Thank you, Mr. Williams. Member for Frame Lake.

Madam Chair, yes, so I just want to be really clear. Is there funding in the budget to get this done this year? This should have been done last year, but is there money to get this updated as soon as possible because this is what you need to take to Ottawa again? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will have President Tom Williams respond. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Williams.

Thank you, Mr. Williams. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks. I appreciate that. I just cannot stress enough the need to get this work done to make the case to Ottawa. I just don't know what else I can say. I will beg, I will scrape, I will do anything to get you guys better prepared to take a case to Ottawa to get more money for housing for us. It needs to be a priority when you go to Ottawa. I don't know what else I can say. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Seeing that there is nobody else to talk to on this section, there are no further questions. Move on to the executive, beginning on page 375 with information items on page 381. Questions? Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Madam Chair. No. This is in regard to homelessness initiatives and emergency shelters in the communities. Are we able to give us housing numbers, like the house number and what is available in the communities? Are they furnished like they are supposed to be this past year, in the communities? Are there four units available in my four communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Can I have the Member just clarify? The four units that were to be furnished, is he referencing for COVID? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member.

[Microphone turned off] ...for emergency shelters, but COVID took or was supposed to be taking them over for if they had a COVID case in the community, so I am just wondering if those emergency units have been taken back, and are they available for, say, Paulatuk? I have a person who has been homeless now for two years, so I am waiting to see if he is able to get into that emergency shelter. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will have President Tom Williams update the Member. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. President Williams.

Thank you. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you. That's good to hear. I guess we're going down that road where I will be asking for that unit for the hamlet of Paulatuk so we have a shelter. He makes a makeshift house out of plywood and staying at the end of town. It's not right. I'm willing to work with the department and work with the Minister to make this work for the community of Paulatuk, and we'll go from there. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. I'll take that as a comment. Any other questions under executive? Seeing none, we will move on to finance and infrastructure services beginning on page 378 with information items on 379. Questions? Member for Deh Cho.

I'm looking at page 378 where you have infrastructure planning division. I note that you mentioned you've got a 54-apartment complex coming up in Yellowknife that's going to be tied to a wood-pellet boiler system. Has the corporation considered pilot projects out of the capital city, out into small communities to try a biomass heating system, and monitoring for cost savings and whatnot? It could be a pilot project even in Fort Providence where you can go in there and build five houses and tie it to a wood-pellet boiler, or else set up a wood-pellet boiler and tie, could be five to 10 houses. I think in my community, five houses are what's standard for being in a cluster. You could even look at trying it up in Tuktoyaktuk or Paulatuk, somewhere where it's out-of-the-way to just try the systems out there and even ship the wood pellets up there, the whole system, to see if there're any real challenges to doing that kind of stuff moving forward. I just wonder what the Minister's thoughts are on something like that? Mahsi?

Thank you, Member. Minister.