Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to go back to item 6.

Thank you. The honourable member is seeking unanimous consent to return to item 6, oral questions. Are there any nays? There are no nays. The Chair recognizes the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Housing. It is regarding a disabled individual who was given eviction notice this week. This individual is not able to work for the rest of her life because of her disability. She has a disability, she does not have any income, and this individual has been evicted.

I would like to ask the Minister, is there anything within the housing guidelines that we have to allow for elderly people, people with disabilities and also people who have chronic diseases, asthma and what not, knowing these people do not have the natural ability to pay the increases we are seeing, where do these people go? They are disabled. They do not have the ability to go to a private rental accommodation and to pay that high rent. These people are in social housing. They are socially dependant on this government. I would like to ask the Minister, where do these people go once they have an eviction notice from your department?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not have the specific information regarding the individual in question, but the intent of the NWT Housing Corporation is certainly to provide suitable and adequate housing to those who are disabled, those who cannot work, or those who cannot enjoy the comfort of other programs or services provided by other departments. I will venture to take this to the department to check out further and respond directly to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of this department, he probably hears a lot of concerns. For myself, as a Member of this Legislature and for the constituents I represent, the Housing Corporation seems somehow being hard-handed in dealing with evictions as a means of getting people out of housing. Those people who will pay, get them into housing because that is where the rent is. This government has established a social housing policy to ensure we have social housing for those people who need it.

Again, I would like to ask the Minister, what is the appeals process for these individuals the department has evicted? Do you have a process in place to ensure there is some sort of consideration given to these people's economic situation, when they are disabled and unable to work? Where do they go?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for the record, there is an appeals process. The NWT Housing Corporation has a number of agents in various communities. Possibly 23 LHOs manage and maintain our homes. There is an association that deals directly with client-related incidents. We encourage the clients to approach the appeal boards through that process. If not, they have the ability to directly approach our district directors. Failing that avenue, they may appeal to the president and the president will appeal again to the Minister on a case-by-case basis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am glad the Minister said they should appeal it to the Minister, because this is the Minister's constituent who appealed it to the Minister and has not received a response.

Mr. Speaker, we as a government report a lot of money, getting tax payoffs. I think it is important that when it comes to people with disabilities or elders or people who are chronically ill, that we find it in our hearts to work within our policies to make sure these people...they do not have the financial resources to get a lawyer. They do not have the benefit to pay.

In this case, Mr. Speaker, the individual in question was charged an economic rate. I would like to know, why is it that a disabled person is being charged an economic rate?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated earlier, I am not familiar with the individual's case or the circumstances surrounding the case. Again, if we are talking process, then I have made the Member aware of the process we use to try to eradicate some of those individual problems. If there is a requirement to appeal to a certain agency, then I have explained that. I am prepared to sit down and get the individual's problems and review it immediately. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister if he can look into some sort of change or amendment to the existing policy, because right now, the group that gives the eviction notice is the same group you appeal to. I for one feel there has to be an independent tribunal of some sort to help those people getting through the situation of dealing with the appeals. I think because of that problem, that is why we are having so many people being evicted. I do not think that is fair.

I would like to ask the Minister, will he look into the appeals process, especially with regard to this case? I believe the Minister is aware of it. Will you look at the policies that are in place when it comes to appeals and try to find an independent appeals process?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have already undertaken several reviews of the operational requirements of the LHOs to see if they are conforming and adhering to the fundamental management principles. We will undertake to further that study so that we have a fair process that those tenants can work through. I am willing to further those studies and see if we can get corrections to that process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member started his question with reference to Yellowknife and the gravel and the dust and arsenic, and he ended up with dust in all of the communities. I am not sure if he is saying there is arsenic in all of the communities where gravel is used.

The issue of dust is one where there is concern by the government, which is why they engage, especially on highways, in dust control. In those communities that do not have paving, I assume potassium chloride would be used. The issue would be to keep the air quality as clear as possible for all the people in the communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.