Can the Minister tell me if there is a time limit in which the NWT Housing Corporation will allow units to sit empty in a community?

Offhand, I’m not quite sure about a time limit. I could follow up on that and get back to the Member. I do know that when a unit is sitting vacant in a community for too long or what the community feels is too long, then the community or the Members will usually let us know that there are some vacant units in the community that haven’t been filled and then we’ll take steps to try and address that and come up with the way we can fill these units.

Can the Minister tell me if the NWT Housing Corporation has developed plans for what’s going to happen in the communities? Of course, I’m specifically interested in Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e for this construction season. If he’s able to tell me what is going to happen in Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e.

We’re always developing plans on how we’re going to deliver houses into the community. I think part of that plan is the process that we’re going through right now

with the budget process. The Housing Corporation’s infrastructure is still a part of this particular budget, so once we review that, we’ll be able to see some of the investments that we’re making into the communities and which communities they are going into. As well, we have a table of all the money that we have through federal money that is going to the communities through major MNIs and improving the public housing stock. We have all that information that I’d be more than willing to share with the Member so that he can see firsthand the amount of money that’s going into his riding.

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

Sorry, Mr. Speaker. With the new needs survey just completed, which I haven’t seen yet, I know that there’s definitely some needs for the seniors living in their own homes in Tu Nedhe. Can the Minister tell me if the Housing Corporation is going to be establishing anything insofar as repairs go that is specific to helping the seniors that are homeowners in our small communities?

The Housing Corporation goes a long way into assisting homeownership clients through repairs and trying to get people into homes. We have some challenges that we face. There is a gap of people that we’re looking to try and capture. I’ve given instructions to the corporation to see if we can start capturing a lot of those people who are quite capable of looking after homes, but for one reason or another are not qualifying at the moment. There are a lot of programs designed for the seniors through the preventative maintenance, where they go in every fall to do the maintenance in their units. There are home repairs for seniors that I know for a fact a lot of seniors are taking the corporation up on. When they do qualify, they get some work done to the house. As I said, we’re always looking for ways to improve the delivery of houses and repairs into the communities, and with input from Regular Members on a regular basis, we continue to do that.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of ENR regarding consultation on the issue of the caribou. I wanted to ask the Minister, the Minister provided me and some other Members with a list of meetings that happened over this issue here. I wanted to ask what his department means in terms of meaningful consultation with the users of the caribou.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to the issue of the Interim Emergency Measures, it was a very compressed time frame and efforts were made -- every effort, I would suggest -- to try to make sure we consulted with the aboriginal governments, both Tlicho and the Yellowknives as well as the folks around the lake that were users of the herd.

Within the compressed time frame that the Minister has indicated to his definition of consultation with aboriginal governments, I want to ask the Minister what his definition is of a meaningful consultation.

All the consultation we do, and have done, and will continue to do, is considered meaningful. In this particular instance there was a compressed time frame. The circumstances were such that we did the consultation that we were able to in the circumstances and had to proceed with a decision, because it was considered to be an emergency conservation issue.

So in terms of nation-to-nation building with the governments here that we in our own, I say in our own definition within this government here in terms of the circumstances, the compressed time, that we will ultimately make a decision no matter what the governments will say in terms of their feedback. That we will make decisions in terms of the definition that I’m getting from the Minister on meaningful consultation. I would ask the Minister if he is coming out with a policy in terms of this type of definition with the government.

We should be clear: there is a distinct difference. The compressed circumstances arising around this emergency situation. But over the normal course of events we have a full consultation process as a government, as ENR. I would just point all the way up north and work our way down the valley with the Inuvialuit, with the Gwich’in, with the Sahtu, the Tlicho process is underway. We have spent millions when it comes to consulting and involving all the aboriginal governments with water, with the Species at Risk Act. We’re doing the same with the Wildlife Act. On a regular, ongoing basis, with all the different herds, we have a full consultation process. We’re part of the same process to have the common end of doing what’s best for the caribou. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Your final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with millions of dollars this government

couldn’t get right in terms of consultation with the aboriginal governments and the affected caribou hunters in this specific area. I ask the Minister, in terms of his consultation with even, for example, the YK Dene, they haven’t even come close to a deal. Can the Minister indicate to me if this deal is close to a resolution with this issue with the YK Dene?

We did get it right. We made, I believe, the necessary decision to protect the Bathurst caribou herd during this time when they are in great need of our support. They need to be able to recover and we need to come up with a longer term plan. So we did come up and make the right decision. We are committed to continuing to work with the Yellowknives on accommodation and that process is still underway. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are addressed to the Minister of ENR as well. I have some questions for him with regard to my Member’s statement and the situation in regard to the ban on hunting caribou. I have to say, at the outset, I need to admire the Minister’s dress today. It’s a very flashy vest.

I know that we’ve discussed last week, and the Minister answered many questions, about consultation and consultation ongoing, and plans to come to an agreement and so on. I don’t believe I heard an answer in his answer to Mr. Yakeleya. I’d like to ask the Minister for an update on the process that he is using, the department is using, to solve the disagreement with the Yellowknives on the caribou ban. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have offered some suggestions and alternatives to the Yellowknives. We’ve also taken the liberty of doing a survey through the Chief Drygeese territory to see what animals, what caribou may be available outside of the no-hunting zone. That work has been done. We are committed, when they get to us, to see where we can go and try to find that common ground. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. He’s talking about getting back and getting together again. I wonder if I could get some indication of the time frame. When will the parties next meet and when do they think they might maybe come to an agreement and a solution? Thank you.

Tonight, at the rise of the House, I think at seven o’clock, there’s a big public meeting over at the Explorer in the Katimavik Room, sponsored by the Dene Nation. That will be our next event as it relates to caribou. We have our folks on the lines with the Yellowknives or trying to get hold of the Yellowknives to see what their thoughts are on the offers that are on the table. Thank you.