Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Yes, I am asking because there's only three units that's -- that's within this fiscal year that's -- it's -- I'm sure it's a major retrofit, you know. It's not replacing an appliance or anything like that, but I'm just asking why only three units that's -- you know, that's being retrofitted, major retrofit, and there's still a lot of other units that are boarded up. What is the department going to do with those boarded up units because it is an eyesore. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Okay, I just wanted to ask, because we know that we're in a housing crisis, it's all over the North, it's not just my region but it's within all the regions. And I see here for retrofit, in Behchoko, you know, like we have 130 people that are on the waitlist, or maybe it's probably more than that, you know, and there's some families, they've been waiting for the last two, three a years, and -- you know, and they haven't moved up the list. So I'm just wondering why only three units that's being retrofit within this fiscal year when there are still other, like five or six...

Okay, well it would be nice if they can show us the formula. Can the Minister explain how the department knows or determines what amount of funding is adequate? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister explain how Municipal and Community Affairs is engaging community governments and Indigenous governments about shared responsibilities and what input they have had on the formula change? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Mackenzie Delta, that Committee Report 16-20(1) be received and adopted by the Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Your Standing Committee on Social Development is pleased to provide its Report on the Statutory Review of the Mental Health Act and commends it to the House.

And, Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Mackenzie Delta, that Committee Report 16-20(1), Standing Committee on Social Development Report on the Statutory Review of the Mental Health Act, be deemed read and printed in Hansard in its entirety. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, that's good to know because she said it, so it's for the record. So I hope there is, you know -- I'm sure there is a contract, there is something in place somewhere. So I'm glad that, you know, she mentioned it.

So, yeah, no, I mean, Whati, you know, they're in housing crisis as well, and I don't see them on the list here. Gameti, and I know Wekweeti only have a few -- few units that belongs to the public housing units, so why they are not on the budget this fiscal year for upcoming fiscal year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Municipal funding gap. Mr. Speaker, on May 29th of this year, the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight tabled a report in this House that noted the municipal funding gap under the current formula would not work without substantial investment. Members discussed a funding formula that equalizes the gap for communities across the Northwest Territories. The government responded on June 13th, noting that MACA recently updated its community government funding policies to, one, provide a more equitable distribution of funding by basing allocations on a needs...

Well, two houses -- two houses are being retrofitted. Is it currently being retrofitted? Because I know one house was already retrofitted and that was not done by the housing; it was done by the Indigenous government that retrofitted that house because they really needed a client to move in there that was a forest fire victim. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. I know the need is great throughout the Northwest Territories and there's 12 units that you just mentioned, but I'm just wondering if the Minister can answer me. Does the department really have any money to do work on these units, or is it just to get people's hope up that, okay, there's actually three units that's going to be retrofitted and hopefully the waiting list will go down? Because from what I heard from the -- in Behchoko is that they're asking people to move out of the unit because they're going to fix up the unit, so they're going to do a retrofit when, in fact...