Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, I guess when we're talking about people who are, you know, crying out for help, we have sort of the middle component. We have a lot of programming. You know, I don't dispute that. And, you know, and I try and encourage people to -- you know, to take some of that programming or talk to counsellors. And we also have access to treatment centres, albeit that they're put from down south; they're not here in the territories, but we do have that. What we don't have is the front end which is the detox centres -- or beds. We need something for these people. You know, they need to be somewhere where they're safe, because a lot of times we're dealing with people who might be homeless; they don't have a place to live; you know, they've got families kicking them out, whatever. So they need a safe place. And it takes this government to actually do something. It takes our financial resources. So, Mr. Speaker, after six confirmed drug-related deaths in the community of Hay River, to support residents requiring detox, we need the funding, $240,000, actually, for two positions which would be medical social workers. Can the Minister tell me when this might happen or if it's on her radar because my assumption was that it was something that was already going to happen. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in fact, the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority is now actively recruiting two medical social workers who will support community outreach efforts and coordinate clinical care. So I don't know where that process is at, but the money has been identified; the ad has been posted, and we -- it usually takes somewhere up to 12 weeks to fill a position. So I hope that before we leave here at the end of March, you will -- I will be able to announce to you that the medical social workers are in place. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of housing. Earlier the Minister responded to my oral question from last session and mentioned two projects here in Yellowknife that are being -- are supposedly work of the department in order to combat homelessness. Can the Minister tell me how much money that the GNWT contributed to those two projects, Lynn's Place and Spruce Bough that were mentioned in the return to oral questions. It's my understanding that money was from the federal government, not the GNWT and the two NGOs involved. Can the Minister please speak to the GNWT's contribution. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question as well too. I actually just had the information in front of me, but I was more calculating the units for Yellowknife. That's what I had concentrated on. We have 366 that are being delivered now by the national co-investment fund, but then we did support these applications going forward. Housing did create a position to be the outreach to talk to NGOs, to talk to Indigenous groups, to gain their interest in addressing the housing crisis throughout the Northwest Territories with us. Working in partnership is a priority of mine as well too. Right now we have 214 of the 366 co-investment fund applications that have been approved. They are now under construction. Right now you can see the expansion of Lynn's Place, Spruce Bough, Borealis Co-Op, and Avens Senior Society also with a number of renovated units that are happening throughout the city. We also work with the City of Yellowknife as well too to address homelessness as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't think I asked about the number of units. I asked the Minister how much money, besides the one position that hasn't done anything, did the GNWT spend on Lynn's Place and Spruce Bough. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I addressed the answer to the question. I said I did not have those numbers, that I was more concentrating on the number of units that were being delivered. I did have that in front of me just recently. I will follow up with the Member as well. But like I had said, I wanted to describe our support for the co-investment applications going forward for the Northwest Territories. We did create support and a position within Housing NWT to be the outreach to work closely with CMHC in addressing those housing needs and to support those applications going forward. We did get funding from this government to be addressing the national co-investment fund applications as well too. Sometimes the proponent comes forward as well, and they're not looking for financial support; they're looking for support through the application as well too. Some of them actually do have the means to bring their applications forward. But I will follow up with the Member as well to justify the numbers and what we financially contributed to these 214 units being constructed now here in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm happy to have given the Minister an opportunity for a Minister's statement there when she still did not answer my question or say that at the beginning of the first response. If she couldn't answer that, can she tell me how does she make decisions regarding the homelessness strategy and areas for funding, etcetera, when she doesn't collect any data about the people that are homeless or struggling in the Northwest Territories. Can the Minister tell me how she plans to address the fact that she has no data on who is homeless in the territory when she presents her homelessness strategy? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. I believe that's a different line of questions than what you started with. The next time we'll be a little more strict on that. Minister for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for that as well too. Right now we've recognized that the homelessness strategy is an all-of-government approach. We are looking at the needs that are specifically identified as well too, addressing the poverty reduction, the food security, mental health, and addictions, and also looking at the affordable housing, and working more closely with our nonprofit organizations as well. This has been identified as a whole-of-government. And we're looking at this strategy hopefully being provided to Members by February 28th. And we did have the date that was identified as of April 1st, but I do understand the complexity of this strategy as well and the identified needs. For the data collection, this is something the government has not put together. We don't have those numbers. What I can do is work on the wait list that we do have throughout the Northwest Territories and the significant need for housing across the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank you for indulging my question. So as I sit and listen to the fact that we have not collected this data and hear the Minister explain that the housing wait list is what she's going off of, I think we're conflating two different issues here. Homelessness does not equate to the number of people that are on the housing wait list, especially whether you have NGOs like the YWCA taking and housing people in lieu of the government doing it themselves. Given that there is no data being collected and I've yet to see the Minister come to my riding or any in Yellowknife that I'm aware of, could the Minister please commit to doing a tour of Yellowknife apartment buildings in my riding and including Lanky Court. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to look at our -- looking at our wait list, that is a contribution to the housing strategy. I said this is a all-of-government approach. We will have to -- we are working with Health and Justice as well too. And I'm looking forward to the completion of the strategy as well. And also for the Member to invite me to her riding and looking at Lanky Court, I'd also like to extend that to the MLA O'Reilly riding as well too because Lanky Court is in his riding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Colleagues, before we continue, we've got to tighten up the questions and answers. We did two, and it's been 15 minutes here, so we need to shorten it up here. Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister responsible for MACA.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it was very exciting to be at the Arctic Winter Games this year. It was the first time in five years that we've had it because of COVID and the situations like that. So the department of Municipal and Community Affairs works with Sport North, the Aboriginal Sport Circle, Mackenzie Recreation Association, Beaufort Delta Recreation Association, and the Territorial Sports Organizations to develop and foster coaches and athletes in the communities. The department also supports Sport North by having the MACA regional recreation coordinators work with the communities in identifying that there. As well we get that information out to the schools. So we're able to do those things collaboratively with education and our partners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I note that the Minister had gone down on public dime, and he didn't invite the most important person, me. But, Mr. Speaker, I noted in my Member's statement there were no participants from Kakisa, Enterprise, nor Katl'odeeche, which is the Hay River Reserve. I note that there are regional recreation staff throughout the NWT. Can the Minister advise if the regional recreation staff advise and assist the small communities, particularly the communities I mentioned, in preparation for the Arctic Winter Games? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think MLA Semmler would probably say she was the most important person, and she was there, and she did a great job representing the Northwest Territories there. Municipal and Community Affairs regional recreation coordinators are actively involved in sharing information to all the communities. That's with the rec leaders; that's what the SAOs or the band managers. So we get that information out there. I can also confirm information on the selection process and deadlines were shared numerous times. As well we work with the schools to get that information out to the people there. Again, we place high -- how you say -- most important -- getting the information out there, it's very important for us to stress the information and getting it out there. And we work with the regional associations as well to get that information to all communities in the Northwest Territories, just not the ones in the Mackenzie region, but we also get it to the Beaufort Delta Recreation Association. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that answer. What I hear there is that they share -- the regional recreation staff only shares information. I think in my previous statements regarding sports activities for all the communities and since the lagging time due to COVID and new recreation staff was pertinent and very important that that staff -- those staff go out into the communities, and it hasn't happened. We got a lot of staff involved in recreation who are not going into the communities to offer assistance within the communities. You're only sharing info. But that's just not going to work. Mr. Speaker, I understand there is controversy in this May junior regionals held in Yellowknife in the past and the lack of proper facilities for attending athletes and their chaperones. This was all during the trials and preparations. Can the Minister advise as to why other communities outside of Yellowknife were not considered to host regionals or trials? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to have to clarify something here. Our regional recreation coordinators do go away to the communities. They do work with the schools. They do work with the recreational staff. They come in when they're invited, when they're new so they get into that there. In regards to hosting territorial events, yes, there was some confusion out there. But, again, it got fixed. Territorial organizations work with the communities to see if they want to host it, if they're able to do it, if they've got the venues, they got the places, accommodations for the food. It's been the practice to host where communities want to host it and where they can be hosting it. In Fort Simpson, in my 30 years in that community, we've hosted territorial and regional trials. Fort Providence has hosted regional trials as well. So we do give that option to -- opportunity to various communities, and we will continue to do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final short supplementary, Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish we could see a record of their staff going into the communities. I'm not aware of anything there. Anyways, I understand the Canada Winter Games are upcoming. I don't know the dates or a venue or which place it's being held. Can the Minister advise if, because it's a short period of time, if the same athletes that attended the Arctic Winter Games will be the same athletes going to the Canada Winter Games? Mahsi.