Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regard to my Member’s statement, I touched on the area of maximum unit rents that are charged across the Northwest Territories. It’s a similar issue we addressed in regard to our power rates in the Northwest Territories, in which our rates are different in every community and we have some 28 different power rates in the Northwest Territories and we’re now trying to remedy that situation and looking at three rate zones. I think that’s something that we should also consider when it comes to rental rates in our communities, especially if we could look at regional rates for the different regions from the Beaufort-Delta to the Sahtu to the North Slave, South Slave. I think we have to realize that there is definitely...(inaudible)...especially when individuals that we’re really talking about are the people paying the maximum rent, are the professions that usually come to our communities, need to be accommodated through social housing, and those are the people that definitely can see the difference.
I used the illustration of Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic, which is only half an hour apart, but in regard to the maximum rate in Tsiigehtchic, where basically they’re paying $3,700 and in Fort McPherson where it’s $2,500. So there’s a $1,200 difference in the maximum rate just between those two communities which are half an hour apart.
I’d like to ask the Minister is that something that his department can seriously consider in the line of the deferential differences when we talk about bringing down the cost of living in our communities, but more importantly, accommodating those people in our communities who are paying the highest rent and, more importantly, accommodating the region as a whole. Thank you.