Mr. Speaker, you know, the rent scale policy that we have today was developed 10-plus years ago, with good intentions, I'm sure, but obviously today it doesn't work. It doesn't work for communities; it doesn't work for individuals; and it doesn't work in our employment economy here today. I guess just what my colleague Mrs. Groenewegen from Hay River South was talking about, the frustration of having people to have to verify their income on a monthly basis to the LHOs which, in turn, work with ECE to provide the subsidy or what rent they're going to charge them on. But should people not report these monthly rental incomes, Mr. Speaker, they automatically get charged the maximum amount of rent, regardless of what excuse they have or anything. If they don't have any paper, they're automatically charged the maximum, thus resulting in these exorbitant arrears that all these LHOs have with their clients, some of them up to $80,000 in rental arrears, Mr. Speaker. Like, holy smokes! Is there any intention and has the Minister made any commitment to his staff and to the people in the public housing sector, that he will review the rent scale policy and make the appropriate changes so that people don't have this disincentive hanging over them all the time? They're...
Robert Villeneuve on Question 142-15(5): Social Housing Rent Scale Policy
In the Legislative Assembly on October 19th, 2006. See this statement in context.
Question 142-15(5): Social Housing Rent Scale Policy
Item 7: Oral Questions
October 18th, 2006
Page 355
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