Thank you, Mr. Chair. I too would like to talk about the seniors’ fuel subsidy program. I have to agree with Mr. Beaulieu. I think that we have to be realistic here and find ways of allowing for exemptions in certain situations where people are elderly and they’re into their 90’s. Maybe use 90 as the age level. That anybody over the age of 90 can have a family member or a relative living with them, because you’re talking about the well-being of seniors. I mean, if they’re 90 years old, they are going to need… I mean, I dealt with this situation similar to Mr. Menicoche in regard to a 96-year-old gentleman, his wife is 92. They’re independent. They own their own home. They’ve lived there all their lives, yet when family members come to visit, in most cases they come and spend the summer with them when the kids are out of school, grandkids and whatever. They go through this situation every year.
For me, the stress and the turmoil that you put these elders through, that’s elders’ abuse. I think that we should maybe look at allowing for certain exemptions to take place when you have people in certain status by way of mental ailment by way of dementia, by way of respite care, by way of there
are certain elements they may require that 24-hour home care, which if the family can provide it, it’s a benefit that you keep them there than having to send them to a long-term care facility, say, in Inuvik or having to fill a bed in a dementia centre or whatever. But if you can save the cost for the simple cost of heating their homes, it’s a cost savings to government.
I’m wondering if we can seriously consider looking at the exemptions that are offered and look at age as one of the categories that you consider for an exemption and that you allow those circumstances in those elements that I mentioned. That if you fit that category or class of person, age will be one, the other would be the ailment and the other one, you’ll be allowed to have someone live in the home regardless if it’s a family member or a relative who will be able to take care of the elder. Again, I mean, I know there used to be exemptions allowed in the past and, again, it seemed like they have disappeared, but I think we have to find a way of taking the stress that’s being put on our seniors, especially the ones who have lived out their lives in their own homes, basically have paid for it, they own it, they basically maintain it, but yet they’re at that age where they’re fragile.
I think we have to be realistic here, and we know who those people are. Those people receive the property tax exemptions. Those people are the ones that have been on the list year after year after year getting the benefit of the fuel subsidy. But because of a simple situation, like I say, someone comes and spends the summer with the family, which we all have family members. When we travel to our different communities, we’d like to have families spend time with their grandparents or their parents while they’re still with us. I think we’ve got to be realistic here and we have to allow for those types of exemptions to take place.
Again, I’d like to ask the Minister if that’s something that your department can seriously consider in light of the policies and regulations we have, to allow for these types of exemptions to be applied under those types of circumstances. Thank you.