Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions will be to the Minister of housing and to be clear, it's not about the specific negotiation discussions of the union and the workers but it'll be about the structure and the process and the impacts it will have. So I want to make sure that I don't be viewed as I'm getting into the negotiations. That's between the teams that are appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, let's start off with first, does the Minister recognize and support the employees at the LHO and as such, if she does -- I'm assuming she does -- what is she willing to acknowledge on the record about the impact and important role those workers provide at the LHO for service or people in public housing? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the important work that the local housing authority employees do every day in all of our communities. We have 24 local housing authorities operating throughout the Northwest Territories in 32 communities, so this is important work that they do. I recognize the impact and recognize what's happening today in one of our local housing authorities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate the words of recognizing the important work and the impacts they have; I'm sure the employees do as well. That said, recognizing the important work and the impacts of the work that they do, it must come at a cost that they've been on strike for close to two weeks, a little more than two weeks, and as such, does the Minister know how much the strike has currently cost the LHO and what are they prepared to do financially to deal with this while the strike is going on? So I want to know some dollar amounts the department has been assessing the impacts of this strike. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't have dollars amounts this afternoon. I can provide the Member some information, but I don't have dollar amounts in terms of impacts. I have been pressing Housing NWT to provide me more updates, daily updates, on the impact of the strike in Fort Simpson. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will accept the Minister's office of updating on sort of the financial impact. Mr. Speaker, I want to speak to the partnership with respect to the bigger picture the department has with the LHO.
Mr. Speaker, does the department through its policy and financial support as the financial agent -- at the end of the day, are you -- are you the ones that will pick up the overall pending costs of any of these additional expenses required through this process while the workers are on strike as the funding agent for the LHOs? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I asked Housing NWT yesterday for an update on how this works locally and territorially. And from what I understand, we as Housing NWT sign a community services agreement with the Fort Simpson Housing Authority to manage the houses, the public housing units at Fort Simpson. So we provide them a budget allotment every year, ask for audited financial statements every year, and that is what we do as Housing NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Housing NWT. Final supplementary, Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was hoping the Minister was going to keep going on her own, but I'll prompt her with another question first -- or the last question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, does the Minister recognize that some of these problems could be solved today if the department would meet with the workers, you, including the officials, and sit down and talk with them to meet their needs? Because I suspect that the financial cumbrance of this whole issue can be easily solved over not only a box of Tim Horton doughnuts but literally 20 or $30,000, we could have good workers protecting our public housing as it needs to be. Would the Minister be willing to reach out to help foster a positive end to this strike for what's considered very little money? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, officially I can't intervene in strike action as Minister of Housing NWT. Unofficially, I can have a private conversation with anybody but, officially, I can't do that. And I can't impact strike negotiations, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Housing NWT. Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
