Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a few general comments and I feel the need to pretty much repeat the comments that I made yesterday when we were considering the Housing Corporation’s budget. It follows up on my statement and my questions to the Minister earlier today, and that’s my concern for seniors’ housing.

The Minister has advised that yes they are, they recognize that the numbers of seniors are going to increase, that they are using an Aging in Place Strategy, but he has yet to recognize, in my view, that we have seniors right now who need supported living and there is no space for them...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t think I heard an answer to the question there. We can assume that residents will be there, but in order for Avens to go to the bank, they need some kind of a guarantee from the government that, yes, we will actually put people in there and yes, we will provide the funding for operations and maintenance. I know that the Minister knows that the need is there and I don’t yet understand why we can’t get that done.

My last question, my usual question, has to do with timing, and the Minister says that he is looking at getting this renovation, this expansion into the...

Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate the work that the Minister is doing. I know that he supports the project as much as I do.

The Avens kitchen has long been known, and it has been evident, that it’s deficient – it’s been many years now – and it is in need of upgrading. If Avens does not get the funding that they require to renovate this facility and to do their expansion project, which is an integral part of it, it may be closed down by the very department which is actually responsible and funds the whole facility.

So if that comes to fruition, what will the Minister do to avert such a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome the SADD group who were here earlier and left. I think the work that they do is much appreciated and it’s extremely valuable.

I’d like to welcome all the students from Aurora College and particularly mention Ginny Wainwright, who is a resident constituent from Frame Lake; and Geraldine Hunter, who is the student representative on the Aurora College Board of Governors. So, welcome to all.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have an increasingly urgent need for seniors housing in the NWT. My community, Yellowknife, is blessed with a visionary, committed organization whose reason for being is care for seniors. I speak of Avens – A Community for Seniors.

Avens is unique in the NWT’s health system as it is the only independent organization that runs a health care facility in the NWT. The Aven Campus has four facilities which house seniors across the continuum of care. Aven Manor, the oldest and the original Avens facility, will soon be declared unfit without a major retrofit.

To prepare for...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have one comment to make with this expenditure. It’s that this dollar amount has stayed the same for too long. I’ve mentioned this before. The needs of communities are constantly increasing. I know the needs of this government are increasing, as well, but I would urge the Minister to do what he can to get this amount for capital infrastructure in our communities increased.

We have devolved a lot of buildings to our communities through the New Deal over the years. Many of them were not new buildings; they were the older buildings. Therefore, they either need...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We wish to consider Tabled Document 115-17(5), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2015-2016.

Thanks to the Minister for that. I would hope that it would also be shared with the NWT Association of Community members and I suspect he meant that as well. They are public, after all.

The study is going to be done this winter. Winter is, unfortunately, eight months and I’m wondering if the Minister could give me a bit of a tighter definition of when this study might be done. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. I want to return to one of my pet peeves, my pet issues, and that would be the implementation of 911 in the NWT or hopefully just Yellowknife to start.

The last time I asked some questions about 911, I believe I was advised by the Minister that there was a study in the works. They were doing another study based on a study or studies that had been done by the City of Yellowknife. So I’d like to ask the Minister initially if he can give me an update on that study.

Are we anywhere near...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to speak about a young, made-in-the-NWT, well-known mental health program for youth; specifically, FOXY, which stands for Fostering Opening eXpression among Youth.

FOXY is a participatory action research project. Big words which means that youth are involved in all aspects of the project, from its development to its implementation and then evaluation. The research component involves looking at the effectiveness of FOXY and empowering NWT youth, and facilitating dialogue about sexual health issues in the NWT.

The NWT has one of the highest rates for sexual...