Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, the capital money is in the plan. I am confident that it will continue to flow, as outlined in the capital plan. But we have to work with the stakeholders in Yellowknife to determine how it should be spent. It took some time to get the parties together to reach the agreement on what the report will look like. We have that final report now. I will have to review that with the stakeholders. We will then make a decision.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe the stakeholders were telling him a long time ago what they wanted to do with that. Mr. Speaker, in the last review of the business plan, this money was delayed a year. Does he not feel responsible that the facility that was so needed in this city was delayed by a year because he cannot do anything without having 10,000 meetings on a topic?

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The stakeholders involved all had a different opinion, when we got this started, as to what should happen. So, yes, I have heard a lot of different opinions about what should happen with the money. We are trying to move forward with exactly what the Member has requested, and that is a needs-based study to determine what is needed and where it should go. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the pilot project has been completed and evaluated. We intend to share that information, in relatively due course, with the Members. We have kept money in the budget to keep the program going until the end of the fiscal year. We have also put money in the budget to ensure that we can continue the program in Yellowknife, as well to try to address the waiting list, as well as have funds to try to start expanding this program outside of Yellowknife. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to look forward to that evaluation and see just where we can go with the degree of future funding. Some 14 families have been served. I understand there is a waiting list of almost that many again. Can the Minister advise us if the level of funding proposed is going to be adequate to absorb this and, as well, build on it outside of Yellowknife? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Yes, Mr. Speaker. That is our hope. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, something that the department has been looking at very closely, and is certainly supported by the Standing Committee on Social Programs, is a broadly expanded area of home care services in general. Is this something that has some connection there, or is it a stand-alone program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In its broadest definition, of course, they are closely related. They are programs that assist and help keep people in their homes, either themselves or with their loved ones who may be in a circumstance where they require respite care. But this program initially started because, a few years ago, the only program for respite was medical respite. It was quite narrowly defined and hard to access. There was clear recognition, in my mind, to the fact that there was also another broad area that had to be addressed, and that is social respite, and that families needed some help, that they were providing a service that we would not be able to afford to do, and if we wanted to, in fact, keep them in a position and in a state of mind and health to be able to do that, then we had to give them some support. That is why we moved to look at social respite. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during our pre-budget consultation, discussion on the high cost of living has been a huge issue during our tour. Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, who is responsible for social housing. I would like to focus on the hardship that the current rents impose on my constituents in saving for a down payment, or just getting ahead in life. Mr. Speaker, some are paying upwards of $1,400 a month and working half-time jobs. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation tell this Assembly how the rent scale for social housing is determined? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, social housing is pretty well for low income people. The way that we establish the rate scale is to basically take...If you pay $32, we basically have a low income wage and also, as your wage increases, your rent also increases to the level of your wage. Once you exceed 30 percent of your income, you pay the $1,400 a month because your wages...based on 30 percent of your

income is exactly what you are going to be paying, based on national building numbers that we use. I think that is how it is set. Social housing was supposed to be for social clients, for low income people. In order to balance that out, these are the levels that we use. It is based on the income. The higher your income, the higher your rent. The lower your income, you pay $32.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these individuals I am referring to, community homeownership who are in social housing units, they are paying that amount due to the fact that one of the spouses is working a seasonal job that was making a hefty wage over the summer, and then they were on EI. It was based on the salary that was earned earlier. Anyway, Mr. Speaker, has the department been looking to other alternatives to reduce the rent scale to meet community needs, and help renters gain self-sufficiency? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.