Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to use my Member's statement today to talk about the NWT Housing Corporation's rent scale policy. Mr. Speaker, the rent scale policy of the NWT Housing Corporation is geared solely on income and has remained unchanged since its first implementation 30 years ago. There have been numerous consultation processes done by the Housing Corporation with local housing organizations, public housing clients, and the public in general on how the rent scale policy can be adjusted or changed to be more in harmony with the needs of public housing clients.

Mr. Speaker, talk of change in the rent scale has gone on for too long. It is time for the Housing Corporation to start the ball rolling towards a system of public housing rental rates which reflect and assist persons in public housing to move away from public housing units and into more independent housing. The current system, as everyone is aware, is a system which encourages people to remain in public housing, encourages people to not go out and look for a job and, sadly, encourages people to not pay rent at all. This government has been dragging its feet on the issue for too long and it's time to roll out a new policy which has been developed, and show persons in public housing and the public and the people in the NWT that the Housing Corporation is not all talk, but does have a plan to moving forward with harmonizing needs with resources. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Hawkins on October 19, 2004, regarding the Aurora College lease in Northern United Place.

The lease at Northern United Place is administered by Aurora College in Fort Smith. I have been advised that the lease expires on August 31, 2007, and has two five-year renewal options.

My department has been working with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to review various accommodation options for Aurora College. The discussions are very preliminary and no decisions have yet been made. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize Mr. Richard Nerysoo, a former classmate of mine from years ago. It's good to see him up there. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I'll take this opportunity to welcome any of our guests who we have visiting with us in the gallery today who haven't been recognized. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly.

---Applause

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To follow up on the theme today, my questions are directed to Mr. Krutko, the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. I was looking at the business plan for the corporation and reflecting on the diminishing funding levels from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which today amount to in the order of $33 million a year. These will sunset. My question, Mr. Speaker, is what lobbying efforts are underway now to restore federal investment in public housing in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, the Honourable Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the Member for that question. Presently we are in dialogue and talks with the people from the AFN -- Billy Erasmus -- with regards to aboriginal housing in Canada. Like I noted earlier, I had a meeting with the federal Minister in Vancouver a number of weeks ago and I believe that the national attention that is on housing and

homelessness is out there. I think because of that we, in the North, also have to realize that with these declining funds from CMHC, we have to find new ways of facing our challenges.

We are working with other agencies out there, especially the people in the First Nations community, AFN. We're also scheduled to meet with the federal Minister at the First Ministers' meeting at the end of November. That is the process right now that we're using to dialogue with other organizations. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Okay. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So we really have nothing more than another meeting scheduled among Ministers. If the Minister would like to expand on anything there, I'd welcome it at some point, but I'd like to know what other options is our Housing Corporation looking at to ensure that we will continue to have adequate investment in our housing infrastructure, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, right now, as a corporation, we are in the process of reviewing the mandate of this corporation. We are taking a look at the program services we do deliver. Also, we are looking at a 10-year plan to look forward on exactly where we go as a corporation and to take on the challenges that we're facing. We have to find more unique ways of delivering housing in the Northwest Territories, especially with the number of houses that are going to be required. I know a couple of Members touched on the whole area of selling off public housing. That's one area we're looking at and, in order to achieve that, to sell off public housing and replacing them with multi-units where we have six or seven units instead of the high cost to operate or maintain a single dwelling. I think those are the types of things we're looking at doing and moving toward. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Your supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, the 2004-06 business plan outlines a goal to build between 750 and 800 units in the NWT over the next five years. This is under the affordable housing strategy. Now, this goal is about 18 months old. It's the most recent one that I could find that's before the public, Mr. Speaker, and I'd like to ask if these targets, 750 to 800 units over the next five years, are still in place. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Speaker, that is one of the goals we are trying to meet but, based on the budget restraints we do have, in order to meet those goals there are certain things that have to happen. In order to do that we have to sell off units by way of almost 50 units a year to individuals who are either living in those units or to the private sector and replace those units with multi-plex units -- like I mentioned, the six-plex or eight-plex units -- to ensure that we're able to fill that gap in order to meet that. The key to this is we have to change the way we do business, but to meet that goal we have to implement the 10-year plan that we have put forward and follow that plan to meet that goal at the end of the day.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Your final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Okay, so there seems to be some momentum and some innovation here. The Minister has mentioned something about a 10-year plan. Is this something that has been put before the public or the Assembly and could the Minister tell us more about this initiative? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Krutko.