Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A good segue; thanks to Member Nadli for that. We are facing a housing crisis in Yellowknife. We all experience the high cost of living, and especially housing in Yellowknife, but government policies are causing people with the lowest incomes and housing issues to struggle more than ever.

Local organizations that help people with low income note that waiting lists for their low-income housing programs are longer than they’ve ever seen them. The same is true for public housing units. The lists are so long that for most people they are not a viable option. People end up paying sky high rents in the private rental market.

One constituent couple is addressing their issues by going to Alberta for addictions treatment, requiring temporary placement of their children and a plan of care. This is exactly what we say we want people to do: making productive choices such as seeking treatment and things will get better. But once in treatment, the Housing Corporation tried to evict them from their unit and withheld their rental form, so they don’t qualify for rent payments from income support. So when they come back from treatment, ready to turn a new page in their lives, the first thing they face is a paperwork battle with the housing and income support system to get the support they need. They also return from treatment in serious debt, homeless, faced with the daunting task of reuniting their family under these conditions and under high stress. Great for addictions recovery. This multi-departmental policy failure causes the housing policy crisis I am talking about here.

Waiting lists for public housing are so long that 100-plus families are living in rental units paid for by income support. I’ve demonstrated previously that our income support system traps people in poverty by, for example, cutting people off as soon as they make any extra income, so it is not surprising to learn that Northern Properties is having trouble collecting rent from people when the income support system cuts off support before they are able to manage on their own.

Now Northern Properties say they will no longer accept new tenants who are on income support. This adds to already existing challenges. I have heard of tenants without running water for months at a time being refused transfers to new apartments and of Northern Properties refusing to sign new leases when people on income support are sharing an apartment and one tenant leaves.

I seek unanimous consent to complete my statement. Mahsi.

---Unanimous consent granted