Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sometimes policies make sense and sometimes, well, they don’t. Point in question, let’s look at the widely popular NWT Housing Corporation Housing Choices suite of programs. This suite of programs is offered to all residents of the Northwest Territories, helping to maintain and manage a sustainable housing environment. Assistance is provided at various levels based

on the applicant’s

income, helping NWT residents not only become more independent but also assist them in becoming successful homeowners.

One such housing choice is the CARE program, which stands for Continuing Assistance for Repairs and Enhancements. By offering forgivable loans up to $90,000, CARE helps homeowners make necessary repairs to ensure a safe and healthy residence and to increase the useful economic life of their homes.

Mr. Speaker, all good so far, so what’s my concern? Well, it’s the little caveat on the NWT Housing website that says, “Generally, applicants can’t have outstanding arrears with the NWT Housing Corporation.” The word “generally” had me raising some red flags, so I decided to do some investigation.

Well, it seems if you owe money on your land lease or property tax and you live in a market community, you are ineligible for a free forgivable loan. This makes sense to me. However

– and this is the

kicker

– if you owe less than $5,000 on your land

lease or property tax and you live in a non-market community, you’re not eligible for this loan program. This is the one that does not make sense to me.

How is it you can have two sets of rules, depending on your market, on money you owe, and still qualify for more free funding? This does boggle the mind.

Furthermore, to the legality of such asininity, how does a policy like this stack up constitutionally?

I’ll be asking the Minister later today for some clarity on this policy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.