Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We need emergency shelters in my riding. Two weeks ago, I asked the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation to get me the locations of the units in the communities of Sachs Harbour, Tuktoyaktuk, Ulukhaktok, and Paulatuk. I haven't received anything yet, but I am hoping that we could get this done this week so that I could pass on to my leadership what units are available, either COVID-19 shelters or emergency shelters. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Currently, now, in Paulatuk, we don't have any units available. All of them are occupied. For the communities of Tuktoyaktuk, Ulukhaktok, and Sachs Harbour, those communities I will provide the Member with the numbers. I do have them here, but it will probably take me 20 minutes to name them all. I will follow up with the Member with the list. Thank you.
I thank the Minister for that. I just want to ask the Minister: would the units be available to have as a warming shelter in the community? A lot of times, when people are unable to go home, if it's too cold to get to Reindeer Point, which is seven kilometres away, they have nowhere to go, other than staying with family. They don't want to put the burden on family. Are they able to go and utilize these shelters, and who would they contact to utilize the shelters in the community?
I would like to follow up with the Member and just specifically look at the communities that are in their ask for which communities need the warming shelter or the homelessness shelter initiative. Specifically for Tuktoyaktuk, I would like to follow up with the Member, as well, and identify what we possibly can have that is not allocated public housing units in the community of Tuktoyaktuk. Also, a majority of our homelessness initiatives are partnerships, so if the Member and the community leadership are interested in looking at homelessness initiatives, I would like to follow up with the leadership and with the Member, as well.
I thank the Minister for that. Would the Minister commit to working with me and the communities in Nunakput for a warming shelter or emergency shelter, whatever they want to call it? They just need a shelter, a warm place for these people to go and have a place to go. Would she commit to that?
This would be a collaborative approach, and I would have to speak with my colleague for the department of health, as well, and really strategize and identify the needs for the specific community that the Member is referencing and the need specifically in his riding, as well. I will follow up with the Member.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
