Just listening to the responses and to the comments of the Members, I want to ask the Minister and staff that are compiling data, a very interesting note here I made, the NWT Housing Corporation is processing electricity bills, you said about 30,000. And are we going to get some of that data to know what we’re spending in the Sahtu as a result of the fuel, because that’s a big indicator of operation of the units and also for the electricity, water and the sewer. I guess I’m trying to get at a point where the philosophy of the Housing Corporation is going to state clearly that some of this responsibility is to go to the tenants. You know, we can go to communities, and you will see some units that at minus 44 or 45 they have their upstairs bedroom windows open and I’ll say, well, what’s going on, it’s so hot upstairs but it’s cold downstairs. I’d say if we were private homes owners you would have everything bundled up to be nice and warm and conserve as much heat as possible.

Until there’s a way that you’re going to put wood pellets as a source of heat in those units, diesel is there to stay and we are covering, in the public housing units, the cost. The Minister’s put in some other alternative energy use in the small communities and that’s the matter of the fact. So I guess I’m looking for some details. You know, when you put somebody in a house, you have to let them know that this is what the Government of the Northwest Territories is covering for you to stay there.

You know, in this House, the Minister talked about the mid-life on the retrofits and I’m glad and I also want to know how many retrofits have come into the Sahtu that age and it’s time to reno, shake them up and get them nice and new again so that these units will be up to par.

As I walk around the communities, I know some of the units that are still boarded up, some need to be worked on and some of the equipment and materials should be in the Sahtu now, taking advantage of the winter road, you know, and I would really stress the importance of the barging system. It has to happen with barging that it gets there in June, not later, and I’m asking the Minister for this type of information so that we could somehow, from our regional office to the local housing authorities, the tenants get into the units that when there is damage to the units this is what it’s costing us as taxpayers to fix this house up and that’s what we need to get to them.

In the olden days, you know, I think that type of teaching was happening. Somehow we missed it. Somehow some of these units are almost like an entitlement to the social

housing and we as taxpayers cover the cost. You know, right now, I understand the issue of homelessness has been something that we’re going to throw lots of money in.

A long time ago, in the ‘60s and ‘70s, there was no issue of homelessness in the Northwest Territories. Now we’re paying lots of money for homelessness. I wonder what’s going on. You look at the core needs in our small communities, there are five, six, eight, 10 people living in one house. It’s still happening today. With all the people living in our small communities, with overcrowding comes health issues, social issues, all kind of other issues that are compounded by this issue here. So I guess I’m looking for that kind of data from the Minister and from the staff and saying let’s put the real crux of these types of costs on the table and say these are the factors. If I was to walk around in Sahtu communities and look at the housing units, you know, I would be able to do that. I’m very concerned that the Minister is saying that from the housing needs. Is that the true indicator? I’m not sure, so I don’t know what the Minister means by that. We do the Housing Corp needs or the surveying and these are the numbers, the percentage, this is what it’s saying and I just took note of that. I’m not too sure what he means by that, because there are some real issues in our small communities with overcrowding, freezing pipes and sewer pipes.

Mr. Minister, some of the units, I hear it right from the local housing authorities that people are putting grease and stuff down the sinks and they’re freezing up. But even that’s simple education. I’m hearing from the tenants and also from the people who are working at housing and saying they shouldn’t be putting the grease and the macaroni and hamburgers down because it freezes up and pretty soon they’re complaining to me and I’m running to the office of the housing here. Something like preventative measures in our small units, so things like that.

People who are in our units that, you know, as taxpayers we’re paying for these utility costs without any type of consequence to the young tenants. I guess I’m looking at some responsibilities. Where do we draw the line? Because the government is not giving us any more money, actually they’re decreasing the funding and now we’re dealing with some issues here in Yellowknife, such as housing. So lots of money is going to homeless. Is that taking away from other needs of the community because now we have to deal with the housing of the homeless people in Yellowknife?

The president rattled off a lot of money going into this capital city here. Lots of money, and I’d appreciate the Minister’s willingness and flexibility to look at those four small communities and hoping that they’d get the support to have this in their small communities. There are two right now I know and, as he said, there are two more, so I might have to get on the phone and get cracking here to see that that will happen in our region.

Okay, I’ll leave shortly. I just want to finish this.

I just want to know about the data, they’re important indicators. We really need to know, as a government, what it’s costing us in subsidies that we’re covering those units here. There are opportunities in the future, like they have in Yellowknife. We have corporations that own real estate and I think some of them would love to have one or two of their tenants that are supported by Education, Culture and Employment to be

paid by Housing. There’s a couple of empty units that we have in our communities that we would love to have some of the Education, Culture and Employment tenants move in there that the Housing could cover some of the costs.

I’m going to conclude at that Mr. Chair.