I’d like to ask the Minister why busing is mandatory for other grades, but it’s not mandatory for JK.

It’s not mandatory for any grades. As I’ve mentioned, it is at the discretion of the education authorities and councils to decide if they are going to reallocate for busing to provide busing services to their students. It is not mandatory for any grades at this point. However, Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that our department is committed and continues to work with education authorities to address the busing situation when it comes to junior kindergarten students.

We are talking about a great deal of money here in terms of busing in Yellowknife. We are talking about a combined total of $500,000 for Yellowknife Catholic Schools and YK1. This is not a small portion of anyone’s budget. What is the Minister going to do to offset that cost?

I am not sure where the Member is getting her numbers from. We still have to wait and see how many junior kindergarten students, four-year-olds, are going into the school program, and then we can continue to work with the education authorities to find a solution and find ways that we can cover the costs once those numbers are established.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to advise the Minister that the figures come from the school boards. That is where they come from. So what I cannot get my head around is, if this is a universal program, if JK is a universal program, how can the Minister opt out of paying for it? Thank you.

In all respect, I believe the Member is mistaken. The department is committed to covering those costs once we find those costs, and we are going to continue working with the education authorities and councils to get those exact numbers, and we will be committed to covering the cost when we get those exact figures. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to ask questions of the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation on aging in place. Mr. Speaker, I recognize that aging in place is important. I think we also recognize that aging in place for individuals in our housing is important. I would like to ask the Minister if there have been any discussions or plans put in place for having individuals age in place in their own home, in their own communities? Thank you.

Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is absolutely correct. There is a huge need for having support so that our seniors can age in place within their communities. The Northwest Territories Bureau of Statistics has shown that, although our population is slowly increasing, our seniors’ aging is increasing substantially. So, it is a huge priority for this whole government. We are working in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Services to provide the best care possible for our elders. Some of the things that we are doing with the Housing Corporation, we have care and mobility. We have programs specifically to deal with that, to help seniors so that they can stay in their homes as long as possible. We have actually just put in an extra $500,000 specifically for senior supports. We are looking at a different housing design to support elders to be able to stay with their family members. So we are looking at a host of areas that we can support seniors to age in place. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One of the main obstacles to individuals applying for and getting loans to improve their homes, making their homes barrier-free or seniors friendly, is the land that the units sit on. So I was wondering if there has been any discussion aside from the Minister speaking to Health and Social Services. Have there been any discussions with the municipalities or the Lands Division on how individuals can access more than just a basic amount of money in order to improve their homes by dealing with the land issue?

As was said many times in this House, when we finish getting the results from these surveys, we would be doing a full program review. Some of the issues would be very simple to deal with, some would be a little bit more difficult, and some would be tough. Land tenure is still one of those issues that we are still struggling with to figure out how to do in an equitable manner. However, in saying that, we are working with municipalities and Aboriginal governments. We are rolling out a new program that will support them, to be able to provide homeownership programs within their communities as well, areas such as if they provide the land, then we would provide the material. So we are looking at other options so that we can access more land and provide more housing within our communities.

I am more or less talking about individuals who already own their homes. So what type of direct action has occurred between NWT Housing Corporation and perhaps the communities and regions -- whatever way the money will flow -- to try to get something going this construction year? We're moving into the construction season quickly here. I would like to know if there are going to be any units in the fall term, any units where a senior can say, "I think I have a home here that I can stay an extra 10 years," as an example.

Yes, all new housing homes that we are building currently and over the past few years are what they call visitor-accessible. So they already have wider entrances, accessible bathrooms on the ground floor, and again, we have programs to assist seniors to be able to access as many supports as they need to be able to maintain their residence or obtain residence so that they can age in place within their communities as long as possible.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I see this as a fairly simple process. Has the NWT Housing Corporation identified individuals that could be candidates for the program to allow them to age in place? I have said many times in the House that this is essential. It is essential to government. If we can keep a senior in their own home, we are saving $140,000 not having them in long-term care. I would like to know if the NWT Housing Corporation has actually identified people this year, not next year, because then we'll be in our third year of planning. So this year - if there are going to be any units on the ground that are going to be improved to barrier-free so that individual seniors can remain in their homes. Thank you.

Masi. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, within this fiscal year, we will have a new housing design that accommodates seniors so that they can live with their families. We currently use the application process where, within the application, people are identified as seniors. Their needs are taken into consideration. Seniors can apply for programs to assist them in other ways, and we are also looking at a new program that actually looks at the co-payment, to lower the amount of co-payments for lower income people and families so that we provide better services, more appropriate services, to seniors and low income families within our communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister of Justice. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister: is the Minister aware of requests from Tsiigehtchic and other communities to have resident RCMP officers during times of break-up and freeze-up? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, providing policing services to the smaller communities remains a priority for the Department of Justice and the government. I know in Tsiigehtchic specifically, over the last year, Housing has installed accommodations so that the RCMP can do patrols overnight, and I understand in the period from January 1st to March 31st, there were 11 overnight patrols. So clearly coverage has improved and increased in the last year. I have not heard the specific request regarding the time of break-up that has been brought forth by the Member opposite, but I will take that up with the RCMP. Thank you.

As I mentioned in my Member's statement, the community is very happy with the services that have improved over the last year here, but in the government's mandate, the department has committed to supporting the developing of policing action plans for each community. Is the Minister aware of how the need for resident RCMP officers is reflected in Tsiigehtchic's 2017-2018 community policing action plan?