Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs.
The review and recommendations on the city of Yellowknife Street Outreach program has been released this week, and the review noted that the program is currently being operated on a month to month basis on an annual deficit of $50,000 while the homeless population in Yellowknife is growing. So my question for the Minister is what are the next steps, now that this review has been released and with the recommendations -- what are the next steps for EIA in terms of engaging with the city of Yellowknife and figuring out the best role for the GNWT in supporting the Street Outreach program moving forward? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm sure the Member can appreciate that we've been busy this week. I haven't had a chance to read the report myself. But I know that staff are reviewing it, and staff from EIA did contribute to the report as well. So after that review is done, I look forward to speaking with the department to figure out what the next steps are going forward. Because as I've said many times in this House, the Street Outreach is a valuable service, and when I'm in Yellowknife, I stay downtown and so I see their work on a regular basis, and I very much appreciate it. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Premier -- or the Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs commit to meeting with the city of Yellowknife on a priority basis to go over the recommendations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to follow up to see what the plan is. We want to build good relationships and partnerships with the city and with the local NGOs. And so I'm sure at the staff level, those conversations are happening, but I will ensure that those conversations do happen if that's not the case. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So one recommendation that came out of the review was to increase the kinds of outreach services that can be offered because 90 percent of the clients, it turns out, are from communities outside Yellowknife, and there's a need to link people with supportive contacts, people, and services from those other communities outside Yellowknife. Is this an area where EIA might be able to help coordinate and assist the Street Outreach program in making those connections to connect people with the people and resources back home? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And so EIA recently took over this file, and so the team is building capacity. I can't really commit the team to, you know, connect people in Yellowknife to services and people in the other 32 communities. That might be a bit much. But that being said, we will work with the population. We are working with the vulnerable population and the NGOs to see how we can best serve their needs and how we can do it in an integrated fashion. Thank you.
Mr. Premier. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, finally, the review found that one of the groups most eager to help is actually the Yellowknife downtown business community. So does executive and indigenous affairs plan to engage with Yellowknife downtown business owners to see what they might have to offer in terms of ideas and resources? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The engagement has begun. I believe there's a meeting scheduled with the local business community for November 4th. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.
