Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on Monday an ongoing crisis was again brought to my attention. This crisis is the lack of staff housing in the Dogrib communities. The situation exists because there is not enough affordable housing in the communities for either professional staff or for local people.

The GNWT used to operate and maintain a number of staff housing units in each community, but with the move to community empowerment and the recognition that these units were extremely costly to maintain, the GNWT turned these buildings over to the communities to run. In turn, some communities turned surplus staff housing over to the local housing association which felt that the empty units were public housing units.

In the North we still rely on importing health and education professionals, but a crisis exists in the communities because there is no affordable housing for them to live in. Grade 10 extensions are stalled in both Gameti and Wekweti because there is no housing for the new teachers. In Wha Ti, a teacher is staying in a commercial bed and breakfast.

In Rae-Edzo, there are currently six positions vacant in Health and Social Services. If and when these positions are filled, it will be almost impossible for the health care staff to find available and affordable housing.

By shifting the responsibility for staff housing to the communities, the Housing Corporation has unfortunately created a crisis in the North Slave. Local organizations are not yet able to build and operate the needed units without financial support.

Although the Housing Corporation is moving away from providing staff housing in communities, I think they still have a role to play in this time of transition. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause