Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to use my Member’s statement today to encourage the 1,189 youth participating in the NWT track meet going in the next couple of days in Hay River.

My colleague Mrs. Groenewegen and myself would like to thank some of the Members from the Legislative Assembly that travelled down to Hay River to see the exciting grand opening of the NWT track meet this year: Premier Bob McLeod, Minister Robert C. McLeod, Mr. Daryl Dolynny, Mr. Alfred Moses. Thank you for coming to Hay River.

The NWT track and field event is organized by over 300 volunteers. It has a great economic impact to Hay River. I would like to encourage the youth to have fun, make friends and try your hardest. The event involves over 100 coaches. Thank you, coaches, for all your hard work and efforts for the youth.

The event involves 36 teams from 19 communities. The 19 communities are as follows: Colville Lake, Fort Liard, Fort McPherson, Fort Providence, Fort Res, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Gameti, Inuvik, Kakisa, Nahanni Butte, Ndilo, Norman Wells, Rae Edzo, Trout Lake, Wrigley, Yellowknife, our neighbours beside us, K’atlodeeche and, of course, the host, Hay River. Good luck to all the participants. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The high school years are difficult for many students. It can even be tough for sensible and smart young people who get strong support from their parents. The reality is that teenagers face some big challenges and a lot of pressure. I’m sure we all remember if we think about it. I fear those challenges were forgotten when the system was designed to support students who have to leave home to complete high school.

This is still happening in our small communities such as Tsiigehtchic and Sachs Harbour. Those students go to high school in Inuvik and have to live with other families in their homes. Sometimes this works out and sometimes it doesn’t, but all too often students don’t get the support they need. In some cases it’s dealing with distractions of living in a larger centre. Sometimes the arrangements actually cause additional problems. The result is too many young people drop out of high school and go back home.

We cannot let that go on without doing something about it. I know the issue was raised many times by our colleague Mr. Jacobson during the 16

th Assembly, so I am surprised it seems to have fallen upon deaf ears. Our students will be back in Inuvik again this fall and there is still no sign of a boarding home to accommodate them.

In reviewing this matter, I noted that the Education Minister often said during the 16

th Assembly, that

student accommodation in Inuvik is the responsibility of the district education authority. I am again surprised the Minister has suggested he is not the boss.

Someone has to be accountable when district authorities fail to provide the basic support our students need. If students from Tsiigehtchic and Sachs Harbour are going to succeed in high school, they need a stable environment in a boarding home.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very pleased to recognize two important board members of the Status of Women Council: Ms. Georgina Jacobson Masuzumi from Tuktoyaktuk and Doris Camsell from Hay River.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to recognize Louise Bradley, president and CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada; Geoff Couldrey, executive vice-president of the Mental Health Commission of Canada; Michelle McLean, vice-president of public affairs of the Mental Health Commission of Canada; and Dana Heide, associate deputy minister of Health and Social Services.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize my sister-in-law Doris Camsell and, of course, Ms. Jacobson Masuzumi.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome the staff of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. We had a really good presentation and launching of the Mental Health Strategy today. I also recognize Dana Heide, who is the associate

deputy minister and board member of the commission as well.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. I’d like to welcome my mother in the House today, Ms. Georgina Jacobson Masuzumi. Welcome. I’d like to welcome all our visitors here in the public gallery today for taking an interest in our proceedings here in the Legislative Assembly. Thank you for coming.

Item 7, acknowledgements. Item 8, oral questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask some questions to the Minister of the Housing Corporation. The Minister just made a very important, significant announcement regarding the implementation of the seniors’ rental charges and delaying it until September 1

st . I want to ask the

Minister, between now and September 1

st , what

type of work he will do with the seniors in terms of explaining the reasons why the rental charges will be coming in, what type of consultation his staff or the communities or LHOs will be doing to see how we can talk and listen to the elders and see that the rent will be reduced quite significantly in the first year of the second phase of this implementation of charging the elders’ rent.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Leading up to the new rent scale, all the tenants, including seniors, will have an opportunity to meet with their local LHO and they will be given an indication at the time of what their rent can be expected to be. With the rent scale change, it will be July 1

st . With the seniors, now with the new

implementation of September 1

st , there will be an

opportunity for them to work with the local LHOs and give them an indication of what their rent is going to be.

We had our meetings here as a committee and we had the NWT Seniors’ Society come and meet with us one fine, early morning and talked about the rental issue with the seniors and the Housing Corporation. I want to ask the Minister if the NWT Seniors’ Society asked for a meeting with the Minister and staff about this new implementation, especially the delay. Would the Minister be able to entertain having a meeting with them?

I did have an opportunity to meet with the NWT Seniors’ Society. Obviously, with an issue of importance like this,

there was mixed views on it. Some thought it was a good thing. Some said we should just stay at zero. There were a few that said, well, why don’t you just meet us halfway and phase it in? Listening to that and listening to concerns of the Members, we took that into consideration and we decided to go with September 1

st and implement it over the next two

years.

Can the Minister tell us his reasons why the reduced rate for the first year of implementing the seniors’ rent charge starts on September 1

st ?

Well, we listened to what Members had to say. We listened to what some of the concerns were for the seniors out there. We thought this would be an adjustment period, because to go from zero to $70, $75 or $80 dollars, as was the original intent, we thought this would be an easier adjustment to graduate up to the higher rent.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a follow-up on my Member’s statement. I’d like to ask the Minister of Education a couple of questions. What is the Minister doing to address the need for a boarding home in Inuvik for students from small communities in the Beaufort-Delta?