Agreed. Page 8-29, information item, infrastructure development, operations expenditure summary. Any questions?

Thank you, committee. Page 8-30, information item, infrastructure development grants and contributions. Any questions? Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We're on 8-30? Okay, Market Housing Program, we seem to be holding at about $900,000 funding direct from the GNWT for

property management of the Market Housing Program. One of the things that I recall about the market housing initiative was that it was to be self-financing and, in fact, to have a surplus. There was actually a surplus projected in there. However, it doesn't seem that that's worked out if what we're looking for is $900,000 and its called property management here. What's gone sideways with this, Mr. Chairman? Why are we looking for the second year, well actually the third year in a row now, a substantial amount of money going into something that was designed to be self-financing?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, these units are the old staff housing units. There's about 59 units of old GNWT staff housing. That's what this number falls under. So that's the cost associated with managing the 53 staff houses that we do presently manage, 59, manage on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories. These are the old staff housing units that are in communities.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Braden.

Boy, I'm going to have to polish up my running shoes here, Mr. Chairman. What's the difference, then, between Market Housing Program and market housing initiative? Are we talking about, are there two different pieces of program here? The word market, I guess, has got me thrown here. I'm going to need some help.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It was a political decision that we no longer call them staff housing. We are now calling them market housing for the old staff housing we can consolidate into this program. So all the public or government staff housing is now called market housing.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Not to be confused with the market housing initiative, is that the case?

Yes, they also include the market housing that is presently being delivered on behalf of our 22 units that we built under phase one and phase two.

Just for clarification, so is the market housing initiative part of the Market Housing Program? I think that was the question from the committee.

Yes.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Braden.

Okay. So we had some old staff housing that for...Yes, draw me a picture, connect the dots here, that for a political reason the name was changed to market housing. What stimulated the change of name?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the government made a decision to get out of staff housing a number of years ago, which now it falls under the title of market housing. They were transferred to the Housing Corporation to manage on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories to provide housing in communities, but for professional staff.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Braden.

Okay, so connect the dots. It used to be staff housing, but for political nomenclature reasons it is not staff housing anymore, but we're still spending $900,000 a year supporting staff housing. Sounds like we're still in the staff housing, Mr. Chairman. Maybe somebody else has some questions they can ask on this one, but I guess we're subsidizing housing for staff. That's what's going on here and that's fine. I just wanted to make sure that I know what I'm voting for here, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. I didn't hear a question there. I am going to go now to Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a quick question on the homeownership programs, fire damage repairs of $500,000. I know there are no actuals there for 2004-05, but I am wondering if the Minister can provide me with information on what has actually been spent on fire damage repairs for 2004-2005 and 2005-06? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Minister.