Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will attempt to get this on the Cabinet's agenda prior to the fall session. Thank you.
Debates of March 4th, 1993
Topics
Return To Question 410-12(3): Status Of Proposal On Methods Of Transporting Housing Materials
Question 410-12(3): Status Of Proposal On Methods Of Transporting Housing Materials
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 727
Don Morin Tu Nedhe
Return To Question 410-12(3): Status Of Proposal On Methods Of Transporting Housing Materials
Question 410-12(3): Status Of Proposal On Methods Of Transporting Housing Materials
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 727
The Speaker Michael Ballantyne
Item 5, oral questions. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.
Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 727
Jeannie Marie-Jewell Thebacha
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Personnel. I am interested in finding out about the manner in which decisions are made for granting education leave. Will the Minister confirm that far fewer GNWT employees were able to take education leave this year in comparison to previous years? Thank you.
Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 727
The Speaker Michael Ballantyne
Minister of Personnel, Mr. Kakfwi.
Return To Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 727
Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu
Mr. Speaker, short of scrambling to find the information, I will issue it to the Member, if the statistics show that, I will be able to confirm it. If they do not show it, then I will not be able to.
Return To Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 727
The Speaker Michael Ballantyne
Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.
Supplementary To Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 727
Jeannie Marie-Jewell Thebacha
Mr. Speaker, I am not in possession of any statistics, this is why I am asking the Minister the question. Will the Minister determine to find out whether fewer employees were granted educational leave this year than previous years? If he does not know, would he take the question as notice? Thank you.
Supplementary To Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 727
The Speaker Michael Ballantyne
Mr. Kakfwi.
Supplementary To Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 727
Supplementary To Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Question 411-12(3): Decision Process For Granting Education Leave
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 727
The Speaker Michael Ballantyne
The question has been taken as notice. Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Pudluk.
Question 412-12(3): Consideration Given For Years Of Occupancy Of GNWT Staff House At Time Of Sale
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 727
Ludy Pudluk High Arctic
(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to add something to the question Mr. Arvaluk raised. This question is for the Minister of Personnel regarding housing. We are aware that housing, which is used by GNWT staff, was built in the early 1960s. Many aboriginal people have lived in the same units for 20 years. They have been paying for their units. If an employee wants to buy a unit which he or she has lived in for many years, would there be a decrease in the amount of the house? Thank you.
Question 412-12(3): Consideration Given For Years Of Occupancy Of GNWT Staff House At Time Of Sale
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 727
The Speaker Michael Ballantyne
Minister of Personnel.
Return To Question 412-12(3): Consideration Given For Years Of Occupancy Of GNWT Staff House At Time Of Sale
Question 412-12(3): Consideration Given For Years Of Occupancy Of GNWT Staff House At Time Of Sale
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 728
Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu
Mr. Speaker, the Member asked if the staff housing strategy, which offers to sell units to government employees, presently considers the years of occupancy by a particular tenant and, in particular, the aboriginal tenant of those units, if this is going to be considered in deciding on the sale of such a unit to those employees. The present staff housing strategy does not take this factor into account.
Return To Question 412-12(3): Consideration Given For Years Of Occupancy Of GNWT Staff House At Time Of Sale
Question 412-12(3): Consideration Given For Years Of Occupancy Of GNWT Staff House At Time Of Sale
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 728
The Speaker Michael Ballantyne
Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Koe.
Question 413-12(3): Policy On Shipping Freight By Ntcl North Of Norman Wells
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 728
Fred Koe Inuvik
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Transportation. I understand there is a policy which requires this government to ship their freight by Northern Transportation Company Limited barges to any place north of Norman Wells. Can the Minister provide us with a brief explanation of this policy?
Question 413-12(3): Policy On Shipping Freight By Ntcl North Of Norman Wells
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 728
The Speaker Michael Ballantyne
Mr. Todd.
Question 413-12(3): Policy On Shipping Freight By Ntcl North Of Norman Wells
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 728
John Todd Keewatin Central
Mr. Speaker, I cannot speak specific to the policy. I am not aware of it. It is my understanding there is somewhat of a history involved where the GNWT had determined as part of their policy that they would support the NTCL operations. With specifics to Norman Wells, I am not in a position today to answer that question. I will take it as notice.
Question 413-12(3): Policy On Shipping Freight By Ntcl North Of Norman Wells
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 728
The Speaker Michael Ballantyne
The question has been taken as notice. Item 5, oral questions. Mr. Patterson.
Question 414-12(3): Staff Housing Shortage In Remote Communities
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 728
Dennis Patterson Iqaluit
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask some further questions to the Minister of Personnel regarding the matter of staff housing shortages in remote communities such as Coral Harbour. Mr. Speaker, I understand that the government's new staff housing policy will encourage employees in communities such as Coral Harbour to purchase their staff housing units. Mr. Speaker, given that there is, and he has just acknowledged it, a historical shortage of staff housing units in those remote communities, and given that employees who buy these rare staff houses might retire from employment or might sell the house to the private sector, how is the government going to preserve the short supply of staff housing already in place if they are allowing those houses to come out of the pool of scarce houses now available, by allowing employees to buy them and then retire or sell them to the private sector? How is that going to improve the staff housing shortage which my colleagues have just described with their questions? Thank you.
Question 414-12(3): Staff Housing Shortage In Remote Communities
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 728
The Speaker Michael Ballantyne
Minister of Personnel.
Return To Question 414-12(3): Staff Housing Shortage In Remote Communities
Question 414-12(3): Staff Housing Shortage In Remote Communities
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 728
Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu
Mr. Speaker, one of the elements of the staff housing strategy is to increase the rent which employees pay in all communities to a level where it would be more realistic and equal to what is provided at market rates in Yellowknife. Once that starts to happen, I believe community corporations and private developers will find ways in which they can offer to build staff houses at community levels and simply lease directly to, not only government employees, but other people who require houses.
The sale of staff houses makes it financially more attractive for government employees who want yet another alternative to renting. We have offered to sell the government units to tenants who presently occupy them and assure tenants, if they cannot sell to someone else in the private market, we will buy the unit back.
We do not have as much money available to us to provide not only staff housing, but also public housing and home ownership units. We did not have much money last year and we do not have much money this year. There is no certainty that the money we now have is secure because of the fiscal situation of the federal government. With the federal election, it may improve or it may get worse. This strategy is trying to address the situation we find in the communities where we need other elements and simply more government money being allocated to provide staff housing. We need to encourage private developers and community corporations to move into the housing market, and we need to attract tenants to become private home owners as well. We believe, by making it more attractive in those different areas, we will be able, under the present fiscal situation, to at least maintain the situation as we should. Thank you.
Return To Question 414-12(3): Staff Housing Shortage In Remote Communities
Question 414-12(3): Staff Housing Shortage In Remote Communities
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 728
The Speaker Michael Ballantyne
Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.
Supplementary To Question 414-12(3): Staff Housing Shortage In Remote Communities
Question 414-12(3): Staff Housing Shortage In Remote Communities
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 728
Dennis Patterson Iqaluit
Mr. Speaker, the Minister may know that it has been extremely difficult for private entrepreneurs and development corporations in the Baffin region to finance staff housing projects with the banks or with other financial institutions, even with the guarantee of long-term government leases. Now the Minister is saying that without that government guarantee of long-term leases, the Minister believes the private sector will step in and finance, take that risk, and build houses to rent directly to tenants. Has the Department of Personnel taken the time to consult with established contractors or native development corporations in the Baffin region to see whether any of those people would be prepared to take the risk of building houses on speculation for direct rental to government employees without the security of a long-term government lease?
Supplementary To Question 414-12(3): Staff Housing Shortage In Remote Communities
Question 414-12(3): Staff Housing Shortage In Remote Communities
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 728
The Speaker Michael Ballantyne
Mr. Kakfwi.
Further Return To Question 414-12(3): Staff Housing Shortage In Remote Communities
Question 414-12(3): Staff Housing Shortage In Remote Communities
Item 5: Oral Questions
Page 728
Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu
Mr. Speaker, the fact is the
different agencies which require houses, such as the divisional boards and hospital boards, will all be very interested in entering into long-term leases. There is no suggestion that we are discouraging that at all. I cannot say for certain that we have had extensive discussions with private developers as to whether these moves we are making to get out of staff housing and make it more realistic in terms of the rents which are paid, and making some moves towards home ownership more realistic, are going to be sufficient to meet the private developers' needs in the Baffin. I know that the Department of Personnel, alone, is not equipped to have those discussions. It would be done in consultation with the Department of Public Works. Because of the transition of this plan next year, it will also be done in consultation with the Housing Corporation. Thank you.