Julie Green

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, when we went on our tour, we had the opportunity to speak directly with people in the treatment centres, and housing was the number one topic on their mind after sobriety. Many of them were very concerned about where they were going to live when they came out of the treatment facility and, particularly, that they not return to their living situation that they had been in prior to treatment because they found that it was not constructive. So there is a real desire on the part of people who have gone through treatment to obtain housing on their release.

The other...

Mr. Speaker, now that the Minister has had some time to reflect on how this contract kind of went awry, what are the lessons that she is taking away from this experience?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, all four of the treatment centres that we visited operated on the 12-step model, and as you may know, peer support is critical to the success of the 12-step program.

What I have heard since I came back is that, in even the regional centres, let alone the small communities, people are reluctant to create AA groups, which would be the natural follow-up, because of privacy concerns, which I stated earlier. There really isn't a level of anonymity in a place that has 1,000 people, and not everyone is comfortable sharing the details of their addiction and recovery in...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. In the last session, you may recall a number of my colleagues and I talked about modular homes, specifically about the contractor's failure to deliver all of the units by last summer, as the contract specified. Last we heard, the Minister was making alternative arrangements to complete and deliver these units. Can she please provide an update, and I will break this down into pieces, first on the three units that were partially complete when they were delivered to Ulukhaktok? Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the commitments that the department made in its response to the Office of the Auditor General was to update the Fire Protection Act. Could the Minister tell us about the progress on updating that act? Thank you.

I appreciate that response. Can the Minister tell us in how many communities this assessment tool has been completed and whether that list includes Norman Wells?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's good news that the fire marshal is travelling the communities of the NWT to assess their needs. Could the Minister tell us when his report will be ready and whether the needs will be funded in the next business plan? Thank you.

I'm talking more about fire departments. As I think we're all aware, firefighting is a dangerous undertaking. I appreciate the Minister's response that community members are willing to pitch in. I think that having trained firefighters is a better solution.

It's my understanding there aren't trained firefighters in every Northwest Territories community, so I'm wondering whether the Minister is considering making changes to ensure that there are fire departments and trained firefighters up and running in every community?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister has now provided a more clear and forceful response on this question, but my question still remains: what would happen if there was a fire in Norman Wells? God forbid, but if there was a fire in Norman Wells, how would the community respond if they put their fire department on hold? I know that the Minister is working at arm's length on this, but I would like to hear that there is a plan for response and that it's going to take effect immediately. Thank you.

I am aware that the municipality of Norman Wells runs its own fire department, but clearly there is a problem there that has resulted in a "pause" in the operation of the fire department. My question is really: what kind of assistance can the Minister offer the municipality of Norman Wells to ensure that residents are protected from fire if one were to occur?