I guess the department didn't tell them that. The department didn't say that because you want the home care program, we'll just delete that senior citizens' allocation. If there was miscommunication, I would think that by your definition you thought it meant that the community didn't want that senior citizens' home. But you didn't clarify that, you didn't say that.

Mr. Chairman, what I am saying is that at the time the discussion took place, I believe the people there probably didn't quite understand. But I don't think it was hidden; it was just another program which was sold to the community as being a good program because you do hire local people, they do go to the homes, they do try to set a support system through home care. I think they thought it was a good idea. I don't think, even though the officials probably did tell them that this is probably better for you, it was heard because we were told the right people were not in the community at the time.

Mr. Chairman, one of the reasons I brought up this issue is that we do have two programs in Providence; we have the senior citizens' home and we have the home care program, too. So all I'm saying is that it's kind of unfair that Mr. Ningark's community, Gjoa Haven, has really been shafted by your department because of miscommunication. For that reason, I don't know how soon they're going to get that elders' residence in Gjoa Haven.

But it seems to me that not too much effort was put out on the part of the department to try to assist the community in trying to have that project go ahead. Instead I think they're fools for letting it go. That's the way I read it, anyway.

I believe that from time to time these things happen. You know that there's miscommunication. We're trying to handle a lot of different groups of people. I know that from time to time some of the advocates who are in the community are not always there whenever someone comes in. But I don't think there was any intention to dupe the people of Gjoa Haven in accepting one program over the other. It was just a reflection of trying to suggest to people that there is a home care which may work for them.

I believe that, in terms of care for the elders, it's like Providence. There should be a mix of the kinds of programs that are available, because some people will still want home care and some people, because of the state of their health, would need more care. So it's not an either/or. But particularly now that we're trying to put together a combined health and social service program, we should work to try to give a combination of services that complement each other, but not saying that you have this one or you don't have that one.

I know that certainly the work will be more coordinated from here on. I think because of miscommunication -- and we've done this before where we've made a mistake and overlooked something, and we've tried to correct it and that's all we're trying to do. We have a motion from the Standing Committee on Finance suggesting that we do that, to correct the error, and this is what I propose that we do. And I will be working with the Minister of Housing to see if we can work within the resources of providing some type of elders' facility for Gjoa Haven.

Mr. Chairman, perhaps the deputy minister can reply to that question. I'm not totally familiar with how those two programs work together.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The existing facility in Fort Resolution is elders' housing. There are no facilities in the building for shared meals for the kind of gatherings that Mr. Ningark has suggested; to play cards and those sorts of things. In fact, I understand that the facility isn't being used at this point by seniors because of the fact that it's built in a location that isn't really all that accessible to elders. So, really, it's being used more as almost an apartment for younger members of the community.

The facility that's being planned for 1995-96 will more closely satisfy the needs of the elders and give them some of the central space that wasn't available in the old facility, and in a location that's more accessible to them.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My understanding is that there aren't elders living in that facility at the present time; that it's not being used. Even though it was originally built as an elders' facility, in fact the elders have drifted away from the facility over the years. So the occupants of the new facility will be primarily the people who will be living with extended families at this point.

Mr. Chairman, I know that I was not too long ago in this residence, and some of the people who are in there are not old, old, old, old, old.

---Laughter

But they're not young, young, young, young, young either. So we can give you the breakdown of what we have and let you know exactly who is there and what the plans are for that facility. I know it's not going to be one that's not utilized, but I would have to do a little bit more research and find out, Mr. Chairman.