Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Premier in regard to the long-outdated Wildlife Act provisions that have been waiting in some cases some 17 years. By way of minor amendments to the Wildlife Act it was 1994. Those small amendments were more in line with the Inuvialuit Agreement. The Inuvialuit Agreement has been in place for some 27 years, yet a lot of the elements of those agreements have not been enacted and I think it’s more important that... People have been waiting a long time to see the Wildlife Act revisions take place and take hold and come before this House and go out to the public domain so we can have consultations on the revisions for the Wildlife Act. There’s a lot of work and a lot of effort has been put into this. So I’d like to ask the Minister when can we see the revisions to the Wildlife Act come before this House so we can put it out into the public domain and start the public consultation process to get that legislation through during the life of this government.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If all goes according to plan, the intention is to give notice for first reading on the 7th of March.

We are running out of time here. I believe we only have a little less than seven months in the life of this government and I think we have to do everything we can to get it into the system. So again, I’d just like to ask the Minister in regard to the legislation. Like I stated, since the Inuvialuit claim it’s been over 27 years, the Gwich’in claim has been about 20, the Sahtu is just under 20 years. It’s been a long time coming for a lot of the Aboriginal groups that have land claim agreements, to implement those provisions of those agreements, to enact them, bring them into legislation and bring them into force and effect. I think a lot of people out there are saying, well, no consultation is taking place. This thing has been around for 30 years. So I’d like to get the Minister to maybe get it in here. I don’t know if he can get it in here any faster than the 7th , but where there’s a will, there’s a way. So

I’d like to ask the Minister to get this legislation into this House so we can get it on the road and allow for public consultations. Thank you.

Thank you. The government shares the Member’s interest and concern in moving with this act. It’s been identified by this Legislature and the government as a priority piece of legislation. We are taking it down to the wire. So the intention, as I indicated, is to bring it forward into this House to give notice in the last week, from the 7th to the 10th , give it first and

second reading, hopefully, and get approved, and then it will become the property of the committee to be able to do their consultation and either in May or August bring it back for third reading. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The time for question period has expired. Item 9, written questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Human Resources.

1. How many of the government’s, including

boards and agencies, indigenous Aboriginal employees received training within the last two years?

2. How many of the government’s, including

boards and agencies, P2 and P3 employees received training within the last two years?

3. How many indigenous Aboriginal employees

were promoted to or successfully competed for senior positions, in 2009-2010?

4. How many P2 and P3 employees were

promoted to or successfully competed for

senior positions in 2009-2010?

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 10, returns to written questions. Item 11, replies to opening address. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Diavik’s Community Legacy Projects: Highlighting Our First Decade of Investing in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table the poster for V-Day North events. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that Monday, February 21, 2011, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nunakput, that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommends the Department of Health and Social Services reverse its decision and continue to provide long-term care service as it currently exists for elders at Joe Greenland Centre. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 4-16(5), Executive Summary of the Report of the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project; Tabled Document 30-16(5), 2010 Review of Members’ Compensation and Benefits; Tabled Document 38-16(5), Supplementary Health Benefits – What We Heard; Tabled Document 62-16(5), Northwest Territories Water Stewardship Strategy; Tabled Document 75-16(5), Response to the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project on the Federal and Territorial Governments’ Interim Response to “Foundation for a Sustainable Northern Future”; Tabled Document 103-16(5), GNWT Contracts Over $5,000 Report, Year Ending March 31, 2010; Tabled Document 133-16(5), NWT Main Estimates 2011-2012; Tabled Document 135-16(5), Response to the Standing Committee on Social Programs Report on the Review of the Child and Family Services Act; Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Social Assistance Act; Bill 14, An Act to Amend the Conflict of Interest Act; Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act; Bill 20, An Act to Amend the Evidence Act; Minister’s Statement 65-16(5), Devolution Agreement-in-Principle, Impact on Land Claims and Protection of Aboriginal Rights; Minister’s Statement 88-16(5), Sessional Statement, with Mr. Abernethy in the chair.

Thank you, committee. I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. Before us today are tabled documents 4, 30, 38, 62, 75, 103, 133, 135; Bills 4, 14, 17 and 20; and Ministers’ statements 65 and 88. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Committee wishes to continue the review of Tabled Document 133-16(5), NWT Main Estimates, 2011-12, and today we’re going to start with the Housing Corporation, and if we get through the Housing Corporation we may be ready for opening remarks for Municipal and Community Affairs.

Is committee agreed?

Agreed. With that, we’ll take a short break and come back to Tabled Document 133-16(5) with NWT Housing Corp.

---SHORT RECESS

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. Prior to

going on break we agreed to go forward on the main estimates with the NWT Housing Corporation. To the Minister for some opening comments.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to present the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation’s main estimates for the fiscal year 2011-2012, which requests a total GNWT contribution of $61.175 million. This is an increase of 64.7 percent from last year, due to the transfer of the Public Housing Rental Subsidy from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. Including other revenue sources primarily from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the NWT Housing Corporation will have approximately $112 million available to invest in housing in the Northwest Territories in this fiscal year.

Since 2006-2007 the federal government has invested $114 million in new housing and repairs in the Northwest Territories, or an average of $22.9 million per year. The 2011-2012 fiscal year represents the first year without this significant level of federal investments. However, the federal government remains an important funding partner through its support of our Public Housing Program as well as CMHC specific programs. As well, the NWT Housing Corporation and its provincial and territorial counterparts have been involved in recent discussions with CMHC on the future of funding previously provided through the federal Affordable Housing Initiative and Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program. We will continue to work with our provincial and territorial colleagues to encourage Canada to make long-term funding commitments for new construction, operation and maintenance of units, and to reverse the continuing decline of federal support for the operation of social housing.

Over the past five years we have delivered approximately 600 new housing units and completed repairs on a significant portion of our housing stock. In 2011-2012 we will be returning to our historical level of housing delivery. This is not to say that we will not be making important housing investments in our communities this year. However, given current needs in many communities and the lack of federal funding, our primary focus in 2011-2012 will be on improving existing social housing through public housing replacement and completing major modernization and improvements.

In 2011-2012 we will invest $7.1 million to replace 28 public housing units, and an additional $10.4 million to modernize and improve public housing with 126 units scheduled to undergo major upgrades. These investments are critical to enhance the long-term sustainability and energy efficiency of existing social housing, which will in turn lower operating costs and lessen the impact of

declining CMHC funding on our local housing organizations.

Improving our public housing stock also means identifying older units that require disposal or demolition and, where possible, replacing them with more energy-efficient homes. NWT Housing Corporation is removing these units and replacing them with higher quality homes that will not only provide better housing options to residents but will contribute to improving the overall quality of life within our communities.

The NWT Housing Corporation will also provide $9.7 million to assist current and prospective homeowners under Housing Choices and other programs. This funding includes $1.6 million for construction and material purchases for delivery under the Homeownership Entry Level Program, HELP, and $1.5 million to support home purchases under the Providing Assistance for Territorial Homeownership Program, PATH.

On the repair side, we will provide $4.7 million for repair projects under our Contributing Assistance for Repairs and Enhancement Program, CARE, $654,000 in CMHC repair programs and $938,000 in preventative maintenance assistance for seniors and other lower income residents. The remaining $250,000 represents funding available to community groups to develop housing that would be suitable to rent to essential service providers through the GNWT Housing for Staff Initiative. Our home ownership programs are designed to ensure that the housing programs and services that we provide foster independence and respond directly to client needs in a manner consistent with our resources.

We also recognize that there may be gaps in and between our programs. In 2010 we undertook an internal review of our programs focused on those applicants with household incomes that exceeded our program thresholds by 10 percent or less. Following the review, the NWT Housing Corporation tested a mechanism that would address these applicants who do not qualify for assistance under Housing Choices because their incomes marginally exceeded the threshold but who fulfill all other program requirements. We have included additional funding under our PATH program in 2011-2012 to provide home ownership options for those who fall into this category. We believe that through this kind of analysis we will identify individual applicants who can be successful homeowners.

We will realize further opportunities to provide housing to our residents through our vacant unit strategy. Under the first half of 2011-2012, the NWT Housing Corporation will utilize a series of options to ensure that available housing units in communities are serving a housing need for residents. These options include our recent

Housing Choices yearly intake, secondary intakes in selected communities where there are available housing units, and other uses as identified through dialogue with communities. This also includes the conversion of some vacant units to public housing as it is recognized that rental housing is the best option for many residents in need. The conversion to public housing will also extend to some communities where public housing does not currently exist, marking the first time since the early 1990s that the NWT Housing Corporation has added to its public housing inventory.

As always, the Housing Corporation’s largest expenditure is related to the delivery of the Public Housing Program in our communities. The approximately 2,400 units in our public housing inventory cost $41 million to operate each year, of which $5 million is recovered through tenant rents and which means that $36 million is funded through a government subsidy. This amount is provided to local housing organizations by the NWT Housing Corporation to subsidize tenant rents and to support the operation and maintenance of our public housing stock. This also includes $669,000 to fund the hiring of apprentices at local housing organizations.

Once again, federal funding for the operation and maintenance of public housing will decline in 2011-2012 and it will continue to do so until lapsing completely in 2038. The annual impact of this decline is beginning to be felt more severely. The GNWT and the Housing Corporation recognize this problem. In order to minimize the risk and sustainability of our existing housing stock in light of the federal government’s lack of commitment to long-term funding, the GNWT has committed $300,000 to allow the Department of Executive and the Housing Corporation to collaborate on a Shelter Policy review. This review will consider a number of challenging issues related to housing in the Northwest Territories, including declining federal funding for social housing and the ongoing housing issues in our communities. Included within this review will be an evaluation of the Housing Choices programs that were introduced in 2007 as well as a review of the current rent scale for the Public Housing Program. The Shelter Policy review will help us to build on our own capacity to address these challenges as well as providing a strategic framework for the next Legislative Assembly to make decisions about future housing approaches by the GNWT.

In this time of fiscal restraint it is important that the NWT Housing Corporation collect outstanding mortgage and rent arrears in order to reinvest them in our communities. The collection of this outstanding revenue is a key strategic consideration for the NWT Housing Corporation. It is critical that outstanding mortgage payments be made in order for homeowners to fully meet their

obligations and so that revenue collected through the process can be used to enhance programs and service delivery. Public housing tenants have a role to play in the financial viability of local housing organizations, given the reliance of local housing organizations on the rent revenues for the operation and maintenance of public housing stock. Our officials continue to work with clients in mortgage arrears and tenants with rental arrears to put in place repayment plans that address their arrears so that they can continue in the Housing Corporation’s programs. However, in cases where mortgage clients have consistently resisted, efforts to resolve their mortgage debt files will be sent for legal action.

We rely on the strength of partnerships in providing housing to our residents. Within the GNWT, the Housing Corporation works closely with departments such as Health and Social Services; Municipal and Community Affairs; Education, Culture and Employment; as well as the Department of Executive to promote interdepartmental approaches and collaboration in policy, planning and coordination. Our work with these departments is about more than just housing; it is about using our scarce dollars in the most effective way, given the clear linkage between quality housing and areas like health, education and community development.

The need for strong partnerships extends to the community level as well. Our local housing organizations work closely with us to ensure that our delivery reflects community needs and interests. Tenants are also considered our partners as they make a vital contribution to the viability of public housing through timely payment of rent and by ensuring that their units are well kept. The Housing Corporation’s role in these partnerships is clear: providing quality energy-efficient housing and ensuring that our programs and services are easily accessible and are communicated properly to those who stand to benefit from them.

Through these partnerships, we can move forward together into a future where quality, affordable housing is the norm in our communities and where our housing stock is sustainable for generations to come.

That concludes my opening remarks. At this time I would be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Do you have witnesses that you would like to bring into the House?

Yes, I would.