Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we say that youth are our future. It also takes a community to raise a child.
Mr. Speaker, my communities are looking to establish a youth advocacy position that is urgently, urgently needed, who can connect youth in my communities to the many diverse opportunities that may interest them for sports, culture, education, and counselling. They may require some work between departments but MACA can provide the best opportunities for laying the groundwork by funding these positions through the hamlet, the First Nation offices.
My question to the Minister of MACA, can the Minister agree to working with my communities to establish funding processes so that these positions can be filled. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister of Municipal and community affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm sure the Member's aware the difficult situation Fort Resolution's in with their funding for their community and how their community is being operated by a public administrator. We normally -- communities run their rec coordinators or youth representatives through their O and M, out of their municipal funding, and that's usually decided on by your municipal councils and stuff. But MACA is working with the community to see what options are available with the current funding they have. A lot of this money that is being used right now is part of the debt repayment plan for the hamlet of Fort Resolution. But I know that the community has been reaching out and utilizing some of the pots of funding that is out there, the youth contribution funding and healthy communities funding and stuff. So I think there's somewhere around $65,000 of funding that they've utilized so far from the various pots that the GNWT has. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Lutselk'e and Fort Resolution have a large arena, recreation facilities, but the First Nation have to maintain them, staff them, and provide programming, and they don't have the resources.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit to begin providing funding through his department to these facilities so that the communities can maximize the benefits of the gyms and arenas to keep the youth busy in sport and recreation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, you know, the municipal funding that we distribute throughout all 33 communities are used to operate their municipalities. That was part of the new deal back in the day in order for communities to have a more hands-on grip of operating their communities because they're the ones that know best for their communities. So with that, the communities have the opportunity to operate their facilities and how they allocate those funds within their communities is the best way to do it. Also just keeping in mind there is funds available out there. Like I was saying earlier, there's a bunch of pots out there of money that can be used for youth sports activities or youth recreational activities, and it's up to the community members to reach out to those organizations, try to get a hand on some of those pots. But, again, understanding the complications with some of these communities, you know, for MACA, for an example, with Fort Resolution, there is some conversation in the background of what we can try to do to assist a community like Fort Resolution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Final supplementary. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just find it hard to believe that, you know, we're still trying to deal with the problems in our community with alcohol and drugs, etcetera, and but we still got policies we got to work around. I'm asking the Minister if he could have a heart and take a look at how we could deal with these issues in small communities, especially when we have addiction in our small communities and drugs. So I'm asking here today what can you do to help our small communities? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know as well, as much as the other Members do, that the government isn't going to fix all our problems. It takes a community to raise a community and, you know, some of the opportunities for the residents in those -- in his communities have the opportunity to take residents and -- or the residents have the opportunity to take an initiative to start making healthy choices for the communities. There are funds available, O and M funding for the municipalities, and like I said earlier, you know, MACA is looking at dealing or helping out with Fort Res in regards to potentially assisting on some of those funds for a youth coordinator or a youth worker or whatever it was that the Member was speaking of there. But that being said, it's not just about the government having funds for the communities. It's about -- like, he's pointing at me -- having a heart. I got a heart, Mr. Speaker. I think the opportunity is for the communities to work together and, like I said, the department is also working with his community. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
