Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members of this House hear no end of problems with public housing. Every community in my riding hears the same story. What really gets me, though, is when this government discourages people from working. For example, if you live in public housing in Sachs Harbour and you get a job, you’re going to pay what they call economic rent. I don’t know what economic rent is all about, because hardly anybody can afford it. We’re talking about $3,000 a month plus electricity and water for a three-bedroom house in Sachs Harbour, which could add up to $4,000 a month for a four-bedroom unit. That reward, where you’re lucky enough to get your job, you’ll pay as much as public housing would pay for a $750,000 home in Yellowknife. That’s a shame.

I don’t know how this NWT Housing Corporation comes up with so-called economic rent for Sachs Harbour and the communities, but fairness and affordability don’t seem to have anything to do with it. People get a new job and this kind of rent does not pay. They literally cannot afford to work.

The big problem that results is sky-high rent in public housing more than people who are in arrears with the government, basically putting people in debt with the NWT Housing Corporation as soon as they go to work. We have to do something about this. We’re always preaching about creating jobs in our small communities. If the people want to keep working, we must have a reasonable rent scale.

At the appropriate time I will have questions for the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize in the gallery some LHO managers, some tenant relations officers, some assistant managers. I had the opportunity to meet with them yesterday. I’ll tell you one thing, they’re not shy about sharing their views. That was much appreciated and it helps me do my job a lot better.

Joining us in the gallery today are: from Ulukhaktok, Sadie Joss; Elaine Blake, manager in Tsiigehtchic; Jim White from the Yellowknife Housing Authority; Stephan Folker from the Yellowknives Dene First Nation; Agatha Laboucan from Lutselk’e Housing

Authority; Veryl Gruben from the Tuktoyaktuk Housing Association; Elizabeth Ann McKay from the Fort Resolution Housing Authority; Melanie Louie from the Hamlet of Fort Liard Social Housing; Kim Olsen, manager of the Fort Smith Housing Authority; Donna McLean is a manager of the Hay River Housing Authority; Roland Rogers is the manager of the Aklavik Housing Association; Keith Dowling is the manager of the Paulatuk Housing Association; Ms. Rosemary Vandell is the manager of the Fort Providence Housing Association; Betty Firth is the manager of the Fort McPherson Housing Association; Eleanor Mitchell-Firth, also here from Fort McPherson Housing Association; Rose Dryneck here from Behchoko. We also have with us Angela Grandjambe, manager of Fort Good Hope Housing; and Phebie Kenny, manager of the Deline Housing Association. I would like to welcome you all to the gallery and I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings.

The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

I’d like to recognize Agatha Laboucan and Elizabeth Ann McKay from the local housing organizations in Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution.

The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

I would like to recognize the second-year Aurora College social work students coming in for a tour. Recognizing them and welcoming them to the gallery, to the Assembly. Amanda Anthony from Yellowknife; Stefany Bulmer from Yellowknife; Billi-Rai Driscoll from Yellowknife; Fay Erasmus from Behchoko; Stephanie Hiedl from Yellowknife, and Inuvik, I believe; Christine King from Yellowknife; Bianca Kotchea from Fort Liard; Melissa McDonald from Inuvik; Savanna McKay-Larocque from Hay River; Julia Naedzo from Behchoko; Jaleesa Paulette from Fort Smith; Elizabeth Purchase from Yellowknife; Pamela Weeks-Beaton from Yellowknife and formerly Behchoko; and Bruce Stewart, instructor of social work at Aurora College. I would also like to recognize one of my constituents, Rose Dryneck from Behchoko.

The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

It’s my pleasure today to recognize Mr. Jim White, who is representing the Yellowknife Housing Authority. We all have housing in our Yellowknife ridings, so I know he works on our behalf. I’d like to thank him for that.

Following up on your welcome of Mr. Whitford, I’d like to say it’s good to see you here again.

The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s good to see all the visitors here in the gallery. The Housing Minister indicated I had a constituent here and I was trying to figure out who was Ms. Mary, but I finally figured out it was Rose Vandell from Fort Providence. I’d like to welcome her here. I also want to welcome a former colleague, Tony Whitford, who’s now not a one-man army but a one-man navy…

---Laughter

…and for sure he’s a force to be reckoned with. I’d like to welcome him here today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome today Ms. Sadie Joss from Ulukhaktok, and Keith Dowling, the housing manager from Ulukhaktok. It’s not very often I have family in the House, too, so it’s good to see my housing manager from Tuk and also my cousin too. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Savanna McKay-Larocque. I am happy to see she’s in the Social Work Program, following in the footsteps of two of her aunties who have been long-time social workers, Terry McPherson and Anne Gill in Hay River. It’s good to see Savanna here today. I also recognize Donna McLean, who is currently the manager of the Hay River Housing Authority but has worked for the Housing Authority for so long I actually can’t remember a time when she didn’t work for them. She is a very long-time employee of the Housing Authority. She was in charge before she was even the manager.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to welcome Captain Tony Whitford to the House and hope his home renovations are going well. I would also like to recognize Mr. Bruce Stewart, the instructor for the social programs staff -- he’s a constituent of Weledeh -- and also all of his students and the LHO representatives from everywhere. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize two Fort Liard residents in the gallery here today. First is Ms. Melanie Louie. Welcome to the gallery. I also recognize that she’s with the Fort Liard District Education Authority. As well, best wishes this year

to Bianca Kotchea in the Social Work Program, who’s in the gallery today. Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to welcome all the visitors in the gallery today. It’s always nice to have an audience with us. As well, I’d like to recognize a Page from the riding of Kam Lake that we have with us during this sitting of the House: Ms. Sarah Sibbeston. She’s the granddaughter of former Member Nick Sibbeston and a current senator. Welcome, Sarah. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.