Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, it's important to realize that the funding we do get is given based on a priority basis. It's based on the applications that require this EDAP. The key is, if we approve it, the bank has to approve it also. In most cases, that's where they're turned down, once they get to the bank. Again, an application that's put in in January, if they feel they want to come back and renew their application or their circumstances change where they have acquired a full-time job compared to before when they had a part-time job, they can come back in and continue to process applications. It doesn't have to be one application a year. Again, it's based on priorities and having the resources for this program. I think it's important that we encourage people to get into homeownership. I think that's probably the most positive thing an individual can do, is become a homeowner while also realizing that with that comes independence. I think you want more people to be homeowners. With the program dollars we do have, we're open to applications from people coming in the spring or fall or winter. It's based on priority listing and as long as the resources are there to provide assistance to this program.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'm kind of asking these questions in a specific way because we're still taking applications from the fiscal year 2004-05 and the money has been spent. What we have are people who go to the bank who would qualify, who live in our housing units, who are our prime group that we're trying to focus this on, where we've got families who are in our low-cost housing. I don't know what they pay. Some of them pay $32 a month; some of them probably pay $200 or $300 a month. But I'm talking specifically about people who have gone to the bank, applied for potential mortgages, worked with the Housing Corporation and EDAP, we've taken their application and accepted their application on the approval process, but there's no money to move forward. These clients have gone through moving forward to try to get home access. It's not a question of do they have a job, it's not a question of bank approval, it's not a question of if they meet the requirements of the Housing Corporation. These are not the questions here at all. It is what do we do when we don't have any money and we're still processing these applications? The challenge is what happens to them? Do they have to wait three or four more months until we pass the next budget, which is now into April, when we've got people who could have been approved in November, December, maybe even January, but we had no money for them because it was used up, and rightfully so. It's going to the program that I think is very key to the success of getting people out of social housing and giving them the leg up.

My concern specifically is when we don't have any money for them, we're still approving their applications. Are we not putting them in a category by themselves where they're considered priorities as of April 1st assuming none of their circumstances have changed, their application hasn't been changed? Do we not consider them any type of priority whatsoever? I guess the ultimate question is, as soon as the policy to fund these folks is out of money, why don't we just stamp their application with "we're out of money, come back April 1st"?

We're still having people applying through the banks with the hope and dream of homeownership. There are a lot of dreams put on hold because the right people are missing out on their opportunities here and I wouldn't want to be building up a false sense of hope that this program exists. Like anything, there's only a certain amount of money to go around, but what are we doing for these folks that we're still taking and scrutinizing their applications and putting them through the credit checks? It's not a question of a job, it's not a question of whether they qualify under the Housing Corporation, it's not a question about whether they have bad credit or won't get someone to help sign their loan, it's not a question of that. It's a question of the down payment this EDAP promises, but we're taking their application, scrutinizing them and approving them without any money. They fall into this little mystery zone.

Why don't we get it today that either we should be, as of today, refusing their applications, sending them back with a note to say to reapply when we have money after April 1st, or are we taking the position that they are now a priority for April 1st and when we get money we'll phone you and we're going to re-screen you to ensure you still qualify and then assuming nothing's changed from when you originally applied and we didn't have any money, we'll proceed and process your application? Madam Chair, I'm really concerned that we're building up false hope for people who are in need. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Wow, that was a lot in your last 15 seconds on the clock. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just here in Yellowknife alone, in the budget for this year we're earmarking $5.8 million. Again, there are other program dollars that are allocated here in Yellowknife that could be moved around. I think, like you say, when you have a major intake or you exceed that $5.8 million, if there are additional dollars out there for IHP or a program that hasn't been allocated, that you can move that in-house in order to meet the demand. If the demand is in EDAP or IHP, you have the flexibility to move these program dollars. Again, Yellowknife, this year alone, our portion is $5.8 million. I think people are applying. Like I mentioned, we've already helped 571 people. I think this program is working, but the key is that it gives us the opportunity to assist people with their down payment, but leverage bank financing. I think you can't lose on that. Again, we are taking applications for the next fiscal year with regard to where we're going, but it's based on the budget being approved here in the House. I believe we realize there's a major increase in the number of applications we get that we will build that into next year's budget to ensure we have more money for the EDAP program. Again, like I mentioned, there is $5.8 million for the EDAP here in Yellowknife.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Next on the list I have Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Madam Chair. In some earlier remarks I thought I heard the Minister say there is an anticipated 158 new units to be constructed this year. I'm wondering if the Minister can confirm that and give us some detail on how that number is being attained. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, we are looking at, like I mentioned in my Minister's statement, expanding our single public housing units that we're spending $6.7 million on for 36 units here in Yellowknife and other places in the Territories. Also, through the market housing initiative we're looking at 20 units. I think that the big one is, as I mentioned, the Independent Housing Program. We're looking at assisting 51 clients for 51 units in that program. Also under EDAP we're looking at assisting 39 clients. With other programs we're looking at eight more units. Again, that's how we come up with 158 units and the budget of $33 million.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Braden.

Okay. This is the clarification I was going for, Madam Chair, was to try to determine how many new units are being added to the overall public or social housing inventory. I appreciate that in this number there are a lot of existing ones that are being sold to clients, which is great. Some other stuff is going on. But I'm looking at the numbers in our social housing inventory. How many units are being added on? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Madam Chair. With regard to social housing, we're looking to deliver 36 units. Also under the YACCS program here in Yellowknife, we're looking to deliver eight units also.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Braden.

Okay. Good. Thank you. Now, there are always, of course, some units that are coming off the inventory too. They're getting old, they're wearing out, they're being surplused, something like that. How many units, Madam Chair, are coming out of the social housing inventory this year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Madam Chair. In regard to major repairs and minor repairs that we're looking at in social housing, we're going to put in over $8.5 million into that, because I think one thing that we've heard and one thing that's been told to us, through our needs survey, is that we definitely need to make these repairs to our public housing to keep them at a certain standard. We also need to realize that we're running into problems with mould and other problems because of poor maintenance. I think that's one thing that I've been pushing for, as the Minister, is that we have to do better to improve maintenance for our public housing stock. We also need to ensure that the dollars are there for all communities to be able to continue this program every year. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Braden.

Good information, Madam Chair, but not quite what I was looking for. What I want to understand is that we have a certain number of units in our social housing inventory. I think the number is somewhere around 2,600. We add some every year, but some come off that inventory. As I say, they're surplused, they're obsolete, they're used up or they're sold. I want to know at the end of the day if we're maintaining the number of social housing units in our inventory, or if it's increasing or decreasing. That's what I'd like to know. What are the plans for this coming fiscal year, on a net basis, for the status of our housing inventory? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, one thing that we realized is that we do have to find ways to provide housing while realizing we have units that need to be taken offline because of the operations and maintenance costs. We also have the sale of public housing initiative, where we're selling off public housing to clients in the private sector. What we're doing is we're taking the money from these sales and putting them into new housing construction, by way of more single-dwelling units, eight-plexes, 12-plexes, and those types of housing. We realize, at the end of the day, it's more economically-efficient to operate those types of units than single dwellings. So this year I believe the number we're aiming for is 40 to 50 units, based on the 2,300 units we have in public housing. Again, it's a projected number of what we're looking at. If we can sell off 40 to 50 units and take that money and put it back into building these multi-plex structures to meet more of the needs...One thing we're finding again is that the big demand that's out there right now is for single housing. That's the initiative we're working on.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Okay. I'm going to wear out a couple of shovels here getting some of this information. What I got is that we're going to add 36 new single units, plus another eight barrier-free units. I have somewhere around 44 new ones coming on. Then we're going to sell, or are projected to sell, between 40 and 50 older units. So it's sort of a wash. That's fine, I just need to know, given that some units have to come off and they're going in the right place, so we're building some. Okay.

One of my colleagues is prompting me here, Madam Chair. I'm looking for the number territory-wide. This is the information that I'm getting so far. Perhaps the Minister would like to have a go at this one more time. Is that the territorial result, that essentially our housing inventory is staying the same?