Mr. Chairman, I have two separate situations where I’m dealing with land, and there’s an elder in a HAP unit that was built on what
was essentially her cousin’s land where a unit that was constructed by the Department of Indian Affairs prior to any units being constructed for use by the NWT Housing Corporation. In essence, I’m talking about the Northern Territorial Rental Program, which was actually constructed under a program called Eskimo and Indian Housing. It goes back a long way. These other units were constructed in the late ’50s and early to mid-‘60s and they were homes that were issued to treaty Indians. This home is now considered part of Commissioner’s land, and the elder, although I don’t think she pays taxes, is required to do so. But this is not a tax issue. This is an issue of trying to figure out the process of how that occurred.
I’m just going to give you the second scenario, as well, Mr. Chairman, so that I can have something more recent. I have very recently dealt with a lease, a municipal lease or a land lease or, I’m sorry, maybe it’s a tax. But anyways, the lease or taxes that are paid to the GNWT on an annual basis. However, there was an indication that that unit was sitting on that same piece of land prior to 1980, and the land was then referred to Indian Affairs branch land. I’m just wondering if the department is aware of how that occurred.