Alfred Moses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we just finished our capital planning budget, there are a lot of priorities that are out there and needs right from our smallest community to here in Yellowknife. We have 23 learning centres in some of our communities throughout the North. We have three campuses that we feel that the space can be used a little bit better. At this time, I won't direct my department to put it in the next capital budget. We are going to wait for that strategic plan to come before all Members of this Assembly and look at what space and needs are needed here in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in its mandate to strengthen culture and heritage in the NWT by working with stakeholders to update the 2010 NWT Aboriginal Languages Plan: A Shared Responsibility.

As we all know, there are nine official Aboriginal languages spoken throughout the Northwest Territories. Most of these languages are in a critical state and in real danger of disappearing over the next few decades. As our territory loses its elders, we find ourselves in a serious situation with fewer proficient, fluent speakers...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have many programs within our department. Seniors could also get assessed under the Income Assistance Program, where they might be eligible for a full tank of fuel twice a year or a cord of wood twice a year. Those options are available for the seniors that might not qualify. But, if any seniors don't qualify, I also encourage them to do a reassessment to make sure that they're assessed properly and that they might actually make the needs. If they don't make the requirements under the Senior Home Heating Subsidy, then they can also apply under the Income Assistance...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's roughly about just over 500 every year. The more information and more awareness that we get out there to seniors in our communities, we can expect to see possibly numbers rising. As I also mentioned, we're doing a review of the Senior Home Heating Subsidy, and we're looking at thresholds, we're looking at zones, we're also looking at fuel allocations. When that review is done, there's potential that we might even see even more seniors who can actually access that program, so it's a benefit to our seniors' population throughout the Northwest Territories. Thank you...

Currently, we have three zones throughout the Northwest Territories, to get the maximum threshold for each zone, for Zone 1 is just over $46,000; Zone 3 is high as $56,000, and those are in the more rural and remote communities and the communities in the high Arctic, and those are what we're looking at, whether or not we need to change those so that more seniors can access the program and have fuel and heat up their homes throughout the full winter months.

We had 513 NWT seniors access the program last year. I believe 230 seniors used their full fuel allocation, not all the seniors use up what they're entitled to. As I said, we're reviewing the program so that those 230 seniors who've actually used up their fuel allocation might have some months where they need that fuel for the rest of the winter months. We're going to be looking at those threshold levels.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to welcome Mr. Clarence Wood, long-time councillor for the Town of Inuvik, also His Worship Mayor Heyck, as well as a couple other leaders who have paved the way for us, Mr. Charlie Furlong and Ray Ruben. I'd also like to welcome my cousin William Greenland joining us here again today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Various ways, Mr. Speaker, radio ads, newspaper ads, we ask our MLAs to go out and promote it. Recently, we've been going out doing a lot of community meetings. We were just in Nahendeh. Every meeting that we went to we talked about the Senior Home Heating Subsidy. A lot of seniors that come to our open houses, we bring that up as well. We get our staff to promote as well in the communities so that seniors who are accessing the program, they can let other seniors know about what's available to them.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was just one change actually, and that was to clarify that seniors who maintain a residential land lease with the Department of Lands were eligible for the subsidy. What I want to maybe inform the Member is that we're actually going through a review, and we did get a lot of concerns from almost all the Members during our sitting earlier this year about the threshold levels, the amount of fuel that elders can receive. As the temperature drops below zero throughout the North, we want to make sure that this program is providing the best services to those in need, the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have the great opportunity and great honour today to recognize some very special guests in the Great Hall during the Ministers' Culture and Heritage Awards. I'd like to recognize them and thank them for joining us here in the gallery as well as thank them for all the work that they're doing in preserving our cultures, promoting it, and being great ambassadors for the North, for their communities and for their regions as well.

Under the elder award, Mr. Edward Oudzie, I believe he's joining us here today. Accompanying him is Harold Harris from Norman Wells...