Debates of Feb. 22nd, 2017

This is page numbers 1883 – 1930 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library.

The word of the day was housing .

Topics

Oral Questions

Members Present

Prayer

GNWT Marine Transport Plans

Early Childhood Development

Pink Shirt Day

Innovative Community Housing Solutions

Irc/gnwt Partnership On Housing

K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Taltson River Dam

Nahendeh Housing Challenges

Local Improvement Charges For Housing Energy Retrofits

Public Sector Employment Opportunities For Youth

Independent Housing For Seniors

‘pink Shirt’ Anti-Bullying Day

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Irc/gnwt Partnership On Housing

Taltson River Dam

Housing Arrears Collection

Local Improvement Charges Housing Energy Retrofits

Emergency Housing Shelters

Benefits Of Housing Cooperatives

K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Addressing Housing Challenges With Tiny Homes

Independent Housing For Seniors

Overflow Water On Mackenzie Delta Highways

Tabled Document 297-18(2): Government Of The Northwest Territories' Response To Motion 27‑18(2): A New Day Men's Healing Program

Tabled Document 299-18(2): Letter Of Resignation From Aurora College Board Of Governors South Slave Representative Lynn Napier-Buckley To The Minister Of Education, Culture And Employment

Tabled Document 300-18(2): Loans For Heat: Towards A Yellowknife Energy Savings Program

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, NWT Housing Corporation, Deferral Of Finance And Infrastructure Services Activity

Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, NWT Housing Corporation Deferral Of Programs And District Operations Activity

Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, NWT Housing Corporation, Deferral Of Further Consideration Of The Estimates For The NWT Housing Corporation

Report of Committee of the Whole

Orders of the Day

Members Present

Hon. Glen Abernethy , Mr. Beaulieu , Mr. Blake , Hon. Caroline Cochrane , Ms. Green , Hon. Jackson Lafferty , Hon. Bob McLeod , Hon. Robert McLeod , Mr. McNeely , Hon. Alfred Moses , Mr. Nadli , Mr. Nakimayak , Mr. O'Reilly , Hon. Wally Schumann , Hon. Louis Sebert , Mr. Simpson Mr. Testart , Mr. Thompson , Mr. Vanthuyne .

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

---Prayer

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Prayer

Prayer

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Good afternoon, Members. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Minister of Transportation .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Minister's Statement 141-18(2): GNWT Marine Transport Plans

Ministers’ Statements

Wally Schumann

Hay River South

Mr. Speaker, last December the Department of Public Works and Services took measures to secure the core assets of the Northern Transportation Company Limited, or NTCL, a company that went into receivership after serving the Northwest Territories through more than 80 years of operation.

NTCL was the largest marine transportation service provider in the Northwest Territories, delivering essential petroleum products and cargo, including customer goods and construction materials, to communities along the Mackenzie River and across the western Arctic.

NTCL served ten Northwest Territories communities, including four that are inaccessible by winter road. Marine resupply is the only realistic option for these four communities, where it is prohibitively expensive or impossible to provide fuel and large cargo by air transport. For other communities accessible by water, marine transportation provides an economical and reliable alternative.

Mr. Speaker, in purchasing the vital marine assets once owned by NTCL, the Government of the Northwest Territories supports the continuity of dependable and competitive marine services and delivery of essential goods to our communities on the Mackenzie River and our ocean waters. The importance of a viable Mackenzie River marine transportation service to meet the needs of government, industry, and residents cannot be understated.

The Department of Public Works and Services has made efforts to secure a marine carrier to operate the assets purchased by government and offer the comprehensive transportation services once provided by NTCL. Those efforts were unsuccessful, and by November it had become quite clear that the gap left by this company's exit would not be easily filled.

The Government of the Northwest Territories has the staff, expertise, and resources needed to run this operation and is now focused on making sure that marine transportation services in the Northwest Territories continue unaffected through the 2017 sailing season. This requires that we inspect and make ready the tug and barge fleet and our port facilities and fill key positions to manage the operations of the 2017 sailing season. We will engage a professional marine crewing operator to hire experienced and reliable crews to maintain and operate our vessels.

We expect many of these individuals will be Northwest Territories residents, knowledgeable people who worked for NTCL for many years performing the very operations that the government will now execute.

We are committed to ensuring that services are provided this sailing season, that fuel and cargo is delivered to all of the marine-accessible communities of the Northwest Territories, and we are committed to operating safely and responsibly. The experience of operating the business this season will inform the Government of the Northwest Territories as we determine the future model of operation. We are well into the development of maintenance plans to reactivate the tug and barge fleet. We are taking stock of the properties and assets purchased.

We will draw upon our expertise in environmental site assessment and management of potentially contaminated lands to determine the nature and extent of any environmental contamination associated with these properties.

While our purchase was made out of necessity, it has also revealed opportunities. Our investment in the marine transportation sector can lead to improved marine infrastructure, the creation of meaningful jobs, and a comprehensive self-funding, made-in-the-North marine transportation service that is essential to our communities. The Government of the Northwest Territories' marine transportation services secures a vital link that connects Canada's northernmost railhead to its northernmost inland port and preserves the final northern link of an intermodal supply chain that stretches all the way from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mackenzie Delta.

Mr. Speaker, this unique situation has presented us with a short window to prepare, but work is well under way to make sure that this sailing season is a success. Our future operating model is yet to be determined, but it will be one that balances the needs of government, residents, businesses, and small barging operators, who will all benefit from the continued presence of a reliable and affordable marine carrier.

Our focus is on safety and reliability, and we will endeavour to limit increases in shipping rates that would negatively impact the cost of living in the NWT and, critically, in the service of citizens and businesses. We will preserve and deploy the marine assets that are so important to the future economic activity and to the development of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Minister's Statement 141-18(2): GNWT Marine Transport Plans

Ministers’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Minister's Statement 142-18(2): Early Childhood Development

Ministers’ Statements

Glen Abernethy

Great Slave

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in its mandate to continue implementing the Early Childhood Development Action Plan to improve early childhood development, and by enhancing access to early intervention services for children zero to five years of age, and supporting community wellness initiatives with early childhood development funding and subject matter expertise.

Today, I want to share with you some of the progress our government has made in supporting children and their families through the first three years of the Right from the Start Framework.

Three early childhood intervention pilot projects enhancing access to services for children zero to five years of age in specific regions are showing early successes. These projects have improved access to rehabilitation services and increased uptake in early childhood development programs.

The Deh Cho Region Early Childhood Intervention Plan saw a 100 per cent increase in the number of children and families attending follow-up appointments with the service or program specialists to whom children and their families had been referred. Four workshops on early childhood development topics were also offered to parents, schools, and the community to help increase awareness of community resources.

Results from the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation's Early Childhood Program have seen a 50 per cent increase in accessing speech language pathology services, including increased clinic time and services in three communities through the addition of a half-time speech language pathologist. Nine workshops were held with early childhood educators that improved staff's speech and language intervention skills by 24 per cent, based on testing before and after the training. In addition, six parent speech language workshops were conducted in three target communities to increase awareness of the program.

The Tlicho Community Services Agency Speech Language Pathologist Plan showed a 300 per cent increase in accessing speech language pathology services. This included increased clinic time and services in Behchoko through the addition of one speech language pathologist. Improvements were also seen in the quality of services through the growth in children's speech and language practice.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has also made a commitment in its mandate to develop options to enhance access to birthing services and prenatal and postnatal care for mothers and their families, including the development of a territorial midwifery model. As part of our work on this commitment, the Department of Health and Social Services will be hosting sharing circles in several communities over the next few months to discuss the potential for a territorial midwifery program.

The department is looking to hear from women and their family members with experience receiving maternity care services. People interested in attending these sharing circles or taking an online survey can visit the department's website for more information.

How we deliver the Healthy Family Program is also being reviewed, Mr. Speaker, to determine if there are more effective ways to reach families at risk. The Healthy Family Program is a voluntary home-visitation program that supports parents and caregivers with children under five years of age. This early intervention program promotes the importance of the nurturing parent-child relationship and aims to increase the child's developmental opportunities while fostering positive interaction for improved outcomes in the child's future.

The department is looking at building on the strengths of the program with the potential of expanding it from the current 16 communities that it serves. A learning evaluation framework and a territorial workshop are also being organized to support continuous quality improvement.

Mr. Speaker, even though we have made progress in supporting children and families, we still have much work to do. As part of this work, the Departments of Education, Culture and Employment and Health and Social Services have collaborated in the development of a renewed action plan that my colleague, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and I will be tabling at a later date.

The renewed Early Childhood Development Action Plan supports the GNWT's efforts to offer high-quality, inclusive, and accessible early childhood development programs that are community-driven and sustainable, as well as culturally relevant. The GNWT is committed to developing a system that serves the needs of children and their families so that children are healthy, school-ready, and can reach their full potential. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Minister's Statement 142-18(2): Early Childhood Development

Ministers’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Minister's Statement 143-18(2): Pink Shirt Day

Ministers’ Statements

Alfred Moses

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today is national Pink Shirt Day, a day celebrated during the last Wednesday of February of each year. We provided pink carnations for all of the Members, and I am pleased to see all the pink in the House today, marking our acknowledgement that bullying in any form is unacceptable.

This initiative was started by two brave young men in Nova Scotia, David Shepherd and Travis Price, who gave away fifty pink shirts after a grade 9 student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school.

These two young men raised national awareness of a significant societal problem that does not only exist in our schools. It is a behaviour that has spread around the world.

Mr. Speaker, Canada is well known for its tolerance and diversity. Global events of late have seen a surge of racism, bullying, and discrimination, and we must stand against that. We must all stand up for those who are ruthlessly harassed in person, online, and in whispers. We are the examples for our children as they grow and develop their sense of self.

The Northwest Territories is an inclusive, multicultural region where we celebrate our different cultures and lifestyles. We must work together to protect the growth and progress we have seen, do our part to change attitudes, and show the rest of Canada, and the world, that bullying stops here.

Mr. Speaker, we began this journey in 2013, with amendments to the Education Act that included bullying prevention measures. Since that time, we have engaged with schools and students across the North, with pledges and contests, and a Stop Bullying – Stand Up NWT Facebook page which continues to grow. We currently have nearly 3,500 likes on the page and consistent engagements.

I am very proud to see that students across the North have heeded this call to action and are standing up in groups, through songs, videos, plays, and actions.

As I mentioned in my statement on responding to the mandate commitment of community wellness and safety, in September 2016 the Territorial School Code of Conduct and Safe Schools Regulations came into effect. The regulations set a standard of behaviour for NWT students, school staff, and the school community. The department has provided education bodies with templates and exemplars to assist in the required development of safe schools plans, and is currently providing support in the development of emergency response plans to be implemented in the 2017-18 school year. These plans will be reviewed and updated annually.

As well, the department is working with non-government organization partners and education bodies to develop policies and resources to support students and staff from the LGBTQ2+ community.

We are excited to see the progress that has been accomplished in this important initiative.

Mr. Speaker, I am most excited, however, to see the faces of students as they fight against bullying, racism, and discrimination. They are the ones who will change the attitudes that will form the policies and shift the perceptions that bullying in all forms is unacceptable. I look forward to the day when Pink Shirt Day, Day of Pink, Bullying Awareness Week, and all of the great initiatives that have sprung up to fight bullying and discrimination are days marked in history. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Minister's Statement 143-18(2): Pink Shirt Day

Ministers’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Innovative Community Housing Solutions

Members’ Statements

Cory Vanthuyne

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, providing safe, secure, affordable housing for Northerners, especially in isolated communities, is among the biggest challenges facing the NWT.

We recognize this as a top-level priority in the mandate to which we committed ourselves at the outset of the 18th Assembly.

Solutions are not easy and nothing comes cheap. That is why the NWT Housing Corporation has a budget of over $50 million for community housing services.

There was a story last fall that I found inspiring, Mr. Speaker, and I would like to talk about it for a moment.

In Deline there was a 53-year-old man who for 10 years had lived in a shack. His shack was made of crates and plywood, and it had no insulation. He had lived there for 10 years and he had not complained, but his shack was becoming infested and it was becoming too much for him. Unable to sleep, he asked a friend if he could borrow a camper trailer to live in.

Community members thought that they could do better than the trailer. They determined that, with some donated construction materials and volunteer labour, they could build the man a small home of his own. So over three weekends, local carpenters, electricians, and other volunteers built an insulated, wired, 16-by-16 tiny house for the man. They say, compared to what he had, this was 100 per cent improvement.

Mr. Speaker, I relay this story not because I think the NWT's housing issues can be solved by donations and volunteers. Clearly, that is not the case.

This story is an example of what can be accomplished with resources you can find in any NWT community -- ingenuity, dedication, and commitment. New ideas, innovations, and partnerships can be brought together to achieve things that previously seemed impossible.

Here in Yellowknife -- and right across North America -- we have seen start-ups of new innovation of tiny houses, new ideas in storage, insulation, recycling all contribute to the viability of this new idea. They are inexpensive, have a much smaller footprint, and can be portable, meaning an inventory of tiny houses can be moved to different communities as and when needed.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT's housing challenges are not going away, but the Deline example shows just what can be accomplished when people come together. Innovation, new ideas, collaboration, and partnerships with communities can help us take on this major challenge. Tiny homes can be a significant part of the solution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Innovative Community Housing Solutions

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Irc/gnwt Partnership On Housing

Members’ Statements

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in 2015 the Government of the Northwest Territories signed a four-year intergovernmental agreement with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. That agreement exists to guide both governments working together to improve the programs and services in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, or the ISR.

One of the issues in serious need of improvement, Mr. Speaker, is housing. It is something that has been a problem not just in the Northwest Territories but across the 53 communities in the Inuit Nunangat. Here in the NWT, though, even just in my riding of Nunakput, single people and single-parent families are stuck on public housing waiting lists, living with overcrowding or other inadequacies. These families are among most likely to be hungry, too, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, a full 56 per cent of Inuit single-parent families in this country have suffered from food insecurity and added stress on top of housing worries; and even if you do get through the housing waiting list or if you have market housing, about 28 per cent of Nunakput homes are still in core need, never mind that expense remains a huge obstacle, Mr. Speaker.

Last year's federal budget earmarked $15 million to be delivered through INAC for housing in the ISR in the Northwest Territories. When I asked the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation about working with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation to make the most of that money, she let us know that, while the IRC took the lead, she would be taking on a supportive role.

Mr. Speaker, I believe in responsible, effective working relationships, and this is a good example of coordination and corporation. I have talked a little about this before, but now we are almost a year on and I will be looking for an update from the Minister today on the progress of this agreement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Irc/gnwt Partnership On Housing

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Members’ Statements

Michael Nadli

Deh Cho

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

"Houses are for display only."

"The housing issue is awful; nothing is being done."

"There at 16 houses sitting empty and have been empty since 2008."

Those are a few statements from residents at the K'atlodeeche First Nation.

I had understood that work was progressing between the Hay River Dene Band and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, but residents tell me that repair and maintenance program and services, not to mention the houses themselves, remain out of reach.

Mr. Speaker, residents have shared with me their frustration and their despair. They talk to me about the lack of available housing, houses sitting empty, unmanageable arrears, and debts carried over from family members who have passed on.

Young people who want to live on their own have no choice but to live with their parents or leave their community. If they choose to leave, families are separated and traditional ways of life are threatened.

Unfortunately, I have also heard of increased homelessness in Hay River, a growing concern when housing problems have driven young people, single adults, and single-parent families from the reserve. They are left to struggle through the housing waiting lists.

To secure stability, safety, and food security, to ensure basic human dignity, our residents need homes. These homes must be adequate, affordable, suitable and accessible.

This is a fundamental right that belongs to every individual under the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Not only that, Mr. Speaker, but the Members of the K'atlodeeche First Nation are also party to Treaty 8.

When Treaty 8 was signed in 1899, it was understood by the Dene that they and their descendants would be served by the Crown's fulfilment of Treaty terms, including rights to housing.

Instead, today I see unfulfilled promises and commitments and empty promises, layers of excuses, complicated problems with land and program access.

Mr. Speaker, in the face of this, I could only conclude that the GNWT and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation are failing to meet their obligations because Dene people are First Nations and choose to live on a reserve.

We keep hearing that it's a federal responsibility; we are told that it's someone else's problem.

No, Mr. Speaker.

Immediate action is needed on the part of this government -- immediate action and collaboration with both the chief and council and the federal government.

A small bit of progress has been made with the recent purchase of 10 houses, but it will be at least another year before residents can access them. Has the community not waited long enough? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Taltson River Dam

Members’ Statements

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Last November I spoke about the community of Rocher River and the people of the Taltson River. I mentioned a dam that was built after the federal government refused to rebuild the school that had burnt down.

The people of Rocher would say that the loss of the school in 1959 and the federal government's push to move everyone to Fort Resolution made it possible to build the Taltson River dam without any real opposition. Only the chief of the day told the government that he was in opposition to the dam.

The dam is needed to provide electricity to the Pine Point Mine; the mine operated from the early 1960s to 1988.

When the dam went into operation, the muskrat and beaver that lived on Taltson either moved inland to small lakes and creeks or were killed by the fluctuating water levels on the river.

Mr. Speaker, over the last few years muskrat and beaver had been returning to the Taltson River; however, this winter there was a great surge in the water level and it appears that the ice belt was broken up. At least one outfitter sustained thousands of dollars in damage due to the flood.

This outfitter has been operating there for 31 years, and has only seen this change in the water level happen once before, in December 2006. At that time, the NWT Power Corporation was pursuing the Deze project that would have extended the hydro line from the Taltson River dam to the diamond mines.

A couple of trappers were affected by the flood, and the NWT Power Corporation made some sort of settlement with them. The problem was clearly caused by water released by the dam, which made it impossible for the trappers to pursue their traditional economy safely.

Mr. Speaker, sudden floods and ice breaking up in the middle of winter is not a natural phenomenon; the water is coming from water held back by the Taltson dam.

Elders speak of when the river sustained the livelihood for a community of 200 to 300 people. Today, there is almost no traditional economy on the Taltson River. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Taltson River Dam

Members’ Statements

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are a handful of trappers who continue to live off the land and a couple of outfitters who are still able to operate, but now, Mr. Speaker, one outfitter at the mouth of the Taltson River may be wiped out. He has built his business over years and employs at least six people each summer.

Mr. Speaker, at this point the NWT Power Corporation has refused to take responsibility for this problem. The Minister indicates the dam is too far away to have caused the problem.

This claim is not consistent with the traditional knowledge of the river and area. Ever since the federal government built the dam, there has been battle after battle over damage caused by flooding, and usually a refusal by the Power Corporation to take any responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to think that our new devolved and evolving government and the Power Corporation we own would listen to people on the land, but so far we hear the same old denial of responsibility. This is not acceptable, Mr. Speaker. Marci cho.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Taltson River Dam

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Nahendeh Housing Challenges

Members’ Statements

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when somebody or a department is doing something right or is improving the way we do business, we need to recognize this work.

In the past 15 years I've had a number of challenging issues regarding housing and, more particularly, arrears to deal with.

In addressing the arrears issues, the Minister and the Housing Corporation sent out an e-mail regarding the eviction process this past year. To me, the most important message in this e-mail was that the NWT Housing Corporation and its local housing authorities want to ensure that tenants stay in their homes. To successfully keep tenants in their rental units, they need to meet their obligations of paying rent on time, not building up arrears, taking care of the unit, and not disturbing their neighbours.

However, like most things in life, challenges pop up and people end up in arrears. This is an issue and can lead to a notice of eviction.

Mr. Speaker, I'm happy to say this is not the end. With the help of the Corporation and the Minister we have been able to set up repayment plans that work for the tenants.

Sometimes it is as simple as bringing in their income tax forms and the Housing Corporation does a recalculation and the arrears might be reduced.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister and the Corporation for their willingness to work with the residents of the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, I wish I could end my statement here and say everything is great with housing; however, like everything else in this world, things aren't always great.

In my budget address I wanted to share an issue with you about homes that did not have running water, power, and heat except for a wood stove. They also have sewer challenges. These people live in third-world conditions, and nothing is done because they live in private homes. They continue to try, but fail to get the government to put more funds into their homes for a number of reasons. The government needs to do a better job of addressing this issue of looking after our residents. Mr. Speaker, the Housing Corporation needs to look at this issue and start working on ways to help them.

Mr. Speaker, later on today I'll have questions for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation . Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Nahendeh Housing Challenges

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Local Improvement Charges For Housing Energy Retrofits

Members’ Statements

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. The City of Yellowknife has explored innovative ways to improve energy efficiency of our housing, reduce the cost of living, create local employment, and help fight climate change. Their focus is on reducing use of space heating energy, and the proposal is expertly researched in the excellent Pembina Institute Report, "Loans for Heat: Towards a Yellowknife Energy Savings Program." I will be tabling that document later today.

Energy retrofits could include installing wood or pellet stoves, improving insulation and air sealing, and switching to more efficient furnaces and boilers.

Many people lack savings or credit to apply for energy retrofits upfront; that's where local improvements charges, or LICs, come in and why they're being used across Canada. Under an LIC program, the municipality enables homeowners to get low-interest loans for energy retrofits, then pay back the loans on their property tax bills through lower energy costs for home heating. The loan is tied to their property rather than to the property owner, so if an owner sells the house, the debt passes to the new owner.

Because LIC has enabled people with limited savings and poor access to credit to go ahead with retrofits, LICs can bring lower energy bills to low-income families who need the savings the most.

Our Cities, Towns and Villages Act already allows municipalities to use LICs to help cover the cost of infrastructure investments such as sewers and sidewalks. LICs are not being used for improvements to individual properties, because the wording of the act is poorly suited for an effective energy efficiency financing program.

For some years, the city has been asking this government to amend the Cities, Towns and Villages Act to allow for LICs. A 2013 resolution of the NWT Association of Communities urges this action. The GNWT's 2013 Energy Action Plan commits to doing this, as well. I was very pleased last week to hear the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs say this legislative amendment has moved onto the department's list of legislated priorities for this Assembly.

With a very simple legislative amendment, our government can enable our cities, towns, and villages to more effectively join the fight on climate change, reduce our cost of living, create local jobs, and improve our housing stock. Let us make this happen, Mr. Speaker.

I will have questions later today for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs . Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Local Improvement Charges For Housing Energy Retrofits

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Public Sector Employment Opportunities For Youth

Members’ Statements

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This government, as it draws closer to the budget completion, identifies and continues to support youth programming.

In preparation for tomorrow's generation on challenges and opportunities, the public alliance sector is a prime example of opportunities for careers and training positions. These and in preparation are listed in the Skills 4 Success strategy.

Last year the Sahtu Educational Division sponsored an excellent gathering turnout targeted to the region's youth. This group held career identification through departmental visits, senior personnel presentations, and so on.

Marketing the public sector opportunities is not only the right thing to do, but provides awareness and confidence in the NWT residents, particularly the youths, to enhance further education on broadening their potential.

The benefits are twofold, Mr. Speaker: upgrading our youth into entering the workforce; secondly, provide life skills security.

Mr. Speaker, just the words "early childhood development" gives meaning to this government's initiative. This, however, starts with a sound and stable home. I will have questions for the appropriate Minister later. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Public Sector Employment Opportunities For Youth

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Independent Housing For Seniors

Members’ Statements

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, I want to speak about a catch-22 facing some of the retirement-aged seniors in my riding. They are well into their 60s, and they would like to retire after a long and full work life. They have worked hard, but for limited income, and they haven't been able to buy a condo or home along the way; and they don't have future income to look forward to, except the most basic federal pension. They cannot afford to retire and pay market rent for a place to live. Where will they live in the so-called "golden years"?

One potential remedy is Avens Court. It has 32 units that are subsidized so that tenants pay no more than 30 per cent of their income on rent. The down side is that demand for these units vastly exceeds the supply. There are about 60 people on the waiting list. Just three of these units turned over last year, so at that rate, people will spend 20 years on the waiting list.

Mr. Speaker, another potential remedy is Northern United Place. It also offers subsidized living to seniors. It also has a waiting list, although not as dramatic as Avens. There is also subsidized housing with Yellowknife Housing Authority, yet again, it has a substantial waiting list, especially of single people waiting for units.

There is another catch-22 working seniors face. While they are working, their income is too high to qualify for subsidized housing, and they have the money to pay market rent. Once they stop working, their income decreases dramatically. They have to continue to pay market rent until they get to the top of one of the waiting lists and into a subsidized apartment they can afford. The problem is that when being evaluated for eligibility or seniors housing, be it Avens, Northern United Place, or public housing in general, their income is assessed not as it would be if they were retired, but as it is while they continue to work.

This makes no sense, Mr. Speaker. For one of my constituents, this basically means he can never retire. If he quits work and does not have a low-cost housing spot, he cannot make his rent. If he keeps working, his income means that he will never get to the top of a crammed list.

This individual set of circumstances obviously begs the larger question of the availability of seniors housing, or innovative rent supplement solutions which might enable the much lower-cost option as seniors age in place. I will have questions for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Independent Housing For Seniors

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

‘pink Shirt’ Anti-Bullying Day

Members’ Statements

Kieron Testart

Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago two high school students, David Shepherd and Travis Price, bought 50 pink T-shirts in support of a boy in their class, or at the school, who was bullied, and today we celebrate that as Pink Shirt Day. Those values, Mr. Speaker, today seem more relevant than ever. I honestly thought bullying was a thing of the past, left in the schoolyard, becoming a relic of childhood, and because adults, as we all know, should know better, be better, and act as role models for their communities, and especially for their kids. Mr.

Speaker, this year I have been absolutely disgusted by the actions of some of those who occupy positions of power, or aspire to occupied positions of power, both in the world and in our own country.

Mr. Speaker, the last time I spoke in this House, the climate of fear, discrimination, and hate has been like we have not seen in decades. Bullying has always been a part of the human condition, but recently some have chosen to not hide this fact, and have celebrated it openly, fanning the fires of fear in order to seek power for themselves.

Mr. Speaker, these leaders are cowards. They are bullies, and their behavior is unacceptable. This kind of behaviour has no place in the schoolyard or in the outside world, Mr. Speaker. Canadians and Northerners demand better from those who choose to lead, and I am proud to say that we in this House conduct ourselves with respect and decorum due to the honour bestowed upon us by our constituents.

Mr. Speaker, today, on February 22nd, we are encouraged to practice kindness, to demonstrate that we will not stand by and let others disparage the most vulnerable in our society. My thoughts fall with the LGBTQ community, Muslims, women, and all those who feel unsure or unsafe in the current climate of political discussion in this world. I say to all of them, this is not the norm, and most of us are decent, positive, and highly uncomfortable with these types of bullying and will always rise to speak against it.

Mr. Speaker, this atmosphere of intimidation must end. Let us declare today here and now that Northern leaders will be the type of role models that the whole world deserves. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

‘pink Shirt’ Anti-Bullying Day

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize James Marlowe and his son River in the gallery. Also, I would like to recognize the interpreters from my riding, Mary-Rose Sundberg and Dennis Drygeese, and the two pages from the Kalemi Dene School, David John Drygeese Jr. and Victoria Beaulieu. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nunakput .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a constituent and relative from Nunakput, Mr. Patrick Joss, and also a relative of mine who had been around here for a few days, Ms. Anne Peters from Hay River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Alfred Moses

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also would like to take this opportunity to welcome and recognize a good friend in the gallery, and a good friend of the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Patrick Joss. I know he is a big fan of the Legislative Assembly, and I am really glad that he could be joining here today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Have we missed anyone in the gallery? Welcome to our proceedings. It is always great to have an audience. Masi. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Nunakput .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 626-18(2): Irc/gnwt Partnership On Housing

Oral Questions

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I spoke about the IRC-GNWT partnership on housing in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. My questions are for the Minister of Housing . Mr. Speaker, my first question for an update: can the Minister speak to the Housing Corporation's plans to work with Inuvialuit Regional Corporations on seniors' units? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 626-18(2): Irc/gnwt Partnership On Housing

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 626-18(2): Irc/gnwt Partnership On Housing

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Actually, I will be going up to Inuvik this Friday to sign an MOU, so it is a memorandum of agreement, with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. Excuse my pronunciation. So we have been working with them for quite a while to actually decide what they were going to do, how we were going to work this, so we are looking at developing, within this fiscal year, a four-plex in Tuktoyaktuk and a six-plex in Inuvik. Both of them can be used for seniors' accommodations if that is the requirement, if that is the desire of the IRC, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 626-18(2): Irc/gnwt Partnership On Housing

Oral Questions

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

The Minister has answered a couple of questions. Mr. Speaker, my final question: is the Housing Corporation partnering or otherwise assisting the IRC in housing projects going ahead, specifically for 2017-18?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 626-18(2): Irc/gnwt Partnership On Housing

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

As the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation , I have made it a priority to try to work with Aboriginal governments and municipal governments to try to address their housing needs, so it was really an honour, actually, to be invited to sit in on a partnership with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation.

So during the next fiscal year they will be accessing $10 million from the federal government towards their housing needs. We are working with them in partnership. We will be looking at defining what the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation would like to see as their needs, also taking into account the results of the survey that are going to be finishing here at the end of this month and presenting that to them and developing a game plan on how we will be moving forward.

The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation does have funding for shelters. However, they are looking to partner with us to access our land, so that is the partnership agreement that we are putting in. We are putting in the land. They are using their finances, which will bring economic development for their region, which is really important and will provide housing for people. So, yes, I am looking forward to a long-term partnership with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 626-18(2): Irc/gnwt Partnership On Housing

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 627-18(2): Taltson River Dam

Oral Questions

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I talked about the Taltson River dam on the Taltson River. When the dam was built in the early 1960s, or maybe mid-1960s, there were no public studies, consultations, or attempts to build relations with the people of Taltson River. Would the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation please describe the planning and consultation that would have to take place if the dam was proposed today? Thank you.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 627-18(2): Taltson River Dam

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 627-18(2): Taltson River Dam

Oral Questions

Louis Sebert

Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, the Northern Canada Power Corporation did in fact build the dam on the Taltson River at Twin Gorges. The dam was completed in 1965. I am sure that what the Member opposite has stated was likely the case in that there was little or no consultation with local residents. Of course, any expansion of the dam would involve an environmental assessment that would be very comprehensive and take a considerable amount of time. So times have changed and the requirements for these types of projects clearly have changed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 627-18(2): Taltson River Dam

Oral Questions

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

It appears that the Power Corporation is not taking responsibility for flooding the Taltson dam, and I know that there is some question on, I guess, the hydrology around that. It would appear that is what the issue is, from the Aboriginal people. I would like to know how the Power Corporation will communicate any future issue where, this time around, it appears as though the water levels were unusually high and, for some reason or other, it got higher in the middle of winter. How would the Power Corporation consult with the people using the Taltson River at this time in the future?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 627-18(2): Taltson River Dam

Oral Questions

Louis Sebert

Thebacha

The dam at Twin Gorges on the Taltson is a run-of-the-river dam, so the water either flows around the dam or through it, so it would have little impact on the river downstream. If there was something exceptional, of course, the Power Corporation should and I think would advise those who use the river.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 627-18(2): Taltson River Dam

Oral Questions

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

I was wondering if the Minister could advise the House when the current water licence for the Taltson River dam will be expiring?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 627-18(2): Taltson River Dam

Oral Questions

Louis Sebert

Thebacha

I don't have that information before me, but I could look into it and supply the information to the Member opposite.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 627-18(2): Taltson River Dam

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 627-18(2): Taltson River Dam

Oral Questions

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister if there was a possibility that some independent expert could look at what the issue is currently and, if it is proven that had the dam not been there this unnatural phenomena of the ice breaking up in the middle of winter would occur, and would the Power Corporation consider compensation? Thank you.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 627-18(2): Taltson River Dam

Oral Questions

Louis Sebert

Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, I know that any complaints of the type mentioned by the Member opposite are treated seriously by the Power Corporation, are carefully considered, and promptly responded to. I think the Power Corporation, within its own staff, would have the ability to look into and respond to the questions of the type brought forward by the Member opposite. I don't think we'd be prepared to hire an independent scientist to look into this matter in view of the likely expense, which would have to be passed on to the ratepayers.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 627-18(2): Taltson River Dam

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 628-18(2): Housing Arrears Collection

Oral Questions

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement today I talked about the Housing Corporation and the arrears situation as well as housing for people who don't have proper running water and that. So my first question is to the Minister responsible for Housing . What has the Corporation done to ensure that members, residents, clients, tenants, whatever name you want to call them, do not get into arrears? What kind of promotional items do they give to the clients so that they don't get into arrears? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 628-18(2): Housing Arrears Collection

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 628-18(2): Housing Arrears Collection

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issue of arrears was a serious concern for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation for many years and, during the last Legislative Assembly, in order to try to assist communities and the local housing organizations with the collection of arrears, the decision was made by a past Minister to actually bring the collections internally into headquarters, which was, in my opinion, a very good move. It meant that the community people did not have to address their own neighbours with that, so a great move that I support 100 per cent.

Currently, what we do is, because it is through headquarters now and we are now in a day of computer literacy, we actually have really good records that show us as soon as someone is in arrears. At that point, we notify the local housing organization, who do try to contact the people. We do everything we can to address them, to try to contact people, but, if they do not answer our calls or open the door, at that point we are left with no recourse; but, like I said, we reach out in every way we can by personally trying to contact the people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 628-18(2): Housing Arrears Collection

Oral Questions

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

I thank the Minister for her answer, but she kind of answered my second question that I was going to ask. My first question is: what kind of promotion is the Corporation doing so that clients don't get into this situation? So what are they doing so that, as soon as they get into the homes, they understand that this could potentially be a situation? What is the Corporation doing to promote getting this information out to the people?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 628-18(2): Housing Arrears Collection

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Currently, the only method that we really use besides the one-on-one outreach to people is when people do sign up to the Housing Corporation, we actually sit down with them, have the paperwork signed for the landlord/tenant agreement form, and in that we talk about their obligations to make payments with them. We are recognizing, however, that we are not the best in communicating. So we are trying to beef up our communication plan and have a better way not only to address people with their arrears, but to also let people know what their rights and their responsibilities are in a variety of areas.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 628-18(2): Housing Arrears Collection

Oral Questions

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

I thank the Minister for her answer. That is great. Can the Minister make a commitment to share with committee what this plan is and how we can work together to get this message out to the residents so that, you know, they are not in these situations where they could end up with an eviction? So will the Minister make a commitment to committee that she will share this plan with us once it is complete?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 628-18(2): Housing Arrears Collection

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Yes, I can make that commitment. We had planned, as soon as the survey results were all compiled, that we would be providing a report on what we heard, and we would be providing that to committee as well. I am hoping that after that that we can actually meet more regularly with the committee to look at all of the feedback that we have got, to look at the areas that we are doing well, to look at the areas that we need improvement, and to actually work together to define the next steps.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 628-18(2): Housing Arrears Collection

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 628-18(2): Housing Arrears Collection

Oral Questions

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I greatly applaud the Minister for taking these steps. I think this is a great step to help the residents and hopefully eliminate people from getting out of the arrears. My last question is: part of my Member's statement was, we talked about people in homes who do not have running water, do not have power, do not have heat except for a wood stove, and they are living in third-world conditions. These homes are decrepit or basically should be torn down, and these people are living in them.

So what is the government or the department or the Corporation and the Minister going to do to help these people get out of these third-world conditions so they can live in a good family home? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 628-18(2): Housing Arrears Collection

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, recognize that there are a lot of homes within the Northwest Territories that do not have basic amenities in them such as running water and flush toilets; however, as the Government of the Northwest Territories we have to be very careful in what we take on as liabilities. So therefore we have a useful life with our housing stock. If houses are deemed to be over 70 per cent in need of repairs, at that point we cannot invest financially in them because of the liability that may come and the huge expense.

So for people who have homes that in a fair condition, they can access a variety of homeownership programs, such as our CARE Program, that will give up to $100,000 to provide renovations. They can access our SAFE Program that will provide up to $10,000 for renovations. They can access our Care Mobility Program that assesses if they have disabilities. So we have a variety of programs that are available, and if their homes are not adequate and are at the point where the Member has stated that they are no longer habitable, then I would like to suggest that they actually put their name on our public housing list to get into a public housing unit.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 628-18(2): Housing Arrears Collection

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 629-18(2): Local Improvement Charges Housing Energy Retrofits

Oral Questions

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs . In my Member's statement, I made reference to the Pembina Institute Report, "Loans for Heat: Towards a Yellowknife Energy Savings Program." Is the Minister aware of this report and are her staff using it as a basis for developing changes to the City, Towns and Villages Act to allow for the use of local improvement charges for energy efficiency? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 629-18(2): Local Improvement Charges Housing Energy Retrofits

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 629-18(2): Local Improvement Charges Housing Energy Retrofits

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I cannot say exactly if the department has a copy of the report that the honourable Member has spoken of. I would be more than eager to obtain a copy, if he would like to provide it to us. We are looking at the implications of changing the act to accommodate this, so any information that he would be able to provide we would be more than happy to receive. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 629-18(2): Local Improvement Charges Housing Energy Retrofits

Oral Questions

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

I would be delighted to help the Minister with this. I will be tabling the report later today. It includes all kinds of details of how the LIC enabling laws are dealt with in other jurisdictions. Would the Minister commit then to have her staff review this report and use that as a basis for developing amendments to the City, Towns and Villages Act for this purpose?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 629-18(2): Local Improvement Charges Housing Energy Retrofits

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

We are looking for cross-jurisdictional, about how other jurisdictions are implementing this request. I will commit to taking the document and to reading it. I cannot commit to it being a sole document that we use in determination. We work closely with all of the communities and the NWT Association of Communities, so it is important that we do not confine ourselves to one document when we are looking at developing partnerships.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 629-18(2): Local Improvement Charges Housing Energy Retrofits

Oral Questions

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

I am not suggesting that the Minister only look at this document, but it is a fantastic review of how it is done in other jurisdictions. It even has an appendix with the proposed wording that could be used to adopt right into our City, Towns and Villages Act. So I guess what I am suggesting here is there is an opportunity fast track this amendment, a very simple one, so can the Minister, though, tell us when we would be seeing a legislative proposal to make this happen?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 629-18(2): Local Improvement Charges Housing Energy Retrofits

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

I cannot actually give you a date on when the legislative proposal will be submitted. We are in the process of looking cross-jurisdictional to see what other provinces and territories do. After that, we are also engaging with the six municipal governments that changes to this act will impact. So we are looking to meet with them all coming up here in the spring, and once that is done we will be looking at their feedback and then developing a legislative proposal and taking it to the Legislative Initiative Committee for their review. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 629-18(2): Local Improvement Charges Housing Energy Retrofits

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 629-18(2): Local Improvement Charges Housing Energy Retrofits

Oral Questions

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister for that. There is a NWTAC motion of record supporting this sort of work, but I earlier spoke about extending the benefits of energy cost savings to people in low-income brackets. So would the Minister commit to confer with her colleague, the Housing Corporation Minister, to look at providing rebates, some form of assistance, or incentives for retrofits for low-income families to help offset local improvement charges, create local employment, reduce their costs of living, and help with climate change? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 629-18(2): Local Improvement Charges Housing Energy Retrofits

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can commit to talking to my colleague, the Minster responsible for Housing, to look at suggestions, specifically for low-income families. Actually, we are doing some work around energy conservation and just green energy in principal. We are rolling out a LED Lighting Program this year that we will be putting in LED lights within every home.

We are looking at redesigning homes so, that instead of having single units that are not so energy efficient but also very expensive, in order to address both energy efficiency and cost of living, we are looking for more shared boiler systems within residential units. So we are looking at a whole variety of ways that we can help low-income families both to address the cost of living and to become more green in our provision of housing.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 629-18(2): Local Improvement Charges Housing Energy Retrofits

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 630-18(2): Emergency Housing Shelters

Oral Questions

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recall the Minister of Housing saying she wanted a homeless shelter in each region. What communities have shelters at this point in time already? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 630-18(2): Emergency Housing Shelters

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 630-18(2): Emergency Housing Shelters

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Currently, at this point in time, the only communities within the Northwest Territories that have actual homeless shelters are Inuvik, Yellowknife, and Fort Smith. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 630-18(2): Emergency Housing Shelters

Oral Questions

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

My second question is: what communities is the Minister putting new shelters in this year?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 630-18(2): Emergency Housing Shelters

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

During the current fiscal year, actually, we are building four-plex shelters within the communities of Aklavik, Behchoko, and Fort Simpson.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 630-18(2): Emergency Housing Shelters

Oral Questions

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Now narrowing it down to the Central Mackenzie, the only region left without a homeless shelter is the Sahtu region. What is the Minister going to do in this area?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 630-18(2): Emergency Housing Shelters

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

I did say in the House here that one of my goals before I have finished my position with the Government of the Northwest Territories is to ensure that we have homeless shelters in every region, so we have reached out to the region of the Sahtu and, through that process, we received two proposals.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 630-18(2): Emergency Housing Shelters

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 630-18(2): Emergency Housing Shelters

Oral Questions

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As mentioned by my colleague next to me in his Member's statement, being innovative took the community of Deline to create their own shelter for the homeless. My question is: when will the Minister build a homeless shelter in the Sahtu? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 630-18(2): Emergency Housing Shelters

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to report that, actually, we will be looking at the Sahtu to build a homeless shelter within the next coming fiscal year. Both proposals, we were actually excited to receive and we were able to accommodate. One of the proposals was only for more of a drop-in day shelter idea, so they can access some food security funding to accommodate that. The other proposal actually will be an overnight shelter, so it's really exciting to say that, within the next fiscal year, we will have a homeless shelter in every single region within the Northwest Territories and to be able to say that we can accommodate both proposals.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 630-18(2): Emergency Housing Shelters

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 631-18(2): Benefits Of Housing Cooperatives

Oral Questions

Kieron Testart

Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Kam Lake is home to two of the Northwest Territories' housing cooperatives. These are great community-driven housing communities that allow for housing options that are below market rent. In fact, the average price for a three-bedroom apartment in Yellowknife is around $2,300 a month in rent,

whereas, at one of the housing co-ops in my riding, it is $1,400. That is an incredible amount of savings. I am wondering if the Minister has looked into starting a pilot project to develop more housing cooperatives here in Yellowknife and across the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 631-18(2): Benefits Of Housing Cooperatives

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 631-18(2): Benefits Of Housing Cooperatives

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Actually, the cooperative housing unit that the Member does speak to, I used to live in that just a couple of years ago, so I am very familiar with that unit that he addresses, and it is a nice unit. We, the NWT Housing Corporation, actually provides partial funding for those, as well. We provide funding to most of the cooperatives. In all honestly, I had never thought about that, but I am hoping that it will come up within the housing survey. Now that it has been brought to my attention, I will consider that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 631-18(2): Benefits Of Housing Cooperatives

Oral Questions

Kieron Testart

Kam Lake

Thank you to the Minister. Ask and you shall receive. Just a few more points on this: the Minister spoke to her own personal experience in one of these particular housing cooperatives. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation did a study of the Borealis Housing Cooperative, and they found that over 2,500 hours of voluntary labour are produced by the housing cooperative every year, which results in considerable savings for the community. These projects, they also found that to get a new project like this, it requires the goodwill of the community.

So if the Housing Corporation could commit to more than just looking at this but actually actively engage community members who want a change, perhaps through that survey, will the Minister actively engage survey participants and forge a new housing cooperative from those respondents?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 631-18(2): Benefits Of Housing Cooperatives

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

As stated, being a resident of that cooperative, I do remember the volunteer hours, and sometimes it was not eagerly volunteered. It was more of a requirement of being in the cooperative, but it does give back to the community, and it is a way of working together, and it does build community relations. It made me actually go out and meet my neighbours, so I am an advocate of that type of housing unit.

However, I have committed to doing this survey and, depending on the results of the survey, we will be defining what I do within the coming year. It would be disrespectful of me to put my needs above the survey, so I will be waiting until the results are compiled before I define my action plan in the future.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 631-18(2): Benefits Of Housing Cooperatives

Oral Questions

Kieron Testart

Kam Lake

I am unsure what the Minister's needs are, but the needs of my constituents are lower rents and more affordable housing. Mr. Speaker, it is not just the Housing Corporation that provides support for co-ops. It is also the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and the Department of Justice who all provide either administrative support or are some way responsible. Will the Minister commit to forming a working group with those three departments to build on the success of housing cooperatives?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 631-18(2): Benefits Of Housing Cooperatives

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

I have already committed to exploring the idea of more cooperatives as an option. I will also commit to bringing that to the other departments.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 631-18(2): Benefits Of Housing Cooperatives

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 631-18(2): Benefits Of Housing Cooperatives

Oral Questions

Kieron Testart

Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Finally, the Minister, in my honourable friend's questions, the Member for the Sahtu , she did make a commitment to a certain amount of shelters by the end of the year. Can she make a commitment to me today, Mr. Speaker, that we will double the number of housing cooperatives in the Northwest Territories by next year? Thank you.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 631-18(2): Benefits Of Housing Cooperatives

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, like I said, that would be, in my opinion, disrespectful if I make commitments before the results of the surveys were in, so the answer is no.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 631-18(2): Benefits Of Housing Cooperatives

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 632-18(2): K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Oral Questions

Michael Nadli

Deh Cho

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are to the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation . What I seek is, the urgency of the situation of the housing matter on the reserves, I am seeking some action. I am seeking a commitment from this Minister, also, at the same time, reassurance to the K'atlodeeche First Nation members that the senior-most official, the Minister of the Housing Corporation , will do something.

You know, thus far, in terms of this side of the House, every time we have raised our concerns and issues on behalf of our constituents, what we have heard from the Ministers and their departments is to say, well, we are going to respond by an action plan. I don't think we need an action plan at this point. I think we need to have some real action. My question is: the Housing Corporation has entered a tendering process to repair 10 previously unoccupied homes on the K'atlodeeche First Nation reserve; how will the corporation act to ensure those homes are available to residents as soon as responsible, sooner than the estimated 12 months? Mahsi.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 632-18(2): K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 632-18(2): K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do want to say that I take a little bit of offence to the Member's statement. As the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation, I feel that we have done a lot of work with the Hay River reserve. Especially, before, we didn't have land tenure; it was a huge issue. We have negotiated with the federal government. We have gotten the land tenure for the 10 units. We are still negotiating with the federal government to get land tenure for six more units. We are working with the community. The community can access services through the Housing Corporation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 632-18(2): K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Oral Questions

Michael Nadli

Deh Cho

What I'm expressing is, in my recent visit to the band or the K'atlodeeche First Nation are residents on the Hay River Reserve. I'm not saying basically to criticize her position in the GNWT, but these are real concerns from people who want access to housing. So building a relationship seems to be the steps that have been taken forward, and it's good, you know, we're making progress and we're trying to build homes. How is the corporation working with the Hay River Dene Band to explore new and innovative ideas to meet housing needs on the reserve, such as establishing a new local housing organization or supporting people in building their own homes?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 632-18(2): K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

I do believe that we are working with the Hay River Reserve as best as possible. These units that we're talking about, the 16 units, actually belong to them. Because they did not want to deal with the provision of community housing we did an agreement that we would take them on as NWT Housing Corporation.

We are more than open to meeting with them if they wanted to look at other options and other suggestions that they have to address the housing needs within their community.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 632-18(2): K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Oral Questions

Michael Nadli

Deh Cho

It's good that the Minister is offering to meet with the Hay River Dene Band; I hope that happens. In that meeting, perhaps the Minister could explain what new actions will the corporation take to change its working relationship with the Hay River Dene Band, such as regular meetings and a subsequent action plan or the development of assured projects?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 632-18(2): K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

The Government of the Northwest Territories does meet bi-annually, I believe, regularly -- actually, two times a year, with all of the First Nations Aboriginal governments. We will commit to continuing to do that, and, as stated, if the band wishes to meet with me individually, I am more than open to meeting with them.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 632-18(2): K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 632-18(2): K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Oral Questions

Michael Nadli

Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in September 2016 the GNWT and the K'atlodeeche First Nations signed an Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding, and in that agreement they wanted to enhance their working relationship and only the subject matters that they want to work on is housing. So my final question to the Minister: what will it take for action to be taken to address the housing issue on the Hay River Reserve? Mahsi.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 632-18(2): K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do believe, as stated, that we are working in partnership with them. I am more than willing to meet with them and to continue regular meetings if that is their desire to address the needs within their community.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 632-18(2): K'atlodeeche First Nation Housing Challenges

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 633-18(2): Addressing Housing Challenges With Tiny Homes

Oral Questions

Cory Vanthuyne

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier today I talked about the need for innovation in housing and how it might meet some of our serious housing needs here in the Northwest Territories, and in particular I spoke about tiny housing. My questions today are for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Mr. Speaker, we know that tiny housing will help with housing of singles. It, of course, helps reduce the cost of living and helps us meet some of our affordability goals, and, of course, it has a great impact of preserving the environment and, in particular, reducing our carbon footprint.

Can the Minister tell us if the Housing Corporation has had any discussion about tiny housing and the possibilities of the Housing Corporation investing in tiny housing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 633-18(2): Addressing Housing Challenges With Tiny Homes

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 633-18(2): Addressing Housing Challenges With Tiny Homes

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It seems like I'm getting up and down a lot; I want to remind Members it's anti-bullying day.

We have looked at the idea of tiny houses, Mr. Speaker, in seriousness to the Member's question. We are bound, however, by national building codes and our own standards around energy efficiency, so those are issues that we are conscious of, but we have made agreements with some municipalities to actually explore some options around tiny houses. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 633-18(2): Addressing Housing Challenges With Tiny Homes

Oral Questions

Cory Vanthuyne

Yellowknife North

Thank you to the Minister for her reply. Mr. Speaker, recently the City of Yellowknife conducted a survey last spring and some of the results of the survey indicated that folks were fairly supportive of tiny housing and in promoting some development of tiny housing. I wonder if the Minister can indicate whether the Housing Corporation's survey had any questions along the lines specifically toward tiny housing?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 633-18(2): Addressing Housing Challenges With Tiny Homes

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

At this point the survey is starting to be compiled. It's still open for feedback, as I agreed to leave it open for the extra month, so I haven't seen all the results for the survey, but I do make an assumption that tiny houses will be one of the issues on that survey.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 633-18(2): Addressing Housing Challenges With Tiny Homes

Oral Questions

Cory Vanthuyne

Yellowknife North

I appreciate the Minister's reply. I know that tiny housing seems to be a fairly significant conversation going around the territory. Not just in Yellowknife; I've heard it in other communities, and so I expect that there will be some responses on the survey relevant to tiny housing.

I guess at this point can we get some kind of commitment from the Minister that tiny housing can be put on the Housing Corporation's kind of, call it, agenda for consideration, at least for future consideration? It just has so many positives for checking off so many of the goals and objectives that we're trying to achieve as a government. Will the Minister commit to that?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 633-18(2): Addressing Housing Challenges With Tiny Homes

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

I can absolutely commit that tiny houses will be one of the areas that we look at, and go further to stating that we are looking at developing partnerships with municipalities and Aboriginal governments to address their own housing needs within their communities, and we are already forming partnerships with some municipalities on a form of a tiny house.

As the corporation, though, I do want to stress that my own worry is that when we only look at tiny houses within an independent, solo idea, then we're not perhaps looking at the cost of living and the energy efficiency. So I am also looking at ideas that we can use, things like shared boiler systems to address the cost of living and the energy efficiency.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 633-18(2): Addressing Housing Challenges With Tiny Homes

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 633-18(2): Addressing Housing Challenges With Tiny Homes

Oral Questions

Cory Vanthuyne

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I'm glad to hear from the Minister that some effort has already been under way with regard to working with communities and municipalities in this effort. As the Minister even alluded to earlier, there could be some challenges around building codes and the like. Will the Minister commit to working with her colleagues to make sure that red tape and regulations that would stymie this good opportunity can actually be reviewed and given full consideration so that we can actually work towards some successful development in tiny houses? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 633-18(2): Addressing Housing Challenges With Tiny Homes

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I can commit to working with my colleagues to actually look at how we can address red tape within housing standards, but I also should make the Speaker aware that some of the red tape will be on behalf of municipalities because the municipalities will have to make sure that their bylaws accommodate for tiny houses as well, and that I have no say over.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 633-18(2): Addressing Housing Challenges With Tiny Homes

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 634-18(2): Independent Housing For Seniors

Oral Questions

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of the Housing Corporation , also known as the Minister of Yes. What I described in my Member's statement is an immediate problem. This solution isn't tied to the housing survey or a new federal housing deal; it's a matter of assessing what the applicant's income would be on the day after they retire. That's all we need to do. So will the Minister direct her officials to adjust their own processes and initiate talks with the low-cost housing partners to take into account the differences between their pre- and post-retirement income? Mahsi.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 634-18(2): Independent Housing For Seniors

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 634-18(2): Independent Housing For Seniors

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although I do not want to be known as the Minister who always says yes, in this case I will say yes that we will consider that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 634-18(2): Independent Housing For Seniors

Oral Questions

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

I would like to ask my favourite Minister to consider that the best solution is to enable seniors to stay in their homes as long as possible, whether those homes are owned or rented. It may be financially advantageous to offer a rental subsidy to seniors to stay in place when they retire. To do so would probably be both less expensive than moving them into public housing and also less of a drain in having them move. So I wonder if the Minister will consider some kind of a rental subsidy specific to seniors that would allow to stay in own homes?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 634-18(2): Independent Housing For Seniors

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

I am feeling like it is my birthday. In all honesty, seniors are a huge issue not only for myself but for all the Ministers sitting at the table here. We will be focusing a lot of effort within our program renewal on our provision of supports to seniors. So, yes, we will contemplate a rent-subsidy program on top of what we already have to accommodate seniors to age in place.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 634-18(2): Independent Housing For Seniors

Oral Questions

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Just to clarify my question, I think the Minister understood the question, but I am not talking about people who own their own homes. I am talking about people who are in public housing. So they would get a subsidy to stay -- no, sorry, I am making things worse. I am talking about keeping seniors in their current rental units with transitional housing support, and then that would bring them off the waiting list for public housing. That is where I was going with that.

Moving on, the lack of available spots demonstrates the need to devote more of our limited budgets towards meeting the infrastructure need and, as I said, to keep people here in the territory. We keep hearing about meeting our road-work needs in the first two weeks of this mandate and easing people's misery later. Can the Minister offer any assurance that someday shelter for people will get its turn at the till?

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 634-18(2): Independent Housing For Seniors

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

I do want to address it even though it was just brought up as a comment. The Transitional Rent Supplement Program would not be one that I would look at to address with seniors in its current form, in that it is only a two-year program and it is one of the policies that I do want to change. I do not believe that a two-year program is the most effective use of that funding. I also state that, when it comes to the till, to the money for housing, we are strong advocates federally. We have been knocking on the federal door. Our Prime Minister has promised us that there will be exciting news in the budget.

I was hoping that would have come out at the end of this month, but it looks like it will come out in March. So we have been lobbying as the three territories -- not just the Northwest Territories, the Yukon and Nunavut as well -- in partnership, and the federal government has committed to having a three-territory housing strategy. So we are assuming that we will be receiving more money in the till soon.

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 634-18(2): Independent Housing For Seniors

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre .

Please select the issue you noticed * :

Misattribution

Formatting

Missing Words

Other

If Other, please indicate the problem: (Optional)

Submit

Thanks!

We'll take a look into it.

Sorry!

There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later.

Copy Copied

Question 634-18(2): Independent Housing For Seniors

Oral Questions

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I think it is a two-pronged approach. I think that we need more housing units, and we need to help people who cannot afford housing on the income that they have as retired people, and so I am interested to hear that the Minister is working