Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Just after we concluded the budget session in March, I was approached by an individual who was on income support for a couple of months and went back to work. He was employable, certainly before, and entered into the Income Support Program for two months while going through some difficult times in his life. He went back to work after two months and he was surprised, the mail box changed and four months go by and all of a sudden somebody gets in touch with him and says we have four months worth of income support mail for you. He went and picked it up. Not only did he have four months of income support payments that he should not have received, the government also paid his rent for four months.

The first question I would have for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment is what is this monthly report card that ECE sent around to income support clients last summer? Is it being used? If it is not being used, why? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 87-15(4): Administration Of The GNWT Income Support Program

Charles Dent

Frame Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I thank the Member for bringing this issue to my attention earlier. I have had the department check into this situation and this is the only example of this type of circumstance happening that we can find. I can also assure the Member that we don't believe the rent was paid after the individual moved out. However, the individual never gave notice to the landlord that they were leaving and so the landlord claims that there is more rent owing than what the individual believes.

It is a situation too, where we offer a number of clients on income support the opportunity to be payrolled. This opportunity is offered often to people who are disabled, to seniors, to people whose circumstances aren't likely to change or that we expect will come in and inform the staff when they do change. People who receive income support are clearly told that they must tell income support whenever their circumstances change. In this instance, this individual never did advise the income support worker that their circumstances had changed.

Often people are put on a payroll system for up to 12 months. So in this circumstance, after six months the individual's circumstances changed, the office wasn't notified and, the Member is right, there were four months of cheques that were issued that should not have been. However, to his credit, the individual did not try to cash the cheques, but instead notified the department and all of the cheques had a stop payment put on them. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Minister Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 87-15(4): Administration Of The GNWT Income Support Program

David Ramsay

Kam Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister how an income support officer makes the determination whether somebody is going to be on a payroll basis or not. The individual I am talking about here walks into the office and has been employed for years and has a certain skill set. How can they pigeonhole people into being payrolled, is what I am trying to say, and who makes that determination? How is that determination made on whether an income support client is payrolled or if they have to submit these monthly report cards?

In this instance, Madam Speaker, if I could, the individual who was deemed to be a payroll income support client received letters saying you have to fill out the monthly report cards. If they weren't filled out and he was still paid, there is certainly a disconnect there. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister Dent.

Further Return To Question 87-15(4): Administration Of The GNWT Income Support Program

Charles Dent

Frame Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The income support officer is given the authority to determine which of their clients should be payrolled. As I outlined, it is typically for those clients where the expectation is that the circumstances are not likely to change in the immediate future, but it is clearly expressed to the client that there is an obligation to the client to come back and report that change.

In terms of why the report cards weren't being followed up on, I'm afraid that I can't answer that question. It does indicate an issue that there is some concern about and we have certainly worked to strengthen our reporting requirements in the office in the last year. We have also looked at increasing the number of staff to deal with the volume of clients in that office. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Minister Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 87-15(4): Administration Of The GNWT Income Support Program

David Ramsay

Kam Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am having a little bit of difficulty understanding what the reporting cards are for. In the letter that I have, it says if the monthly report card is not returned, income assistance will not be provided. This will mean a delay in receiving your monies. Will the income support clients actually receive their monies, even if they don't submit the report card, or what exactly happened? If the report card is not submitted by a certain time, does the department still issue cheques? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister Dent.

Further Return To Question 87-15(4): Administration Of The GNWT Income Support Program

Charles Dent

Frame Lake

Madam Speaker, for those people who should fill in the report cards, no. If the report card is not returned, that should raise a flag in the system to stop the cheques from being distributed. Thank you, Madam Speaker.