Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these questions are for the Minister of MACA.
I've got a concern that, you know, with the extent of damage in Hay River, we're going to see an influx of contractors. You know, I suspect that a lot of them are going to be reputable and qualified, but we're going to have some flybynights, and I can see that costing us additional money at the end of the day.
So I'd ask the Minister, who is vetting contractors, or are we going to be vetting contractors to avoid the flybynights? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for MACA.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the quick answer is no. We're hoping the contractors that people look at are reputable. But the contractors that we have in place, the assessors, and the abatement crews, they're reputable with these are companies that we know that are working there. We encourage the residents that are being impacted if they are going to get contractors there, make sure that they make sure that these people are reputable moving forward.
I can tell you that in the experience from my experience last year, a lot of the contractors that we used were all reputable businesses in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just want to go back to timelines because, you know, that's a big concern for people is that, like, they've got their applications in. Some of them have had their assessments done already and, you know, they're looking for that, you know, that next step, and we haven't really had any timelines from the department. So I'd ask the Minister when can applicants expect a timeline with respect to claim approvals with approved amounts? Thank you.
Thank you. As I explained to the Member here, the process is to make sure they register first. Once they register first, our pathfinders will be working with them. We also then have assessors. Once the assessors are looking at their residence, how it's impacted, they do a report. Then we get the report. We bring it forth to the resident. That's the pathfinder's, that's a responsibility. Then we explain the process to them. From there, if the resident wishes to ask for an advance because they can't afford it, then it's seven to ten days from the time we put it in to assess them. The Department of Finance has streamlined it. It used to be 30 days; they've streamlined it to seven to ten days.
So to give exactly a timeframe, it's impossible because it is going to be specifically to the individual as we move forward. So we're moving as fast as we can, working with the residents. We're telling people to reach out to our pathfinders, make sure they work with our pathfinders. They will keep them updated as quickly and as possible as fast as we can. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, right now in Hay River one of the big issues is accommodation. I know there is an RFP out for accommodation; however, with the extent of the damage we're going to see contractors, you know, coming to town, and they're going to need places to stay. And, you know, with summer coming on, we've got government staff going in, you know, for whatever reasons. We have tourists coming in. And right now, you know, the hotels are probably, you know, and motels, are filled up with people who have been displaced.
So can the Minister confirm who has the responsibility to provide temporary accommodation at this time for those people that have been displaced? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when you look at the situation, so accommodations, we've done an RFP for B&Bs, hotels, motels, and we also are in the process, if it's not already been done, for camps. So that there is for the residents that are impacted. We are working with them. There's a number of residents that are staying with friends, family. They've got their 5th wheel I guess you'd call it. They're already working on there.
So in regards to accommodations, should they, right now if they're elderly that have disabilities or young families that are impacted by homes, we have a vetting process, then we provide accommodations. If people want to stay in hotels themselves without doing that, then that's their cost right now. They could put it or either Disaster Assistance Policy, and we can look at it but I cannot make any promises. Right now, it depends on the situation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This event was probably one of the bigger disasters in the Northwest Territories, if not the biggest. Does the Minister have any preliminary costs for the flooding disaster in the South Slave?
Myself, I guess I'm looking at the numbers, looking at what's happened, I'm pegging it at 80 plus million. So I'm just wondering if the department has anything. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can't give you that number because we don't know what that number is. We're getting the assessments in. We're looking at what I can tell you, last year, from the flood with Little Buffalo, Jean Marie, Fort Simpson, and Fort Good Hope, and Aklavik, we came up and it cost us just under 40 million. I think it was 37.5 million. That's what that disaster had cost us.
We also adapted or changed the Disaster Assistance Policy from a $100,000 to $240,000. We also changed what people are eligible from 80 percent to 90 percent. So we have these additional costs.
I wish I could tell you the number. We are working on that. That's why these assessments are very important for us to get that number in there. We already have a special warrant to start off our process. Last year was $5 million. This year is $10 million. So I wish I had a crystal ball to tell you what it is but I think the Member is probably on the low end of it moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
