Thank you, Mr. Chair. I noticed that the executive is responsible for coordinating housing issues across government departments and agencies. Strategic planning is a key element of the corporation, particularly long-term strategic planning and direction and there’s research and other functions with the executive. I see an important opportunity for the Housing Corporation to address both some of our housing needs and some of our other broader government goals, including local economic development. We’ve heard how the massive amounts of work they are doing and the most recent stimulus funding and so on is providing jobs. These are things that are placed on the ground as opposed to really engaging a community-level partnership and I’m wondering what the planning is strategically for developing partnering programs with community governments and CMHC, which is a corporation that seems very open and with deep pockets when
it comes to innovative approaches and trying to do things a little bit differently.
The City of Yellowknife has shown a similar initiative to develop and construct locally appropriate housing where feasible, using local materials, local skills, those skills that are there perhaps enhanced with some capacity building, and strengthening of maintenance skills already there for locally appropriate housing, but again enhanced through some capacity building.
I believe my colleague Mr. Krutko has mentioned several times the niche for modest sized homes out on the land that could be used by people with that interest, as well as, of course, log homes in communities using local materials. I realize the costs are different, but partnerships and skill building are the important aspects there, and, of course, the potential for in a more fertile way spreading the energy efficiency knowledge that is getting well embedded in the Housing Corporation.
That’s sort of a long description but I’m convinced that we need fully integrated approaches, things that go much more in-depth now than we have in the past. These are embedded challenges in this approach, I’m the first to admit. But on the other hand, the benefits are spread across many of our goals and priorities. I’m just wondering if there’s any reflection of that sort of philosophy or if that could be developed so that it is reflected in the budget planning that the executive does in the Housing Corporation.