Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister for Education, Culture and Employment. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask a bit about the policy or the rationale that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment income support division has with regard to transition housing.

My first question to the Minister is: Can he tell me what definition of transition housing is used by Education, Culture and Employment?

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Income Security Program assists with those individuals who are in need of basic subsidy. Part of the transitional housing obviously falls into that as well. We’re providing a shelter for those individuals who desperately need shelter in the Northwest Territories. It’s not only my department but we work closely with the NWT Housing Corporation to identify those areas. Those are just some of the subsidies that we continue to support those individuals who are in need.

Thanks to the Minister. I didn’t hear a definition in there so I guess I have to assume that the department does not have a definition of transition housing.

I’d like to know from the Minister, if they don’t have a definition of transition housing, is there a written

policy that they use when they are determining whether or not somebody is in transition housing or not? Certainly, there are people who, in the city of Yellowknife, for instance, because of the almost monopoly that Northern Properties has on housing, if they’ve been banned from Northern Properties, if they have a family they can’t get into the Salvation Army, and if the YWCA is full they are left with no option but to use a motel.

I’d like to know from the Minister, is there a written policy that ECE uses for income support clients who are living in transition housing, and if so, what is that policy?

Through our Income Security Program, the Income Assistance program directs all individuals who are considered transient directly to an emergency shelter. That’s why we work very closely with the NWT Housing Corporation and NGOs to deal with these matters. Depending on the person’s circumstances, an individual’s family may become eligible for income assistance after their stay in an emergency shelter. There is food and shelter available through that venue.

But we, again, work with those NGOs and the Housing Corporation to assist those individual clientele as best as we can as a department through the Income Security Program. Mahsi.

Thanks to the Minister. So, as I heard the Minister then, I have no home, I have two children and I need some place to stay and the Minister is telling me I have to go to an emergency shelter. So, I’d like to know – the YWCA is full, I’m not accepted at the Salvation Army because I have a family – what emergency shelter is there in the city of Yellowknife for me to go to? Thank you.

Mahsi. We’re dealing throughout the whole Northwest Territories, it’s not only Yellowknife. There are other shelters that we work with. Through the NWT Housing Corporation and my department, we find the best solutions that we possibly can for those individuals in an emergency state. If there are no emergency shelters, obviously we work with the Housing Corporation to identify a suitable accommodation on a short-term, temporary basis. We provide income assistance through that venue for how we can assist those individuals. It’s all based on a case-by-case basis and there are many parties involved, whether it be the Housing Corporation, my department and other NGOs within the communities. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Minister: I guess I have to say that I’m asking specifically about Yellowknife. This is my constituency; it’s my community. So, I’ve been

blacklisted by the Housing Corp. I’ve been blacklisted by Northern Properties. There’s absolutely no place that I can get into except to go to a motel.

Why is it that it’s okay for income support clients to get assistance from the YWCA, which is transition housing, but it’s not okay for me to get assistance when I go to a motel because that’s the absolute only place where I can live? Thank you.

Mahsi. These are the very reasons why we transferred to NWT Housing Corporation to identify those 75 housing units throughout the Northwest Territories, and Yellowknife is a big factor in that. I believe there were 55 slated for Yellowknife.

These are just some of the areas that we’ve identified as core need and we need to work with it, with the various parties involved.

We’re doing what we can to the best of our ability as income security, along with our partners such as the NWT Housing Corporation and NGOs as well. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I was speaking about decentralization earlier and I’d like to ask the Minister of Public Works and Services about when was the last time they had assessed Fort Simpson for suitability for offices and housing availability to help plan for our continued decentralization plans. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have the date of the last time those evaluations occurred. However, I’m advised recently that the Department of Public Works and Services has had discussions about Nogha Enterprises about possibly creating some office space in Fort Simpson. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Certainly, I’m glad the Minister is aware that his officials know about the plans for Nogha Enterprises to build a 20,000 square foot office building.

Will the Minister continue to direct his officials to meet with Nogha Enterprises now that they’ve been in contact to see if they can be a part of that plan for future office needs? Thank you.

Yes. We have been advised by Nogha Enterprises in discussions that

they will be submitting some information to us on the description of their project and that there would be a discussion continued between Public Works and Services and Nogha Enterprises in Fort Simpson. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I just want to ask the Minister about the long-term plans for further decentralization into Fort Simpson. Thank you.

First, if there’s an evaluation being done for office space in Fort Simpson, we know there’s going to be some housing needs before the decision is made on which positions are decentralized to Fort Simpson. My understanding is the overall discussion of all the decentralized positions will continue beyond the plan that we currently have. My understanding is we have decentralized 150 decisions and there will be more discussions and further phases, and Fort Simpson would most likely be part of that discussion. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased that the Minister will be travelling with me this spring to Fort Simpson. Will he make time to meet with Nogha Enterprises on their plans for their new building?

I would just like to also add that the Housing Corporation will be building duplexes in Fort Simpson. There are three duplexes now slated for Fort Simpson and for all of the Nahendeh there will be eight duplexes being built for future decentralized positions. These are market positions and this is what we will be looking at. When these houses go on the market, that will be an opportunity for positions that will be decentralized to use those houses for accommodations. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With many Aboriginal languages on the decline and with five Aboriginal languages today with less than 500 residents who can speak it, as I said today in my Member’s statement, now, more than ever, if we are not careful these cultures will be lost.

As I referenced on February 24, 2015, with over six competing language directives, plans and strategies, ECE is, “riddled with a crisis of governance, saddled with a lack of coordination and plagued with bureaucracy.” My questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister has gone on record indicating that his department is undertaking a monitoring, evaluating and accountability plan for Aboriginal languages and culture-based education, or ALCBE, and he’s doing this later this spring. As comforting as it sounds, the Minister has had ample time to evaluate where the over $15 million is distributed annually via his department.

Can the Minister provide reference if there are indeed signed contribution agreements and performance agreements in place for competing Aboriginal language boards and will he table them in the House? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.