Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to raise another issue related to seniors and seniors' housing and programs. I am aware that there is a senior citizens' Home Repair Program and the seniors and/or disabled preventative maintenance initiative and the elders on-the-land initiative, which are targeting the sectors of seniors who own their own houses in the communities. I am also aware that many seniors have taken advantage of these initiatives which require seniors to submit applications, go through the actions of getting approval, and this can take up to one or two months, or one or two years in the process, depending on who you are and who you know within the department.
Mr. Speaker, what I would like to raise, though, also includes seniors who own their own homes and those who have problems with furnaces burning out, water and sewer pipes freezing up, or electrical problems which could cause fires. All these types of problems require immediate attention, especially in the middle of winter. Many of the seniors cannot get assistance from the local LHOs due to the fact that they are not in a public housing unit and they cannot receive any immediate assistance from the Housing Corporation due to cumbersome timelines between applying and approval.
Later today, I will be asking the Minister responsible for housing what the department can provide to seniors in terms of immediate assistance, and I am talking one or two days, or seven days, five workings days, Mr. Speaker, for seniors who own their own homes and who have run into these minor but important problems which require
immediate attention; if they can get immediate assistance on a timely basis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.