Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would have to bring this back to WSCC, but I want to assure the Member that we don't offer those training certificate programs for smaller communities and the programs that he has identified and looking at those terms and the expiry dates of those as well, too, that we don't have a say on when those certificates are going to be expired because we don't offer those programs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The only time this had occurred was during COVID when the person training was not able to be granted an extension under those circumstances. But other than that, first aid, which is legislated, is the discretionary decision made by those who have developed and provided that specific training. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Outside of first aid, WSCC does not have a role in the certification expiry dates. This would be the discretion of the provider such as the Northern Safety Association or other safety certificate providers. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The determination of the certificate's expiry is at the discretion of the developer or provider and often with the input from the relevant associations or committees, such as the Canadian Standards Association, expiration dates are usually based on extensive research that are put into the competencies of that person being trained. Some of the areas that are considered when setting expiration dates may be the risk of the work, how often is this task performed, how often do practices change in order to keep the training up to date.

The differences between the length of the certification is related to the competencies. Evidence of the association or committees show that the person will lose their knowledge and gain -- that would lose their knowledge and gain during the course of over a period of time and their competencies may diminish. Best practices and technology changes are considered. Shortened certification requirements help to ensure training is kept up to date. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish it could be that easy, but we do have 33 communities throughout the Northwest Territories that we do have to provide adequate housing to as well. And looking at the housing wait list throughout the Northwest Territories, I want to say significant investment has been made throughout this government.

For the Member's riding, we do have -- just a second, sorry. We do have $3.1 million that will be invested into the Member's riding for this current year delivery and constructing four public housing units and repairing 41 housing units, and $542,000 for homeownership repair.

For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, we're looking at $2.6 million addressing also new construction of public housing units and money put into home repair as well.

And we are also still working with the Salt River First Nation as well too and the Fort Smith Metis Council as well. They were a part of the distinction-based funding that this government had supported. So the message going forward to Ottawa was if you're not going to fund the GNWT, then recognize those Indigenous agreements and fund the communities and the Indigenous governments directly.

So with that, Mr. Speaker, we are working very closely with the community of Fort Smith. I know that housing is a crisis throughout the Northwest Territories, but we are doing our best to address these issues as a government in whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we know that no single government can effectively address housing issues in the Northwest Territories on their own; therefore, in order to be successful our government continues to build partnerships with Indigenous governments, community governments, private companies, the Government of Canada, and non-governmental organizations. One of our partnerships with a prominent non-governmental organization is with Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity is a global organization that works towards stable, affordable housing with the help of sweat equity.

Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT's partnership began with them in 2013 and has so far resulted in six completed houses located in the communities of Hay River, Dettah, and Yellowknife. Three more are currently being under construction in Yellowknife, and a plan for an additional four over the remainder of our current arrangement will ideally be in other communities.

In addition to financial support, Housing NWT is donating a residential lot to the non-profit organization, with a plan to build two duplexes. As Habitat for Humanity expands beyond Yellowknife, Housing NWT staff have supported them by working with partners to identify land and possible partners for in-kind donations since the NGO relies heavily on support from businesses and communities. Housing NWT has contributed $450,000 to habitat builds to date and will continue to support other builds that are being planned.

Mr. Speaker, the most recent Habitat for Humanity project was completed in Hay River where a deserving family moved into their new home earlier this month. I had hoped I would have been able to officially welcome them into their new home in June as part of a key ceremony, however due to the fire situation the ceremony is now delayed. Therefore, today I am happy to congratulate the family on their new home and hope to be able to participate in a rescheduled key ceremony once the date is chosen. Additional ceremonies will be held for clients when the three homes that are under construction are completed. These key ceremonies are an exciting opportunity and mark a huge milestone for the clients to take ownership to a brand-new home.

In order to be eligible for Habitat for Humanity home program, families must be in core need housing and paying 30 percent or more of their household income on their current housing and are able to make affordable housing payments based on their income. Habitat for Humanity works closely with each family to ensure they are ready for homeownership and provides guidance and referrals on budgeting, home maintenance, and other housing-related subjects. Housing NWT also provides homeownership education courses to help set up families for success.

Mr. Speaker, Habitat for Humanity relies on other partnerships as well, including annual funding from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Yellowknife Elks Lodge No. 314, as well as land donations from community governments. Donations of land are especially important because they make these projects affordable without the key factor to build into the cost of their project. Habitat for Humanity is currently seeking applications from families for the two new homes that are under construction in Yellowknife with applications closing on Friday. I hope that families continue to take advantage of this program as they work towards homeownership.

Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT's partnership with Habitat for Humanity is of critical importance and is one of the many different and effective ways our government is addressing housing needs in our territory. We will continue to increase the well-being of residents and communities by providing fair access to quality housing supports for the ones that are most in need. Together, we look forward to helping more families achieve homeownership in the years to come. I would like to thank Housing NWT for their continuous work with Habitat for Humanity. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question as well too. And to be honest, we don't have the data collection for the homelessness population throughout the territory. This will be coming forward with the homelessness strategy. But I just wanted to -- just have some numbers out here for the Members that we do provide funding to the Teepee Housing in Inuvik as well too, with that collaboration approach as well, and we did provide significant amount for the homelessness shelters in Inuvik as well. And just for the Members, that over the past ten years housing has invested $33.5 million into the Member's riding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member. I clearly see and understand the significant need in this region as well too. But we have struggled with non-profit organizations. We also have been in conversation with the Indigenous governments in the Member's riding as well too. So right now, just looking and trying to identify possibilities for the region, one thing that I did bring up to the department is that we do have a number of units that are there in the community and really wanting to engage and navigate with the non-profits that are there currently and looking at suitable services that we can provide. I will have to follow up with my colleague, Minister of health, just to verify what services that we do offer and if there's an opportunity for us to further look at opportunities with the vacant units that we currently do have. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member as well too. I do see the differences between addressing homelessness in Yellowknife and also in the higher Arctic communities. Right now we are in the process of hiring a position, and we are in the process as well too as identifying the responsibilities of that position. I would like to see the position administer the northern part of the region, but those conversations are taking place right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.