Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will try to be brief. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Health and Social Services and the Minister responsible for homelessness. In our last sitting in May I asked some questions about the GNWT Homelessness Strategy. The response from the Minister and follow-up from his office indicated that the development of a Homelessness Strategy and framework is being led by the Homelessness Coalition chaired by the City of Yellowknife. I was very surprised at that, and I asked for clarification from the office and I haven’t received it. I’d like to know from the Minister, is a non-government organization -- that would be the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition -- developing a framework or a strategy which will govern GNWT activities related to homelessness?
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition provides a valuable service in Yellowknife. There is also an interdepartmental working group when it comes to the issues within the Government of the Northwest Territories and shared jurisdiction by different departments in dealing with this issue. So to the question from the Member, the answer would be, in my opinion, no.
I thank the Minister for that. That leads me to the question. We have a homelessness framework. It was developed in 2007. I’m given to understand that we are currently still following that framework, which is now rather outdated. I’d like to ask the Minister whether or not or he can advise me when there will be some plans in place to update that 2007 framework. Thank you.
I think there’s a general recognition that this area has been somewhat untended. The Minister responsible for homelessness doesn’t have the actual budget. There’s a need to work closely with other departments and there’s a need to look at that type of ongoing coordination. At this late juncture with one more sitting day left in the life of this Assembly, I would suggest it will be one of the challenges for the 17th Assembly and the incoming MLAs to decide on this issue, among many others.
Thanks to the Minister for his words of commitment, I think. I take it that he recognizes that there’s a lack of coordination. He indicated, I think, if I heard him correctly, that there needs to be some coordination and work done in the next Assembly, so people may be quoting Hansard from the 16th in the next Assembly.
Part of the answer that I got was that the Homelessness Interdepartmental Working Group develops programs. I’d like to know what activities in terms of developing programs that that working group has taken. Thank you.
They work, in many cases, more with the small community funds, working with communities outside of Yellowknife, in many cases, responding on a one-off basis to situations that arise in different communities dealing with homelessness or some hard-to-house issues. The broader idea and need for government planning across departments is one that there needs to be more work done. At one point in the 15th Assembly there was a Social Programs Ministers Committee that came together on a regular basis because of issues such as this, seniors, as well, because of cross-departmental mandates and the need to integrate that kind of service and figure out how we’re going to better manage this and try to coordinate what money is there. That is still before us.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Your final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister. I gather from his response that this interdepartmental group does not do program development. They simply seem to be reactive, if I understood him correctly. To the issue of the coordination and the work that needs to be done, I’d like to ask the Minister, if he is lucky enough to return to this House, will he make homelessness and the coordination of it a priority? Thank you.
I mean, this is an issue for every Member. It’s been on the table for the 16 years that I’ve been here. It is a challenge. It will continue to be on the table of the legislators of the 17th Assembly, and whoever’s standing in this position a number of weeks hence will be having to discuss and indicate to the people how we intend to move forward on this. It will be based on the direction, of course, of the Legislature and the priorities set and the business planning process that’s going to follow. It’s an issue that’s on the list and it will have to be dealt with. We know there are things that have to be done better. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
