Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd first like to start by thanking the Minister of MACA for the opportunity to travel through to Fort Good Hope on Saturday and meet with the community and residents and victims.
And the other thing, I was very impressed with the preparation the community had in place with respect to the flooding. But now it is time for this Government to actually step up. The community has done their part.
So, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of MACA confirm who from her department is or will be taking the lead on flood recovery. The question has been asked by those impacted, and I guess for my information as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Disaster Assistance Committee oversees the governance and coordination for the GNWT recovery process. It is also responsible for assisting the GNWT to make a claim to Canada for assistance under the Federal Disaster Assistance Fund. The two GNWT staff that have been hired, they are navigators. They are currently supposed to be in Nahendeh this week, and they are to be providing immediate assistance in answering questions about the process for further information.
Staff will also be travelling in to Fort Good Hope as well, too, to conduct a further assessment and looking at what would we need to provide to the communities at this time to further support and assist them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure if that answered my question or not because I didn't hear the name of anybody. So I suspect there should be one point person, whether it's the Minister herself or somebody else, and I'll touch base with her later.
And, Mr. Speaker, right now is an uncertain time for many of those victims who have been displaced. So I'd ask the Minister to confirm if and when financial support will be made to flood victims who are struggling with meeting everyday bills and living costs. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to elaborate on the first question, I just wanted to go back to that. Is that, you know, we're moving very quickly as a department, but it seems like very slow progress because we have to be preparing this disaster committee as well, too, in looking at our financial response and what we can submit to the federal government. The navigator for the community for the disaster has actually just started today. We just hired the person on Friday with the request from the MLAs as well. So we have two people that are working, that are going to be our main contact in the flood risk communities.
For the supports, the financial supports for the individuals, we have provided the evacuation centres for the individuals. We continue to have the one operating in Fort Providence and providing meals as well, too, and also in Inuvik, and, you know, for the flood victims for Aklavik.
By looking at the assistance that we are providing, housing right now is our main priority in looking at how we could return people to those units and to their homes, whether it be public housing or whether it be private. We're looking within our department or the Housing Corporation on what further supports we can provide, what type of programming we can provide, you know, if we're going to be getting into a partnership with the Indigenous groups, and looking for local contractors to also work on the boilers and the heating systems as well, too, specifically right now with the in Fort Simpson.
There's a lot of information I could provide to the Member, and I will follow up with him as well, because there's a lot of information that is flowing right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, she answered question the first question and the third question. So I'm going to ask the second question again. Can the Minister confirm if and when financial support will be made directly to the flood victims who are struggling with meeting everyday bills and living costs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for MACA.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We're looking at the recovery for the disaster of the homes and returning people back to their residences. I don't have an answer I mean, I guess, an answer for the basic needs of food and clothing for the individuals. I'll have to get back to the Member as we are addressing the housing need right now, which is the priority, is to get people back into the their homes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT when at the start of the flooding there, we felt we fell short on communications and with respect to acknowledging that the flooding was actually occurring. And so I think what we have to do is in our messaging, we've got to be concise and precise. When we're talking to people in the communities, you know, they're looking for answers and not a story. So, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm what communication strategy her department has in place to keep the flood victims updated, how is it being achieved. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Direct contact for our communities is our regional offices and also the active EMO office EMO officers as well too and getting into the community and looking at further communication with the mayors and the chiefs and leadership of those communities. I've been meeting with the flood risk communities for the past four weeks, providing them information and updates, and also looking at the river flow and how it would affect the communities coming forward. We had started the meetings with Fort Simpson and Hay River, and we continued on with Aklavik and Fort Good Hope, also inviting McPherson and Tsiigehtchic as well too.
So through those meetings, there is adequate information that is being provided to the individuals. And we are provided we are available as a government to the leadership at that table as well, myself and the Deputy Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
