Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As pointed out in a recent report from the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association, teachers are turning down job offers for small NWT communities because of a lack of adequate housing. The report goes on to say that in the past 11 years, the Department of Education has spent $13.9 million moving teachers out of these communities, and that doesn’t include the added cost of recruiting new teachers to replace those who have left.

Since 1996, when the GNWT got out of providing teacher housing, there have been many things tried but, unfortunately, most of these solutions have not been successful.

Currently most districts in the NWT do have some sort of off-the-books arrangement for housing and have had for years. Here’s a snapshot of housing options that are out there in the eight district education councils and authorities that we have.

Both Yellowknife Catholic Schools and the Commission Scolaire Francophone do not provide any form of housing to teachers. Yellowknife Education District No. 1 owns Nordic Arms, an apartment block here in Yellowknife. In the Sahtu,

specifically in Colville Lake, the DEA either owns or manages the teacher housing there through a creative arrangement. In the Deh Cho, GNWT assets were turned over to the education council years ago, when no one locally would purchase them. There are houses in Trout Lake and Nahanni Butte, and a lease with the First Nations in Jean Marie River was turned over to the board. At Kakisa, Education, Culture and Employment gave the district education council about $60,000, and the council built a house. Public Works and Services has since taken over the maintenance and associated costs for that house. There have been a few ups and downs with that arrangement, but the best part of the deal, the council still collects and keeps the rent.

Alternatively, the Tlicho has housing in at least Behchoko for nurses. We have housing for RCMP in all of our communities where they’re stationed. To be honest, the GNWT and its agencies, departments of Health and Justice, do provide housing. The government can argue that they are locum nurses and that the RCMP are contracted but, in my mind, it’s a matter of semantics. Government money is being used to supply housing for people who supply services in NWT communities.

We struggle to solve the teacher housing riddle. Can we not find a solution that works? I have a suggestion: One potential solution would be amending the current regulations to allow authorities and councils to own property.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted