Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just getting back to some of the rent supp questions that were being raised with the 28 companies that hold onto these rent supp leases in the NWT, I know that with my experience with working with the Housing Corporation as an LHO manager, the rents do come up every five years for renegotiation. I have consistently expressed my concern for the high rates the government pays these companies for the lease agreements that are in place. The government has the responsibility to keep these units in fair shape and are responsible for all the repairs and maintenance and pays full rent, whether they are occupied or not, 365 days a year. I know that a lot of these units that the government has 20-year leases on, I can figure out the costs associated with construction and lot development and everything. A lot of these places have paid for themselves two or three times over. My feelings are that the government really walked...or contractors basically jumped on the bandwagon when the government came out with this Rent Supp Program. In a lot of cases, I can see why these contractors just are so quiet about the Rent Supp Program, that it's just a gravy train for a lot of them and it just keeps their companies afloat in a lot of instances. They don't have to supply any maintenance or any upkeep or anything like that. Basically the onus is on the GNWT and the LHOs to see that these units are kept in fair shape and that means in the 20-year lease, those companies expect to see the unit still liveable after 20 years. I am telling you, those public housing units don't last 10 years without some major repairs happening.
It just gets back to what the other Member was saying about the whole rent supp agreements. It's really hard when you are talking about $4 million in payouts to these rent supp units every year. With some amendments, that might make it go even higher. I find that it's just a give away. It's really just government throwing money away into the communities and all these rent supp units are usually owned by private construction companies or private landlords. I think that's something that should be revisited by the Housing Corporation, because if we are 10 years into a lot of these leases and we are already dishing out $40 million over 10 years, in another 10 years that's another $50 million. That's a lot of houses there. Then when these leases are up, the government is expected to give the unit back to the leaser in living condition. I just don't know why the government actually backed itself into a corner like that.
I would like to see more reviews done into all the leases the government has entered into and the rent supp program. I think that a lot of them are way over market. Mind you, some of them will probably be under market, too. I would say that there has to be some adjustment made every five years in favour of government, in favour of market trends and wear and tear in general, and the shape of all the units that the government has to upkeep.
Getting back to the Member saying there is just not enough information and $4 million a year is a big chunk of the NWT Housing Corporation budget, and I don't see it anywhere in these cost estimates for rent supp units or anything like that or what changes are being proposed. I would even move that the review in Committee of the Whole for the Housing Corporation to go through detail, but I think the whole department has to be revisited after this information is provided. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.