Thank you. And I've had a number of conversations with the Member about this. You know, I think that integrated service delivery is something that needs to be I guess be dictated from the top down. So I think that under the Premier's office would, you know, be a fine location for that. However, integrated case management is with Justice and the staff know how to operate that program. They've been doing a great job. And so that is why it is continuing to be in the in Justice in this budget. Thank you.
Thank you. All right. No further questions from you? Okay. Are there I just want to before because we have we have to sit past the hour if we want to get finished. So I just want to see how many people left want to speak to this item and so that way if we don't have to make the motion to sit past and then the staff, we can finish up this item and they don't have to come back tomorrow. Unless you want to do the motion now and then get it over and done with and we don't sit, we don't sit. Okay. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Madam la Presidente. Pursuant to rule 2.2(3), I move that committee continues sitting beyond the hour of daily adjournment to conclude the item under consideration. Mahsi, Madam Chair.
Thank you. The motion is on the floor. The motion is in order and nondebatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried. We will sit beyond 6:00 p.m. to conclude this item.
Carried
And I'll give it to Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The integrated case management so you have $830,000. How many clients is that? How many clients are included in that that is being seen for that amount of money.
Thank you. Minister of Justice.
Thank you. So far there have been 691 referrals to the program, and there are 98 active clients. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Thebacha.
So, Madam Chair, so how many staff are actually working within that integrated case management office?
Thank you. Minister of Justice.
Thank you. So in addition to the director, we have four pathfinders and I believe there's also an intern so that would be five. Thanks.
Thank you. Member for Thebacha.
Okay. I like the term that was used by the Minister when he was referring to the rental office, "administrative fairness." That's a really incredible term. Administrative fairness is with the rental office it's mostly private people that are being told that they have to keep people in their homes over a certain period of time even though it's their home or their rental facility but yet we, as a government, don't follow that whole situation when it comes to NWT Housing. If someone is going to be thrown out, it's thrown out that day, close all the windows and put them on the street and they don't have no home to go to. So where is the administrative fairness when it comes to rental office when it comes to our own government? I want to ask the Minister that. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Justice.
Thank you. So the Residential Tenancies Act dictates the rights and obligations of the different parties involved. I understand there are different provisions for the housing corporation than from private entities. I'm not sure if this is the appropriate time to speak to that legislation; we're not amending the legislation. There's no recommendations in front of me to amend it. So we're talking about the operations of the rental office but as to the value of the act, the efficacy of the act, I am not in a position to speak to it right now. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Thebacha.
I think, Madam Chair, in the future that we have to look at this as a government because, you know, it's our own people that are being thrown out on the street just before Christmas. You know, and I had a case like that where there was a mother and a young girl, and they're couch surfing now. All the windows and everything in that house is all boarded up. No one's going near there. And there's no administrative fairness there. Administrative fairness means administrative fairness for everybody treated equally when it comes to rental or anything else in the territory. And until we come to that point with this government and making sure that our own people are looked after properly, we're not doing our job. Thank you, Madam Chair. That's just a comment. I don't expect the Minister to answer.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Any other further questions from Members under services to the public? Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a quick question on the rental office. I guess I'm just trying to gauge their workload and how much of that workload is dedicated to dealing with the NWT Housing Corporation or Housing NWT Corporation clients versus private sector? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Justice.
Thank you. I believe the last report I reviewed stated about 60 percent of the workload was related to the housing corporation. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess I'm trying you know, I'm thinking about, you know, the amount of work that goes into I guess trying to evict somebody. And if the rental officer is putting a lot of time into the housing side of things and nobody's getting or nobody's getting evicted or they're it drags on forever, I'm just thinking either somehow we've got to make sure that, you know, we're putting the resources where it's actually, you know, resulting in something and whether that's on the private side, make sure that they're looked after first, I guess, and the housing corporation, second, if they're not evicting, then and the private sector needs a little bit more, you know, more time, I would like to see, you know see that happen. And that's just a comment I guess. I just see a waste of time if we're giving out orders and nothing's being done. And if we're giving out orders to the private sector and they're and sometimes that private sector might be an elderly couple who own a house and they have to, you know, they've got somebody in there for, you know, three, four, five, six months; they're waiting for, you know, an order to come down because the rental officer's dealing with maybe housing corporation tenants instead. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll take that as a comment. Are there any further questions under services to the public? Member for Monfwi.
With reference to rental office, I do have some constituents where some other people have been coming to me and saying that they their arrears were garnished. But they haven't received any up to date information about how much they still owe. And they said they don't get nothing. They don't know, and they're still being garnished. And they don't a lot of these people they said they want to know how much they still owe but there's no there's no communication coming from the rental office or whoever was supposed to be communicating with them. So I just wanted to know, like, what else is there like, how can people who are affected by this get some information?
Thank you. Minister of Justice.
So if the Member's talking about public housing, then I would reserve that question for the housing corporation because the rental office I don't think they deal with those types of issues. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Monfwi.
Okay, thank you. Okay, thank you. Yes, it's mostly housing that they're being garnished. And even that office is not telling my constituents how much they still owe. And this is where they are left in the dark, that, you know, they want to know because it has an impact on them financially. You know, they want to move forward; they want to do things but, you know, nobody's telling them nothing. But it all comes down to the it comes from here, from the rental office, so I just wanted to know whose responsibility it is to let these people know. So now that you're saying, you know, NWTHC.
That's not for this department. I think that's housing corporation. They don't deal with arrears or anything like that. It's the rental office. Like, it's the operations of the rental office under Justice but it's not I'll give it to the Minister to explain.
Thank you. So, yes, that is not something I can comment on. That is not something in the purview of the rental office. If someone owes money to Housing NWT and they go through the courts to get their wages garnished, that does not involve the rental office so I can't answer these questions. It would be better posed to the Minister of housing. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. Member for Monfwi.
Okay, sorry about that. Yes, thank you for the information. You know, like I mean, I'm it's good to know that so I can pass on the information and then hopefully the Minister of housing is hearing this and will let my constituents know how much they still owe, you know, like, so they can move on with their life.
Another one too is that I don't know if somebody asked this already. Coroner office. There's an increase, and I just wanted to ask how many coroners do we have in the Northwest Territories?
(audio).
Thank you. So we have the chief coroner. We have a deputy coroner. And then we have 18 regional coroners. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Monfwi.
No, I just wanted to ask about that because I know we do have one in Behchoko, and it's good that there's 18 but it's such a huge increase. So there must be a lot of activities that's happening and it's I mean, it's a high need, you know, to have that much it's a huge budget increase. So I just wanted to ask about that. So thank you.
All right. Minister of Justice.
Thank you. So that increase is due to bringing the coroners into the public service. Previously coroners were contracted. And so that increase is due to the cost associated with that. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Any further questions, Member for Monfwi?
No, that's good. I just wanted to know. Thank you.
All right. So if there are no further questions to the services to the public, please turn to page 322. Justice, service to the public, operations expenditure summary, Main Estimates 20232024, $5,859,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. There are additional information items from page 324 to 326. Any questions? Thank you, Members.
Please return now to the departmental summary found on page 293 with the revenue summary information on page 294. Any questions? No further questions.
Committee, I will now call the departmental summary. Justice, operations expenditures, total department, 20232024 Main Estimates, $145,613,000. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Madam la Presidente. I move that this committee defer further consideration of the estimates for the Department of Justice at this time. Mahsi, Madam Chair.
Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion?
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion is carried. Consideration of Department of Justice, 20232024 Main Estimates, operating expenditures, total department, is deferred.
Thank you, Minister, and thank you to the witnesses for appearing before us. Sergeantatarms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber.
Mr. O'Reilly, what is the wish of committee?
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the chair rise and report progress.
