For those communities without those establishments, and small communities, we are exploring different areas, whether it be expanding on the mobile training that is similar to what we have in the Beaufort-Delta. We are currently exploring those areas because it has been very successful to date. It is producing talented individuals in the community. We want to tackle those areas. That’s where it’s at especially with the small communities without the establishments.

Next I have Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have one question on this page. The Community Skills for Work Program talks about funding to

support adult basic education and job-related skills for income assistance clients and other individuals. I was curious why this is listed here under advanced education. Is it a college program? Is it funded as a college program or is it funded through income security? It just seems a little out of place in this section.

Mr. Daniels.

Page 10-24, Education, Culture and Employment, activity summary, advanced education, grants and contributions, contributions, total contributions, $33.493 million.

Page 10-25, Education, Culture and Employment, activity summary, information item, advanced education, active positions.

Page 10-27, Education, Culture and Employment, activity summary, income security, operations expenditure summary, $38.823 million. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I don’t know, the Minister can correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the income security guidelines and procedures were going to be reviewed. Because this particular winter and many others I’ve had lots of inquiries, most particularly with the seniors’ home heating subsidy to help low-income seniors pay for the cost of heating their homes. It’s often done just before December, but sometimes the most common one that I’ve had is because there are additional householders living with them and often it’s the case of a daughter or granddaughter or a male that’s living with the senior because they need assistance in living.

I’ve got this one particular case where the daughter does not have income tax and hasn’t done it in a while. I just want to know how firm they are on that. Is there an alternative or way around it? For various different reasons it’s going to take another month or so for her to get her income tax statements completed. In the meantime, the senior does need the fuel. Is there another way around addressing this situation?

Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. In those situations, especially pertaining to income tax, we do allow individuals to provide that documentation, because it is important to provide that documentation. We allow up to May to provide that information.

So does that mean she’ll get her fuel in May, when February is the coldest month? I’m not too clear about that. I’m just wondering, the documents as they’re in the works, is there an alternative in the meantime? Can she file a statutory declaration that she did not work in 2010? There must be another way around this.

Mr. Daniels.

Okay. In this particular case I’ve been dealing with the Minister’s office and they haven’t really been that flexible on it. I kind of question the deputy minister on that and I’ll be glad to resubmit my inquiry in support of my constituents in that matter. We’ll leave that for now.

Then I have another instance where a nephew does not actually live with the elder. He might stay over one, two or three times a month, yet frontline workers are saying that person is actually a resident in that household but he’s got no fixed address. He’s one of our young people who loves to travel. He spends two or three days a month. What’s their definition of a household, somebody that lives in the household? This senior was actually approved for fuel subsidy and the frontline worker said no, I saw a nephew there so the nephew is living there. He lives in the household so we want all his documentation if he worked or not last year. We’re, like, that person doesn’t live there. So what’s their definition of who lives in the household and how strictly do you enforce it? Does that person have to be there 20 days a month? How do they determine who lives in the household when their whole family knows that person doesn’t live there at all. It’s the same like me. Sometimes I get friends or cousins that stay a day or two but they’re not really living in my household. I’d like to know the department’s stance on this issue.

Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. If individuals are living there, they are considered as part of the household income. If they are temporarily there for short periods, then they will have to base it on a case-by-case basis. We’ll reassess the elder that the Member’s referring to and we need to get, we just have to follow the paper trail, the policies that we have in place, because once we open that up there will be a lot of people that will be using it as the drifters and, of course, some people are making good money, as well, and we don’t want them to take advantage of the elders as well. But this is an area that’s been brought to our attention on numerous occasions and we’ve been working with our policy how we can

be flexible. May was another one that came up. This has been brought to our attention so we are seriously looking at it as well. Mahsi.

I was just trying to get some clarity in how the department determines who lives in the household. Is it 20 days out of the month or is it 15 days out of the month? Because I know in this case it was, like, two or three days out of the month, and it’s not every month either there, Mr. Chair. What drives their policy or who makes those decisions and how do they determine it? Thank you.

Deputy Minister Daniels.

Mr. Minister. Where’s the policy?