Robert C. McLeod

I’ll commit to the Member that we’ll see what we can do to simplify the process for the seniors. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am joined today by Mr. Mike Aumond to my right, the deputy minister of Municipal and Community Affairs; and Laura Gareau, director of corporate affairs with MACA. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

We’ll break it out by communities.

We are on 6-17, Mr. Chairman?

We were glad that we were able to have the two positions in the Member’s riding. If the regional office determines that that’s what they could use again, then I’m sure that’s what they’ll be doing. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here today to discuss the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs’ 2010-2011 Main Estimates. The department’s main estimates indicate that $91.288 million is required for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. This is an increase of $5.2 million or 6 percent from last year’s main estimates. The funding change is related to increased funding for community governments to address forced growth, ongoing increasing strategic investments to focus on youth programming and services, and the establishment of stable, ongoing funding to support large multisport games events.

Of the...

The communities can take everything else on, they’re not obligated to take the lands.

Mr. Chairman, we have seen in some communities, they will take it upon themselves to…the fire equipment they usually have. If there are opportunities for, and if funding permits, then it is something that I think we need to have a look at, because they do a wide range of operations within the volunteer fire department and search and rescue. Search and rescue on the water is one of them. There is an opportunity there for the assistant fire marshal to work with them in identifying things that they might need.

I think the biggest part of it here is the training and work with the communities. I...

Mr. Chair, I’ll have Mr. Aumond respond to that.

Mr. Speaker, I will make a commitment to all 11 Members that we will be doing what we can to bring the housing needs down. There is an adequacy issue, obviously. A lot of this is homeowners that have received home packages from the Housing Corporation that are looking to make some repairs to them. We are doing what we can to assist them, Mr. Speaker. I have made a commitment that once we are through this two-year cycle of the major investment that we have had, I am very confident that we will see a decline in the needs numbers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.