that Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Notices of motion for the first reading of bills. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, February 17, 2017, I will move that Bill 18, An Act to Amend the Health and Social Services Professions Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Notices of motion for the first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters, Bill 7, Bill 13, Committee Report 618(2), Tabled Document 26118(2), with the Member for Hay River North in the chair.
I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Beaulieu.
Marci cho, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 26118(2), Northwest Territories Main Estimates, 20172018, hopefully completing the Department of Health and Social Services and also considering Industry, Tourism and Investment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We will take a short recess and resume with consideration of the document. Thank you.
SHORT RECESS
I now call Committee of the Whole back to order. We will continue with our consideration of Tabled Document 261-18(2), Northwest Territories Main Estimates, 2017-2018, Department of Health and Social Services. We left off on the departmental total on page 155 with information items up to page 158. Comments or questions? Ms. Green. Sorry, I jumped the gun again. Minister, would you like to bring witnesses into the Chamber?
Sure, Mr. Chair.
SergeantatArms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Minister, would you please introduce your witnesses to the committee.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. With me on my left is Jeannie Mathison, director of finance, on my right Debbie DeLancey, deputy minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Minister. Welcome to the witnesses. To continue with our consideration, first I have Ms. Green on my list. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, before we leave this budget, I would just like to review the investments that the Regular Members are looking for in this section. They are small relative to the size of the whole budget, approximately $2.5 million, but they address key program areas in a grassroots way and I believe will deliver good value for money.
The first is an investment in homecare. As we know, with the aging population, there are increasing demands to keep seniors safe and well in their own homes. That is what most seniors want. An investment in the upstream care for seniors prevents a larger expense downstream. Homecare resources are stretched very thin in the territory. For example, there are more homecare resources in the Beaufort Delta than there are in Yellowknife, where half the population lives. I know the Minister is working on a continuing care plan, but I feel that there is a need to invest in homecare resources in this budget.
Secondly, we are looking for a small investment in the antipoverty fund. We know from last year that it was oversubscribed by a factor of 4:1. One of the reasons it is oversubscribed is because there is very little money available to grassroots organizations to address poverty in their communities and to provide immediate help for people who are experiencing hunger and other issues that relate to poverty. Our ask there was to increase the size of this fund because it is a good value for money in terms of addressing immediate problems.
Finally, we are also looking for an investment in youth mental health and addictions. I know the department is working on a plan that will follow on from the Mind and Spirit framework that was released last year. The framework really emphasizes early intervention and prevention, and the investment that we are looking for in youth mental health is a part of this. If we can help youth regain their mental health, their mental wellness, as young people rather than waiting for them to age, we would be giving them a better opportunity in life as well as making an investment for ourselves, as a government, to treat them while they are young rather than waiting until they need more significant and perhaps more costly treatment.
I just wanted to bring those investments back to the Minister's attention before we leave this budget. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
