Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise the Members in this House what he is going to do to ensure that the sale of public housing units can occur in a timely manner within the communities?
Debates of Nov. 4th, 2010
This is page numbers 5493 - 5530 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was territories.
Topics
Question 349-16(5): Facilitating The Purchase Of Public Housing Units
Oral Questions (Reversion)
Question 349-16(5): Facilitating The Purchase Of Public Housing Units
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![Robert C. McLeod](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-robert-c-mcleod/714d3744f76b921118ae9edc064c271e.jpg)
Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes
Mr. Speaker, as I said before, we are always willing to look at the option of selling public housing units. However, we have to be sure that we are not depleting our stock in that community where we are unable to provide public housing to those that are in need. If there is an excess of public housing units or we are bringing in replacement units, then this is something that we will look at. If we are doing that, then sales should go through as quickly as possible. Thank you.
Question 349-16(5): Facilitating The Purchase Of Public Housing Units
Oral Questions (Reversion)
Question 349-16(5): Facilitating The Purchase Of Public Housing Units
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![Norman Yakeleya](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-norman-yakeleya/b55db1a24acf9fd613dd84efc9c51b97.jpg)
Norman Yakeleya Sahtu
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had been working with the Minister’s office on this particular subject. There are probably other ones that fall into this category. I want to ask the Minister in terms of speeding up the process. It seems like this person, in the eyes of the community, is very simple. You have a public unit house. They want to buy it. The Minister has encouraged people. How quickly can this person buy this unit? It certainly would save a lot of grief for the family and I think this could be done as quickly as possible. I will work with the Minister. I want to ask the Minister if we could do this within a month or so.
Question 349-16(5): Facilitating The Purchase Of Public Housing Units
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![Robert C. McLeod](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-robert-c-mcleod/714d3744f76b921118ae9edc064c271e.jpg)
Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes
Mr. Speaker, I will follow up with the Member and we will see how... I will get the particular details of the situation and we will see if we are in a position to speed it up, because it is our goal to get folks out of public housing and into their own units. If this is one way we can do it, I will commit to working with the Member to see if we can make this happen. Thank you.
Question 349-16(5): Facilitating The Purchase Of Public Housing Units
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![The Speaker](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-paul-delorey/23992cbefb5ae4f1f664afcff0016a9f.jpg)
The Speaker Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Question 350-16(5): Mackenzie Delta Orthodontic Services
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![David Krutko](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-david-krutko/3bf4c8c28546ef0fcfdd14f8c0ee96c6.jpg)
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I know I have raised this issue in the House before in regards to the area of orthodontic services in the Inuvik region. There was supposed to be a contract let, yet, Mr. Speaker, I am still receiving phone calls from parents in regards to the amount of time it is taking for their children to be seen in regards to this important service. I would like to ask the Minister exactly why is it taking so long to get this position filled and, more importantly, why are parents having to wait months on end and nothing seems to be happening? Thank you.
Question 350-16(5): Mackenzie Delta Orthodontic Services
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![The Speaker](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-paul-delorey/23992cbefb5ae4f1f664afcff0016a9f.jpg)
The Speaker Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Question 350-16(5): Mackenzie Delta Orthodontic Services
Oral Questions (Reversion)
Range Lake
![Sandy Lee](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-sandy-lee/8312ebf63b0f971e2da86a82b87e0653.jpg)
Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for the question. The Member is right; we have had some delayed services in the Beaufort-Delta region due to a lack of contract; well, the provider. The Beaufort-Delta authority was able to sign the contract in August but the contractor was not able to begin work until November. There is a backlog list of patients that need to be seen. I will undertake to look at where we are with this and I hope to be able to report that they are going to
begin delivering the services now that it is November. Thank you.
Question 350-16(5): Mackenzie Delta Orthodontic Services
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![David Krutko](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-david-krutko/3bf4c8c28546ef0fcfdd14f8c0ee96c6.jpg)
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Mr. Speaker, again, there is a very long backlog in regards to this. There are a lot of people waiting. I heard from a lot of constituents in the three communities I represent. There have been people waiting for almost a year and a half and still haven’t received this service. Is there a possibility that different health authorities, whoever can assist the Inuvik region through this transition and get some of these patients into the system either in Yellowknife or elsewhere so that we can try to bring some remedy to the situation and shorten the waiting list that people are waiting for the service?
Question 350-16(5): Mackenzie Delta Orthodontic Services
Oral Questions (Reversion)
Range Lake
![Sandy Lee](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-sandy-lee/8312ebf63b0f971e2da86a82b87e0653.jpg)
Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services
Mr. Speaker, this is a service being provided by the federal government under NIHB. We assist in the process in terms of providing space and helping them with the administrative procedure. I agree that this is an important service. I will get a complete update on when the service will start, how many people are on the waiting list and what options they are looking at to speed up the process, including what the Member has suggested. Thank you.
Question 350-16(5): Mackenzie Delta Orthodontic Services
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![David Krutko](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-david-krutko/3bf4c8c28546ef0fcfdd14f8c0ee96c6.jpg)
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Mr. Speaker, again, it will be nice if the Department of Health and Social Services, the Inuvik Regional Health Board could maybe put out a public advisory letting the people know what the status of the situation is so that they can stop calling our MLAs and also get the information to the people that require that. I would like to ask the Minister if they can also notify the public on the status of the situation and also work with those families and parents to deal with this matter. Thank you.
Question 350-16(5): Mackenzie Delta Orthodontic Services
Oral Questions (Reversion)
Range Lake
![Sandy Lee](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-sandy-lee/8312ebf63b0f971e2da86a82b87e0653.jpg)
Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services
Mr. Speaker, yes, I would ask them to publicly advertise and update the public as to where that program is. Thank you.
Question 350-16(5): Mackenzie Delta Orthodontic Services
Oral Questions (Reversion)
Question 351-16(5): Contribution For Fort Liard Search And Rescue Efforts
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![Kevin A. Menicoche](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-kevin-a-menicoche/939205ce282de1070c4dd00c51e10f1c.jpg)
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this year I was working with the Municipality of Fort Liard. Unfortunately, they had lost a member in the river and they had quite a few expenses for search and rescue. I understand it is under the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. We do have a fund to assist with search and rescues. I would like to ask the Minister to tell me a little bit about the program. Thank you very much.
Question 351-16(5): Contribution For Fort Liard Search And Rescue Efforts
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![The Speaker](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-paul-delorey/23992cbefb5ae4f1f664afcff0016a9f.jpg)
The Speaker Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Question 351-16(5): Contribution For Fort Liard Search And Rescue Efforts
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![Robert C. McLeod](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-robert-c-mcleod/714d3744f76b921118ae9edc064c271e.jpg)
Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is correct; we have a contribution for community-organized searches that may provide contributions to support community-organized search for missing persons. If we go into the definitions -- and I am going to share this with the Member -- it talks about a public search that needs to be conducted by the RCMP and this has to fit into that area. So I’d be willing to provide some of this information to the Member.
Question 351-16(5): Contribution For Fort Liard Search And Rescue Efforts
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![Kevin A. Menicoche](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-kevin-a-menicoche/939205ce282de1070c4dd00c51e10f1c.jpg)
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
In this case, the municipality, actually the Acho Dene Koe of Fort Liard did actually put in a request to access these funds because they expended quite a bit of money, and I certainly supported that. I sent in a memo to the Minister and it was denied. I’d like to know how does a community access that fund that’s sorely needed, especially when it calls on the resources of communities, families, friends, et cetera. Thank you.
Question 351-16(5): Contribution For Fort Liard Search And Rescue Efforts
Oral Questions (Reversion)
November 3rd, 2010
![Robert C. McLeod](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-robert-c-mcleod/714d3744f76b921118ae9edc064c271e.jpg)
Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes
The contribution funding is typically provided for a community-organized search of a prolonged length and duration, and the public search by the RCMP has concluded and the community government has incurred expenses related to the community-organized search. However, we did have, I believe, a couple of requests. I’m not quite sure of the amount of the expenses. I don’t think I’ve seen that number personally yet. So I think it was one of the reasons that it was declined, because we had had a couple of requests come from the community of Fort Liard. Thank you.
Question 351-16(5): Contribution For Fort Liard Search And Rescue Efforts
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![Kevin A. Menicoche](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-kevin-a-menicoche/939205ce282de1070c4dd00c51e10f1c.jpg)
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
I certainly support the cause of the ADK Band membership to submit their bills of $10,000. Is the Minister willing to review this particular request once again? Thank you.
Question 351-16(5): Contribution For Fort Liard Search And Rescue Efforts
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![Robert C. McLeod](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-robert-c-mcleod/714d3744f76b921118ae9edc064c271e.jpg)
Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes
I’ll commit to the Member that I’d be willing to have a look at this. Again, I mentioned, and maybe it’s a discussion that he and I need to have, but we did receive a couple of requests from the community of Fort Liard. But I will commit to the Member that I’ll look at the expenses that they may have incurred there, if they can substantiate them and if it’s something that we need to sit down and discuss. Thank you.
Question 351-16(5): Contribution For Fort Liard Search And Rescue Efforts
Oral Questions (Reversion)
Question 351-16(5): Contribution For Fort Liard Search And Rescue Efforts
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![Kevin A. Menicoche](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-kevin-a-menicoche/939205ce282de1070c4dd00c51e10f1c.jpg)
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I understand that some of the parameters are that the contributions are to the officially recognized municipalities, the hamlet or whatever, but we have had instances in the past three or four years where we did provide contributions over to the band councils, because they’re the ones, it’s their membership, they’re the ones that expend the most money there, Mr. Speaker, and I’d like to ask the Minister if that will be considered as well. Thank you.
Question 351-16(5): Contribution For Fort Liard Search And Rescue Efforts
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![Robert C. McLeod](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-robert-c-mcleod/714d3744f76b921118ae9edc064c271e.jpg)
Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes
We will consider that. We also have to be sure that as far as community searches go, if we get a couple of applications for reimbursement from the community, then it’s unfair to one group or the other if we approve one or the other. So I would have to review the whole situation and see exactly what happened in the situation in Fort Liard and I’ll communicate with the Member and then hopefully we can get a resolution out of this. Thank you.
Question 351-16(5): Contribution For Fort Liard Search And Rescue Efforts
Oral Questions (Reversion)
![The Speaker](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/16-paul-delorey/23992cbefb5ae4f1f664afcff0016a9f.jpg)
The Speaker Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.