Thank you, Madam Chair. We currently fund five shelters: one in Fort Smith, one in Hay River, one in Inuvik, one in Tuktoyaktuk, and one in Yellowknife. As well, we have access to the homeless money that we've been getting on a winter-by-winter basis that allows us some capacity to give additional bids; Salvation Army, as well as Turning Point. We've been working to assist SideDoor in Yellowknife for the youth to have accommodation issues over the night. The homelessness funding, as well, allows smaller communities to be able to access the money on a case-by-case basis for circumstances where people are without any warm place to stay over the course of the winter on an emergency basis. Those are the facilities that we currently have funding for. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Also, just with respect to treatment and rehabilitation services for addictions and mental health, I know that often we get lots of pressure for keeping the treatment programs in the North because we support and we've established them, but even though they are there, myself, as an MLA, I'm still supportive of getting some of our constituents and clients out to southern institutions only because the one or two treatment centres that we do have, some clients have been there three or four times. Is it going to work for a fifth time? Quite often, like many treatment programs, there are different alternatives again. So just providing that window of opportunity for clients to try out other facilities, even if it's outside of our territory. I have no problem supporting that at all, especially if it's going to work that fifth time. We don't know unless they get out there and try some other programs. I, personally, have seen some success because people ended up in treatment centres down south. I am just wondering about even our local programs. I don't know if I really want to ask the question about success rates and that kind of stuff. I really won't bother, Madam Chair.

Perhaps the Minister can just indicate to me how much flexibility there is in the department in allowing people that extra avenue of going down to southern treatment centres. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Nats' Ejee K'eh has a similar process or policy that Stanton does. We check with Nats' Ejee K'eh to see if there is capacity to have this service provided and if it can be provided there, it makes good treatment sense to do that, then that's where we would expect an individual to go. We recognize that there is a limited range of programming that Nats' Ejee K'eh can provide at any given time. So we do have a selection of other facilities down south, as the Member has referenced, that we make use on a regular basis depending on the circumstance and the particular client need. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am satisfied with the answers. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Activity summary, community health programs, operations expenditure summary, $65.487 million.

Page 6-39, activity summary, community health programs, grants and contributions, contributions, and over onto page 6-40, grants and contributions $50,304...I'm sorry. It's $50.304 million. Mr. Braden.

Madam Chair, something that came up very consistently in the pre-budget consultation was a call from various boards and agencies and non-government organizations that deliver services and that we contract, to become more innovative and, I think, more businesslike and more efficient, especially in the area of multi-year or longer-term contracting and commitment to these organizations. So in respect of that observation, Madam Chair, which I think applies across all departments of our government, but perhaps this one more than others because we do rely so extensively on NGOs and similar organizations, I wanted to ask the Minister if he sees areas or room for taking this advice and applying it in the department. Is it already doing some or taking any

measures at all to satisfy this need? How is this department measuring up, I guess, Madam Chair, in that call for multi-year contracts with our NGOs? Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We do use multi-year contracts to some degree, and I've committed in this House that we will expand the usage and will work with the authorities and the department to make sure that, to the maximum extent possible, we have that in place for the coming year. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Braden.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I'll just see if we can take this perhaps a step further. Are the folks who sign these agreements and negotiate these agreements, are they under, say, an instruction or direction to actively look for multi-year agreement opportunities, or is it something that is entertained only if the department is asked? Where I want to go here is to see if we are really trying to make this work with our partners and with these organizations in the field, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, this is an issue, a long-outstanding issue, that goes back well beyond division even in 1999. The issue of multi-year funding has been something that's been sought by NGOs for a long period of time. So it's being communicated to folks that we have the capacity to do that and that we intend to make use of that capacity, keeping in mind that the NGOs still have to account for their funding on a yearly basis as well, just as we do, to the Legislature and that the Legislature, as in all cases, has the final say on budgets and it's always dependent on the total budget being passed by this Legislature. But the capacity to commit to NGOs that funding will be there is one that we will commit to make better and greater use of. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Braden.

Yes, thanks, Madam Chair. I get the sense that this is something that the department does want to pursue, where possible, and I would certainly advocate, along with the Minister, that any kind of multi-year arrangement has to have criteria monitoring capacity in it to make sure that we're continuing to get value and that it's a good relationship. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Community health programs, grants and contributions, contributions, total contributions, $50.304 million.

Agreed. Thank you. Page 6-42 and 43, community health programs, active positions, information item.

No questions. Agreed. Thank you. Page 6-44, 45, 46 and 47, information item, work performed on behalf of others, $15.855 million. Mr. Braden.