Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these questions are for the Minister of MACA.
Mr. Speaker, we have flood victims sleeping in tents, staying at the shelters, some with friends, and some with no place to stay. Can the Minister tell me when and how we will house those that have been displaced from their homes as residents need immediate accommodation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I understand this is a very challenging time for residents, as I've experienced that in the Nahendeh riding last year as well as residents from Fort Good Hope and as well as Little Buffalo. Disaster events are stressful and disruptive. And I understand that people just want to get things back to normal so that they can have a place where they can put their head. The reality is that things are not normal and that people have been displaced from their homes for anywhere from a week to several months, depending on what damages have been done to their homes. I know that every day is a very long time when you are out of your homes but we are working as quickly as we can to put but we will it'll take some time to get people into all the accommodations needed, longterm accommodations. Evacuees who cannot return home to do the flood damages are encouraged to contact our pathfinders who will talk them through about what's their available requirements are and to make sure that they're register reflects their full housing situation. So we will work with them. We encourage you to reach out to the pathfinders and we will work as fast as we can to get people into accommodations, medium to longterm accommodations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm the process for approving accommodation requests for those who are displaced and are without accommodation; which department or departments have that responsibility? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, the health system which was the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, and the local housing authority are working together to ensure those who cannot return to their homes will be provided with longterm accommodations. So we do have a system in place that will triage them, I guess is the best way to describe it, and then we will see what their needs are and we have a system in place for how we do it. Damage assessments will help determine who requires accommodations and for how long. Pathfinders will follow up with anybody who is registered to better understand who needs accommodations and help support individual specific accommodations are required. So, again, reach out to our pathfinders. We have two in there right now, and we have in the process of hiring additional pathfinders and they're going to be located in the ECE building which is by the courthouse there. So we will have people there as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, many residents welcomed those displaced by flooding into their homes when accommodations were needed. Will the Minister confirm if there will been an opportunity to compensate those who opened their homes when accommodations were needed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, no. There's no provision within the Disaster Assistance Policy to provide funding to those households who have taken in evacuees. Mr. Speaker, though, the outpour of support for evacuees has been amazing to see. And I know the residents of Hay River and K'atlodeeche First Nation will continue to support their neighbours, family and friends, during this very difficult time. And unfortunately this is the process, and we need to follow it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, accommodations is very important to many people, and I know that right now there are some that are staying in motels and hotels, and you know, they get news that they might get kicked out one day or the next day and they're not sure what's going on. So can the Minister confirm how long will accommodations be covered for those displaced by flooding? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Member for that question. And it is a very important question moving forward.
The duration of longterm accommodations will depend on the level of damage to the residence and their homes and a reasonable duration for the repairs to be completed. So that people understand, from the 2021 flood people put up in the accommodations to meet their needs while their homes are being repaired, some of these people are still in accommodations and so that there is we're not going to kick people out. We are going to put people in accommodations until such time as they can get back into their homes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
