Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that sounds like we're going to be ready to examine options by the fall; we're not going to be ready to implement any solutions. So could the Minister at least confirm that he thinks these issues will be resolved and addressed and a clear framework laid out during the life of this Assembly at least? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this issue has been on my agenda now for the last year or so and I'm very committed to try to have these issues resolved in the life of this Assembly and a process initiated that's going to allow us to lay out a plan of how we're going to move to a more rational funded kind of arrangement where we recognize the costs and we work with the communities to come up with a service delivery model that is effective for different communities across the North. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Before I go on I'd like to recognize in the gallery Mr. Ray Anderson from Matco.

---Applause

I understand that they're having a 40th anniversary celebrations, being in the North for 40 years, tonight actually. Also with him is his daughter Kelly and son Damon.

---Applause

Welcome to the Assembly. Oral questions. The honourable Member from Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's been much discussion about seniors' housing the last two weeks during our session. Much of that discussion has been centred around a lack of a means test for seniors getting into public housing and, in fact, in some cases a lack of clients that may take up residence in some of these projects the Minister has talked about here the past couple of weeks. I'd like to ask the Minister what assurances can he provide to us that he's not going to rush into any projects over the summer with building any further seniors' housing without first informing the Members about exactly what the plans are to do that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, right now the process we are using is we're consulting the NWT Seniors' Society, local senior committees and councils in the communities. We were working with those organizations. So for the Member to tell us not to proceed, we are already consulting seniors who these houses are earmarked for. So I would just like to make the Member aware we are consulting. The Members of this House, they basically know what the strategy is for affordable housing that's going to be left this summer, we already know where those units are going to go, but the projects we're working in regards to the Yellowknife Seniors' Society are basically the Hay River Seniors' Society is a process that we are inclusive of making sure seniors are involved in those decisions, and we'll keep the Members informed and the constituents where these facilities are taking place. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, after having listened to the responses from the Minister -- and I know he's working with another department, ECE on this -- I'm not at all confident that they will arrive at the solutions I think they need to arrive at sooner rather than later. I'd like to ask the Minister specifically what is going to take place in the Housing Corporation. What projects have they got underway and where exactly is the means test that you're developing with ECE and will we see that developed over the summer between now and September, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the responsibility that we have, which basically has been shifted in regards to the subsidy that we now provide to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to cover off the O and M costs of those seniors' facilities. So right now we're basically charging Education, Culture and Employment for the cost of those seniors' facilities for units, but before we used to be covered off by way of a subsidy. So the cost of that subsidy, basically the arrangement has changed, as everybody knows, that basically the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is now responsible to review the amount of subsidies that individuals get by way of their income support and security system that they have. So there is that review taking place and, again, that we are keeping the social committee informed in this House in regards to how that transition was taking place and how we're basically rolling that out. So that's the process we're presently using. Again, because of our mandate changes, it is a system that is changing. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if indeed, and I would suggest that the work on the review that needs to happen for a means test for folks to access seniors' housing and public housing needs to happen yesterday and I don't think we can afford to wait the four months over the summer period for that to happen. I'd like to ask the Minister, can we get a means test for the seniors looking for housing over the summer, and I know the Minister said he's going to consult with the committee, but is he going to enter into any projects over the summer? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Speaker, we are, in the questions asked yesterday by the Member from Hay River, we are looking at putting out a request for proposals on the Hay River project. In regards to the other seniors' independent housing units, those are laid out in regards to the proposal we put forth for the 185 units we're going to be putting in communities. There are seniors' independent housing units going to be delivered this summer. But in regards to facilities to provide seniors accommodation by way of large facilities, those decisions haven't been made yet. We are talking with YACCS and other groups here in Yellowknife to look at units for Yellowknife to do the expansion at the Avens Centre and groups like that. So we are working again with those. But at this time, if the Member would like, I can get him a list of exactly where these units are going to go and exactly what type of unit are going to be used for. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's debatable and I don't think anybody has really seen a waiting list for these units. But I would like to ask the Minister if indeed they are built, will there be a means test available for people trying to occupy these units? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, under the existing process we're going through now, the Housing Corporation is now responsible for basically collecting rent for the units based on a cost recovery basis. The subsidy portion now comes to Education, Culture and Employment in regards to how people will be subsidized for the portion of those rents that they will have to either pay themselves or receive a subsidy to top off what that rent is going to be. Now it's our responsibility, as a corporation, to get full cost recovery for the cost to operate those units from the clients that basically occupy those units, and that includes our seniors. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Oral questions. The honourable Member from the Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When the facility was originally conceived and constructed, the plans called for three oil-fired boilers. We only installed two at that time and there's been a need for a backup since. In order to address this, we've been working with Public Works and we came up with a cost estimate of $225,000, which was in the capital plan. We found another way around that, Mr. Speaker, and that was to enter into a contract with Arctic Green Energy and to provide heat to the facility using a wood pellet boiler system. So we're testing this out. It is a bit of a pilot. It's not going to cost us money in terms of upfront capital. We will be charged by the amount of energy used and if this pilot is successful, I think it's probably something that we'll want to look at using in other facilities. Obviously, it cuts down on our emissions, it's great for the environment and we think we can save money using it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.