The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik, Mr. Koe.

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Minister of Housing, Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I cannot give the Member the exact amount of arrears, but I know it does run into millions of dollars. We are working to try to adjust the arrears issue. In some cases, we have people who have passed away who are still on the books as owing the Housing Corporation rent. We have some arrears that are 15 or 20 years old. So I have instructed the department to put together a paper on how to address the arrears, what arrears should be written off and what shouldn't so I can take that to Cabinet for approval. Thank you.

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Fred Koe Inuvik

Mahsi. As was mentioned, some of these arrears have been around for a long time, and I'm sure some were incurred by people when they were younger and less stable. But today, a lot of people tend to grow up, their lifestyles change, they may have responsible jobs, they may have families, but because of outstanding debts incurred quite a few years ago, and then the interest accruing on these debts, some of these people have no chance of ever paying these off. This debt causes these people to never be able to qualify for the existing housing home ownership programs or for conventional mortgages. You mentioned you're investigating ways to write off some of these debts. What's the status of that investigation?

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I know that when some of us were younger we were less stable, but we are older and wiser now and able to plan our future. A lot of people, too, have gone through drug and alcohol rehabilitation to straighten out their lives, they have a family to raise and they want to get into their own homes. It has been brought to the attention of my office that they are in need of housing, they are quite willing and able to pay for housing programs, but they are deemed ineligible because they are in arrears with the Housing Corporation.

I agree with the Member that we have to address it and we are trying to move as quickly as possible. Hopefully, we should have that paper taken to Cabinet before the end of the fiscal year. Thank you.

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Fred Koe Inuvik

Mahsi, Madam Speaker, and I thank the Minister for that response. There is another category of people that, more and more, are doing different things to try to advance themselves. These are students. Because of the advancement of adult education in the communities and the push for home ownership, some people have taken on debt to obtain a home. Now, because they are enrolled as students in certain programs, they are required to move. In some cases, they have to give up their homes. But, if they don't pay off the debt, this follows them around for life.

Is this category of people, students, being looked at in terms of your review?

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Madam Speaker. This issue of students has been raised to me many times and in many different areas of the Northwest Territories. For example, if they were living in public housing today and they wanted to go to Arctic College in Iqaluit or Fort Smith, they would have to give up their public housing and move there. A lot of people don't want to do that because there is a long waiting list for public housing.

But, under the new rent scale, the housing authority would sub-lease their unit while they are going to school, so they don't have the cost of that unit and they get their unit back. And also, through the access home ownership programs, their payments would drop right down to the minimum because they are living on student financial assistance and that assistance would not be assessed as income because it is only enough money for them to go to school and live.

The other program we have a major problem with still is the rural and remote housing program, a CMHC program that we administer. A lot of those houses are in the Delta area. In this program, people were asked to pay 25 per cent of their salary for 25 years, or not longer. That program is very hard for us to administer. At the present time, I am getting a legal question answered from the Department of Justice to see whether or not we can give that program back to CMHC, because CMHC has been very inflexible and has not agreed to the recommendations we have put forward to them. Thank you.

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Fred Koe Inuvik

Mahsi. On the issue of the rural and remote program, you mentioned that you would like to give this back to CMHC. But there are still some people who have some of these units and debts they have incurred. That debt now prevents them from entering new programs because of the black mark on their credit. I'm wondering if we could advance the review of this to help those people who have these long, outstanding debts from these old housing programs.