Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Madam Speaker. In regards to that, I just want to say again, we have youth that are graduating that are potentially able to go into the trades program. We could take care of our own units, housing units in the communities and having our own local people taking care of the taking care of ourselves and caretakers for that.

Will the Minister commit to establishing local apprenticeships in the Nunakput riding, in all four of my communities, working with the local leadership, ask Aurora College to get the trades trailers in and start working towards that? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, we have the trades trailer sitting in Inuvik outside of the Aurora College. I'm just wondering, we've been asking for those in the communities, like Paulatuk and Ulu and Tuk. Are they able to utilize those trailers to get a trades program going on in the communities? With all these new houses that we have being built, it would be good to tag along with that and to have youth because youth are graduating now and they have basically we have nothing, really nothing going on in our communities, Madam Speaker. Are we able to put trades programs in the local...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. In the life of this Assembly, Madam Speaker, housing's been a big topic in Nunakput. In the Nunakput riding, the struggles of the constituents and the people I represent, 24 percent of our houses have mold problems, 18 percent have pest infestations, 25 percent have poor indoor air quality, 13 percent of our homes are overcrowded, 20 percent of our homes in Nunakput have someone who can't get their own home and are homeless. We have poor quality homes just because of age and replacement is slow. We have to live in the coldest and darkest location in the Northwest...

No, I just want to make a comment. Thank you, Madam Speaker. I thank the Minister for that, and I look forward to working with her department to get this done in short order, within a couple of months, not years. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Just yes or no answers from the Minister then. Thank you.

So, Madam Speaker, in regards to, I've been always bringing up in the House since 2007 in regards to my elders that are being brought out of the communities of Ulukhaktok, Paulatuk, Sachs, and Tuk, having to be brought out to Inuvik to longterm care. Families not able to see them, elders getting homesick, and it just draws too much hardship on my elders.

Madam Speaker, I have private monies to use from business, a local business in the Delta wanting to build these units in the communities of Ulukhaktok and...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Can I get that in writing? No, I'm just joking.

Madam Speaker, so the Minister's committed to that. And what I'll do is I'll reach out to my community leadership of the communities and work together with them to invite the Minister to the community to work on a goforward basis for elders' facilities in Ulukhaktok and Paulatuk. And can the Minister recommit to that? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, elders in our communities need a facility to live in. We have spoken in this House many times about overcrowded homes in Nunakput. In many homes in Nunakput, large families, cramped in small spaces, includes elders and ones we are supposed to be taking care of. Madam Speaker, we're supposed to be making sure our elders age in our homes and with dignity in our communities and not getting homesick and not missing family.

Madam Speaker, many elders are living with extended family, cramped houses, living in our own public housing units that are difficult to...

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. No, Madam Minister, like in regards to community corporations and stuff like that, I know that the department's really interested and keen on working together with local community governments in regards to builds. I'm really pushing for my Ulukhaktok and Paulatuk elders’ facilities. I've been working on this since 2007, and I'm really tired of seeing my elders in Inuvik hospital and away from family and not seen and just like they're put on a shelf. And I'm really hoping that we could try to work together with privatepublic partnership to build these units on a...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, no, I agree with the Minister in regards like that. I mean, the fuel prices are just going up and it's going to inflation going up all over in regards to the cost of living. But how long are you expecting now, once a person comes to you, and like what's the timeline that through your department, what would you like to see on a timeline for approvals? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, no. Just in regards to that, I mean, myself and the Minister, we've been going back and forth for the last two years in regards to something like this. The program was given the house was given to the constituent and stuff like that and then next thing you know I said, well, house is given to them; don't have to pay rent? It's given to you, and it's I guess the I thought it would be forgiven. But all this time it was they still had to pay back the debt that was owed but it was our fault as I mean, the corporation's fault for letting them wait two years, two and a half years...