Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when the staff housing strategy was implemented three years ago, the government was very careful to follow its own law. This law requires that individuals receive formal notice of rent change three months before the new rent takes effect. This law is in place for good reasons. With the high cost of living in the north, many northerners don't have a great deal of disposable income.
The three months' notice gives people a chance to plan for expenses and figure out where the money will come from for rent. It also gives people time to look for alternative accommodation if they just won't be able to pay for the rent. This can mean finding a new place to live or making arrangements to share housing.
Mr. Speaker, the government gave this consideration of notice to its staff when it increased staff housing rents and even then, people had difficulties. It is amazing to the ordinary Members that the government does not feel it must show the same consideration to people in public housing units. We find it hard to accept that the Minister of Housing can apply something different for public housing tenants than the law which applies to everyone else. The issue is not whether the law allows the Minister to do this, but whether it is acceptable to apply a different standard for public housing tenants.
Over the past few days, the ordinary Members have been trying to get detailed information from the Minister of Housing regarding the notice of April 1st for rent changes. Yesterday, in his statement, the Minister indicated that every tenant will be individually informed about the new rent scale. Given that the rent changes are now less than a month away, this means, Mr. Speaker, there are still many tenants who are confused and don't know what this really means for them.
Mr. Speaker, this is of grave concern to Members. Once again, the corporation shows that it has different rules than everyone else. Just as it remains a corporation without the need of a board, it can implement rent changes in a way which is totally unacceptable for other NWT residents. Members will be pursuing this issue further during question period. Thank you.
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