Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I wonder if the Minister could tell me what happens if we get to March 31st and these renovations at the Centre for Northern Families and the Salvation Army have not been started or not completed? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Any amount of work that is not started, completed, by the end of March 31st, and that is right around the corner, actually, so it will not be completed, those will be carried over into the new fiscal year. That money will not disappear. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On the line above, there is the shelter enhancement fund. It was $416,000 last year, and it is $256,000 for the coming fiscal year. Could the Minister tell us the source of this money, what it is used for, and why it went down? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That is federal money, and that was the shelter enhancement fund for the victims of family violence federal funding. It decreased from $316,000 to $156,000, so that meant a decrease of $160,000. Again, with the family violence, even though the federal government has decreased, we are still providing support.

One of the communities in Tuktoyaktuk didn't have a suitable unit. Their victims of family violence unit was at such a point that it was non-repairable, so even though the federal government money did not cover it, we have given them accommodations through the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation so that they could have a shelter within the community. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, if I understand the Minister correctly, for $160,000, the difference between the current year and the next year, they were able to obtain a family violence shelter in Tuktoyaktuk? I must be missing something. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I apologize for the miscommunication. No, the money that the federal government gave us we used to renovate the other four family violence shelters. Tuktoyaktuk actually, above and beyond the federal money, the Government of the Northwest Territories through the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, so outside of this money, we provided them a unit that they can use for their shelter because their shelter was beyond economical repair. That is on top of the federal money. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, this shelter enhancement program, is it now in its last year? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, the victims of family violence component has one year left. We are expecting that the federal government will renew that after the term, though. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. No further questions.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Seeing no further comments or questions, I will call this activity. NWT Housing Corporation, finance and infrastructure services, operation expenditure summary, total activity, $19,432,000. Does committee agree?

Mr. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee defer further consideration of the activity, finance and infrastructure services, under the NWT Housing Corporation Main Estimates 2017-2018 on page 358 at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Thompson. The motion is on the floor and being distributed. The motion is in order and non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed?

---Carried

Thank you, committee. We will defer this activity. Moving on, activity four, programs and district operations. This activity is on page 361; well, beginning on page 360 to page 362. Committee, do we have comments or questions on programs and district operations? Page 360 to 362, programs and district operations. Ms. Green.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Regular MLAs have been asking for an additional $1.3 million to be added to the main estimates for the SAFE Program. The primary reason for asking for this addition is to enable renovations to happen to seniors' homes so that they are able to age in place. This subject has been canvassed many times, but just to briefly reiterate. We believe that it is the most effective use of the money and what seniors themselves want to allow them to have supports in place to age in place. So the kinds of renovations that we're looking for are ramps, easily accessible bathrooms, and those kinds of things which would help seniors to move around in their places safely and within their own resources.

So this is something that we would like to see in this budget. I realize there's no agreement in place with the government for this, but this is an area where we think this is an investment that would produce distinct returns. Thank you.