Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, residents and businesses may receive an advance up to 50 percent of the damage identified in the damage assessment that were completed with each resident and business. Those who have unique hardships, where they are required to pay specific costs in advance or are unable to access other finances and have no other options, may be eligible for an advancement up to 100 percent of their anticipated costs for repairs. GNWT pathfinders have been working directly with those individuals who have indicated that they meet the criteria in additional assistance. Individuals should contact GNWT pathfinders' assistance for their unique situations. Mr. Speaker, again, if the situation's unique, please have them reach out to our pathfinders, and we're more than willing to work with these individuals. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the problem with that analysis is that, you know, you may have a group of people who were able to get loans and ended up paying -- having to pay interest, and, you know, and then you've got another group that get turned down and they won't be stuck with any interest. So that's something I'd like the Minister to think about.

Mr. Speaker, here's a million dollar question: Will the Minister with technical staff commit to coming to Hay River and meeting on site and in an office setting with residents and business owners who are working through the DAP process? And October 27th and 28th of this year would be acceptable dates. Thank you.

Wow, the Member's telling us when we can do it, and it's really good. I think there may have been an email exchange back and forth between the Member and myself. But just so people are aware, MACA has been meeting frequently with residents in Hay River office and on site, on their properties. These meetings are occurring on an ongoing basis with our pathfinders as well as senior management for those individuals who completed situations.

Mr. Speaker, I have to applaud the Member from Hay River North, Hay River South, and the Deh Cho for reaching out and working with us, and having these conversations and inviting us to that. So as the Member has said, that date works for our technical staff on the 27th and 28th. We will work with the three Members to set up what type of meetings we'll have with them so that we can meet the requirements of impacted residents on that.

As for myself, with my schedule, I'll work with the Member when I can get into the communities. And again, I really have to stress I have to thank the three Members. I've had displeasure of dealing with floods myself last year, and I applaud them for the work they're doing for the residents. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like I said before, squeaky wheel gets the grease so I'm going to keep up this until I hear some good answers, if it takes me, I don't know, how long. If I have to keep running.

What is the Minister doing to raise the issue of such a rough terrible -- I guess I could say horrible Yukon section of the Dempster Highway to the Yukon government? I did raise this in May, and I know she mentioned that she was going to have talks with them. So I'm just wondering where we are with those talks. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, squeaky wheels. I want to reassure the Member from Twin Lakes that both of us are advocating for this. We also have some of the Indigenous groups that are also advocating for this as well, and I know some of them have reached out to the Yukon government to be able to have further discussions on the border side to the Yukon.

And since the Member brought this up in last session, I've met with the Minister. We've had discussions on a path going forward, and I'm actually going back down to meet with the Minister in December. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister -- I think it's Vandal came up or was supposed to come up. I told the Premier I'd make the drive to Inuvik with -- up the Dempster Highway with him. But I'm just wondering with the Minister have they had these -- any of these discussions on this section just because it affects us as residents of the Northwest Territories but it doesn't really impact whether or not that road is upkept in the Yukon for their residents. So I'm just wondering where this Minister has had those talks with the federal minister. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do want to note that this summer, the Minister Vandal was in Inuvik, and I had an opportunity to travel with him up Tuktoyaktuk and we had a meeting there with the hamlet, the community corp, and it was a really good meeting and during that time, I also stressed concern about the Dempster Highway. You know, we are looking at investing into the Inuvik-Tuk Highway, and that we need to engage collaboratively with everybody involved to be able to have those discussions for the rest of the highway too. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit to pushing the federal government to fund in full the Mackenzie Valley, and I think this is not just for this Minister, I think it's for the Premier, we need to fund the Mackenzie Valley Highway, especially if the Yukon will not keep up their end. So if the Minister meets with the Yukon and they're not going to commit to anything tangible while we are in the 19th Assembly, then I suggest we move on and we start to work on our own highway. Mr. Speaker, the residents of the Beaufort Delta can no longer be ignored by this government, the Yukon government, the federal government. We cannot be stranded in the Beaufort Delta with this type of a highway just because it doesn't impact their residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do want to mention that the Mackenzie Valley Highway is one of my mandate items to be able to advance that project. And Mr. Speaker, we are advancing. We are looking at ways to be able to get this project going. For example, the developer's report is due in the next couple months. That kind of indicates what we need to do to be able to look at advancing the Mackenzie Valley Highway. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, advancing on paper or advancing on the ground; that's what I would like to see. I would like to see if the Minister will commit to pushing hard on this because I'd like to see it just like the Tuk Highway. I'd like to see it coming from -- you know, from the North and the South and let's meet in the middle, and let's get this highway done. Let's quit talking about it. I don't want to be dead and, like, you know, this is something that I know our previous leader from Sahtu talked about the Mackenzie Valley, and, you know, I think this government and the future -- the next government owe it to complete this highway. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do want to stress the developer's report and some of the work that kind of advises us on a path going forward. So this is something that we are looking at and working with Indigenous groups up along the valley as well, looking at a number of things. Northern, local businesses, and the list goes on. So, yes, this is something that -- and the Member knows that, I mean, we want the Mackenzie Valley Highway so bad. So that is something we're advancing. Thank you. So bad.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question as well too. And, yes, we are on track for the 25 units annually. We actually do have a 90-unit delivery. We will also -- Housing has also submitted an application to the federal government for an additional 12 seniors duplexes. That would be submitted hopefully on the ground with construction starting in 2023-2024.

I also just want to, just for the Member for the 90-unit delivery, for his riding, he would be receiving two units in Dettah, four units in Lutselk'e, two in N'dilo, and six in Fort Resolution. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The mandate document promises to implement a new policy to allow seniors and disabled individuals to access housing repairs by the summer of 2021. Can the Minister update the House on how many people have been helped with home repairs due to this policy change? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question as well too. And we are wanting to increase our programming and the dollars as well too. Within this government, we had increased our homeownership repair of $3 million for the Northwest Territories. I don't have the exact number on hand but we do see a significant increase. Also we did receive an additional $60 million over two years from the federal government. And a portion of that funding will be going towards public housing repair and homeownership repair throughout the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The mandate promises a lease-to-own policy for the winter of 2020 with an average of 25 leases to own homeownership agreements signed per year for 2020 and 2023. Can the Minister update this House on how many leases have been signed to date? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Homeownership is a priority of this government. As of to date, I want to say approximately 42 of those leases have been signed over. And I also just wanted to also reflect on our mission and our values as well too is that we did have a document that was tabled this year. And the values that I just want to identify is we are committed to be client-focused, working in collaboration, coming up with innovative programming, and looking at how we are going to be more accountable, looking at reconciliation, and looking at more of a stability for programs throughout the Northwest Territories. And I appreciate the questions coming forward because it really contributes to the changes of the way we are going to be doing business within Housing for the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Final supplementary. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.