Julie Green

Thank you. As the chair of Social Development mentioned, we had several presentations at the public hearing at this bill, including one from the Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife, which is a youth organization that supports people who are transgender and queer. I want to read a portion of their presentation because it helps to flesh out the section 42(1). So I'm quoting here: "Transgender identity at its core describes a person who feels like they are a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth by our medical system and/or by their caregivers or parents. There is no requirement...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So this variable of age and condition seems to be a very powerful indicator of investment. What I see  my colleague has called up the survey  is that core housing need in Yellowknife is 17 per cent but the number of retrofits being proposed are 33 per cent. Maybe I could get a better idea of how these different elements are weighted. Do they each have an equal weight, or do they have unequal weights, whatever the weights are? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So then I have some questions about page 71, which shows there is a major retrofit of 103 units, so that's about a third of the Yellowknife Housing Authority stock. How was that number arrived at visavis the core need for Yellowknife? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the witness for his response. I'm still not really sure how the core need numbers are worked into the plan for retrofits in places like Gameti or anywhere else for that matter. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm looking at page 70, and I see that the community of Gameti has one unit that will be retrofitted. I know that Gameti has one of the highest core needs in housing in the NWT, so I'm wondering what the relationship is between the core need and the allocation of retrofit dollars. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a few more questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. So given the fact that these new services will be introduced to the intoxicated and homeless population downtown, what is the future of the day shelter? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Minister could tell us whether he is looking at contracting a nonprofit to deliver the services of the sobering centre or whether that will be done by departmental staff? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I know the Minister was at the launch of the Downtown Road Map report last week and that he's been a supporter of its development. It's my understanding that the investment in services for intoxicated people falls to his department. Could the Minister confirm that the 11 priorities in the report are his priorities? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, those of us who live downtown in Yellowknife have witnessed how dramatically it's changed in the last few years. I've received numerous complaints from residents who find the downtown a more challenging place to live because of a growing population of people who are homeless and/or intoxicated. According to a City of Yellowknife report, the use of emergency shelters increased 14 per cent in just one year, 2015. The RCMP decision not to take intoxicated people into custody just because they are intoxicated has produced a 30 per cent increase in ambulance rides...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that answer. What I was trying to get to was that there was some evidence base to the allocation of retrofit dollars among the various needs of the housing authority. It is good to know that there is an evidence base to that. I think it would be useful to include a little bit of an explanation of what that evidence is in this capital plan in years going forward. That is a comment. I don't have any other questions. Thank you.