We have just gone through the stages of hiring a contractor just a few months ago. Certainly it is all preliminary at this point, but certainly this will be part of the discussion on a going-forward basis during our business planning process. We need to get more detailed information on how we can go about this and to hire a full-time mental health provider in that area.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to address my questions today to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. I’d like to follow up on some questions that were raised last week by Mr. Bromley and myself in regards to the Canada Summer Games.

The Minister should be aware that there are a number of costs. I think anybody who is involved in athletics and goes to any kind of games is aware that there are travel costs for athletes, coaches, and mission staff, there are team uniform costs, there are walking out uniform costs and so on and so on. I’d like to ask the Minister how the NWT contingent who is going to PEI for the Canada Summer Games in August this summer will be funded.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The team that’s going to the Canada Summer Games, there has been a request for some funding, but MACA with Sport North and the Sport and Recreation Council are still trying to work out the details. As for the cost of getting to the games, I can advise the Member that the Government of Canada does pay the travel costs for Team NWT to and from the games.

Thanks to the Minister for that response. I guess that leaves...Travel costs are covered. That’s good. That is what I had expected. So at least the federal government is keeping up with some part of their funding agreements from previous years. But if Sport North and the Sport and Recreation Council are acting as managers and providing the funding for the rest of the costs that are involved, I’d like to know from the Minister how and when do these dollars get to either Sport North or the SRC for them to get the work done.

As I said, they’re trying to work out the details right now as to the cost and as soon as they come up with a cost for our participation or the NWT’s share of it, then they will put a request in to MACA and we will see if we can identify the funding. So we’re hoping to try and have that done as quickly as possible, because we know the games are this August. We’re hoping to have the money identified as quickly as possible.

Thanks again to the Minister. I guess I’d like to follow up from the Minister’s statement that the details are being worked out and that’s good. We do need to have details worked out. But when the funds have been identified which

are required and when the details have been worked out, what kind of an agreement is going to be in place between the Government of the Northwest Territories and either Sport North or the SRC? Is it going to be an agreement that is signed by both parties?

MACA is working with the NWT Sport and Recreation Council because they are the governance council for sport in the Northwest Territories. We’re going to establish a written arrangement on the 2009 Canada Summer Games.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I would just like to ask the Minister a nice, easy question. That’s whether or not there should be any concern on the part of any of the athletes who are currently training to go to the Canada Summer Games this summer whether or not they will not be going. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve been up answering questions on the Canada Summer Games two or three times now and I think I’ve said each and every time that if there are athletes out there that are training or getting ready for the games, I would advise them not to worry. It is my intent to try and get Team NWT...Not my intent, it’s the sport and governing body’s intent to try and get a team. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again; we will be at the Canada Summer Games in Prince Edward Island. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Indeed, Housing Corporation issues of housing challenges certainly have been receiving a lot of attention in the last while and we’ve been working very hard to bring some changes forward in our programs. We are looking at doing a review of our Housing Choices program criteria. The evaluation has already started. We are looking at the thresholds that the Member has raised; other Members have also brought that to my attention. We’ve also had some discussion on this issue at our small communities committee meeting. It’s an area that we already committed to looking at redrafting. We are putting that together. I’m hoping that we will have something for committee’s consideration fairly soon. I’m not sure if I can meet the April 1st deadline, but I will certainly work

towards something for the committee’s consideration sometime in April. Thank you.

Also, I’m aware that the Housing Corporation does have some extra capital dollars. But the intent here is to ask the Minister that, look, we’ve got people out there that want housing, they’ve got the money to do it, they’ve got steady income, they’re hard workers, and yet they are prevented from accessing our housing programs. I’d like to know if the Minister will seriously consider changing the community income threshold limit and allow our people, the hardworking people out there, to access our housing programs. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, that’s certainly my intention to bring something forward for committee’s consideration. We are already looking at drafts of new calculations that we think could work in the communities. I have not had the opportunity to compile all the information yet and bring it to committee, but that’s something I’d like to do fairly quick. As I indicated earlier, I would be pleased to bring it forward sometime in April after my Cabinet colleagues have had a chance to also look at it. Thank you.

The key about me mentioning April 1st is that that’s one of the programming

deadlines for existing programs. I just didn’t want people out there that already got rejection letters because they exceeded the threshold limit, that they’re not eligible for any programming after April

1st . The key here is to ask the Minister, look, there

are people out there that have been rejected already and if you’re going to change your parameters, we have to act quickly or even somehow give them public notice or a heads-up that this government is willing to help our people. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, we will take every precaution not to have that happen. The applications are still currently coming in and being evaluated. We intend to make a number of changes as indicated earlier. Thresholds are one of them, but we are also looking at the amount that we provide in terms of a forgivable mortgage and we’d like to make some changes in that area. There is also the discussion that needs to take place with the transfer and how this study is going to be conducted. We’d like to present the terms of reference and the framework for that whole initiative also. We have a fairly long list of all the different areas that need to be discussed with the Members as to what we’re proposing to bring forward as next steps. I want to assure all the Members, though, that the program and the changes will be, providing everything’s approved, in place for this year’s housing program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Allowing this change of income threshold will be good news for the government there, Mr. Speaker. I urge the Minister to seriously consider then, as soon as possible, because this allows a whole range of people with the higher incomes to access our programming and to become mortgage payers, and that’s the kind of revenue the Housing Corporation is looking for, Mr. Speaker. Once again, I ask the Minister to seriously consider implementing this change as soon as possible. Thank you.

We certainly think it would be good news. There has been a lot of discussion on this front about the criteria set for the Housing Choices programs being a little bit too restrictive. It has been criticized as programs that a lot of our people can’t access. We’re hoping by making some changes, tweaking it so that it’s more accessible, this will help as we deliver our new programs. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.