Debates of June 11th, 2024

This is page numbers 981 - 1020 of the Hansard for the 20th Assembly, 1st Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was housing.

Topics

Oral Questions

Members Present

Prayer

Funding Opportunities for Mental Wellness and Addictions Recovery Programs

Inuvik Petroleum Show

Change of Name Act

Sahtu Graduation Season

Changes to Student Financial Assistance Offerings for Indigenous STudents

Emergency Shelters

Folk on the Rocks

Solutions for Education for Indigenous Students

Mental health

Supports for Autism

Frank Gruben Pride Festival

Laura Gareau Retirement

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Committee Report 7-20(1): Standing Committee on Public Accounts Report on the Review of the 2022-2023 Public Accounts

Committee Report 8-20(1): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Committee's Initiation of a Project to Conduct a Review of the Land and Water Permitting Regulatory Framework

Colville Lake School Graduates

Autism Supports

Applying for a Name Change

Meeting Shelter Needs in Yellowknife

Chief Jimmy Bruneau School and Residential School System

Solutions for Education for Indigenous Students

Mental Health Training

Strategic Educational Planning for Sahtu

Incident Command System for Emergencies

Tabled Document 119-20(1): Letter dated December 6, 2023 from Alternatives North to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change regarding Public Participation in a Regional Study under part 5.2 of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act Tabled Document 120-20(1): Letter from the Assistant Deputy Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to Alternatives North regarding Public Participation in a Regional Study under part 5.2 of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act Tabled Document 121-20(1): Letter dated January 30, 2024 from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to Alternatives North regarding Public Participation in a Regional Study under part 5.2 of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act

Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Tabled Document 118-20(1)

Mackenzie Valley Highway Business Case Renewal

Consideration for the Hamlet of Enterprise to Receive Top-Up Funding

Extended Adjournment of the House to October 17, 2024

Bill 7: Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act 2024

Bill 8: An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates - Industry, Tourism and Investment - Deferral of Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment

Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates - Housing Northwest Territories - Deferral of Housing Northwest Territories

Report Of Committee Of The Whole

Orders Of The Day

Committee Motion 31-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates - Industry, Tourism and Investment - Deferral of Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 991

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. Is there any further questions from the Members on this page item? Seeing none, no further questions. I'll remind the committee that the estimates for Housing Northwest Territories are included as an information item only. The committee will not be voting on the activity total.

Moving on to the homelessness program starting on page 385, with information items on page 387. Are there any questions? Seeing no further questions. We will now be voting -- oh sorry, I didn't see you. The Member from Frame Lake.

Page 991

Julian Morse Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. You're moving so quickly here, I think there's probably a few of us that have some questions on these but you're just getting ahead of us there. Though I do appreciate you running a tight ship.

On the Housing First programming, when I was serving on the Yellowknife Housing Authority previous to taking on this role, we were hearing a lot of concerns from folks in public housing who were sharing space with Housing First program, that the kind of mixed use of the building was causing a lot of problems for people, you know, people who are trying to raise young children in the same building where people are experiencing pretty severe addictions issues and the kind of fallout from that. And I was just wondering if the Minister is -- whether the department is live to this issue, has a plan to address it, or has any comments on kind of ensuring that the Housing First program is implemented in such a way that it can best be set up to succeed? Thank you.

Page 991

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Page 991

Lucy Kuptana Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I understand, and I've heard of the many concerns around the Housing First program and the implementation of the program within the city of Yellowknife. Perhaps I can allow the president of Housing NWT to talk more about the Housing First program. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 991

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'll go to the president.

Page 991

Eleanor Young

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And, yes, to confirm, the Housing NWT is live to the concern and has had meetings with the deliverers of the Housing First program and is looking to see if we cannot find funding solutions to allow them to have their own space for the delivery of their programs and also to be able to expand their programs, and that's the desire of those delivering the program to be able to do so. And it would make more sense to be able to have adequate and appropriate space for them, so we will work with them with that goal in mind. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 991

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member for Frame Lake.

Page 991

Julian Morse Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. One thing I do want to note on this page is just I am very happy to see that we didn't make any cuts that I can see to these homelessness programs. That's absolutely what I want to see, and I was quite pleased to see that there's been a fairly significant increase to the Northern Pathways to Housing program. Can the Minister just speak to what those funding increases are going to be utilized for.

Page 991

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Page 991

Lucy Kuptana Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, if I can have President Eleanor Young speak on the Northern Pathways for Housing program. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 991

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'll go to the president.

Page 991

Eleanor Young

Thank you, Mr. Chair. In her opening comments, the Minister spoke to some additional funding we've received through the Gender-Based Violence program, and so that is where this funding is being targeted to, to be able to expand this area of our programming with that funding. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 991

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Frame Lake.

Page 991

Julian Morse Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And the Minister and her staff are making me quite the happy Member this afternoon. I'm very happy to see these increases to funding, very happy to hear answers about fast tracking our needs assessments. I think this is great to see. So appreciate the work they're doing on this. Of course, I'll always support more funding towards these programs. I would happily support supps coming in from the Minister when they receive more funding for programs like this because they are really crucial to getting people into housing in our communities. So thank you very much. Those are my comments on this page for now.

Page 991

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.

Page 991

Kate Reid Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have one question. It might require follow-up questions for the Minister.

I'm just noting here on the operations expenditure summary for emergency shelters, so the main estimates for 2024-2025 and 2023-2024 are the same; however, the actuals for the 2023-2024 and the 2022-2023-year are much higher. It is my assumption that the estimates and the actuals are different because of the cost to run the overnight shelters in Yellowknife; is that correct, Mr. Chair? Thank you.

Page 992

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Page 992

Lucy Kuptana Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The cost differential in the revised estimates with the main estimates for 2024-2025 are related to the Inuvik shelter, and the Inuvik homeless shelter and warming shelter are internally resourced by Housing NWT. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 992

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.

Page 992

Kate Reid Great Slave

Okay, thank you. I guess I'm mixing up health and social services and housing, I apologize. So I guess a follow-up question to that would be if we know the cost difference is basically an extra $2 million every year over year, why are we budgeting less? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 992

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.

Page 992

Lucy Kuptana Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The information I've received is that we have expanded our shelter network throughout the Northwest Territories, and we're working to gain more funding for the homeless shelters. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 992

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.

Page 992

Kate Reid Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Is there any timeline associated with that funding that they're seeking? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 992

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Debates of June 11th, 2024

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