Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the life of this Assembly, the NWT Housing Corporation has brought a number of modular units into our small communities in an effort to tackle public housing infrastructure needs. So far in my riding, Aklavik has received two units, and Tsiigehtchic has received one. NWT communities can anticipate additional units in the future. There is no doubt that adequate, affordable housing is a major need in the Northwest Territories, from the small communities to the regional centres and Yellowknife. The Housing Corporation's strategy is one of cost savings, moving away from more durable, long-lasting stick-built homes and relying on modular units built somewhere else and trucked or barged in.
Mr. Speaker, myself and many of my colleagues have repeatedly warned the government that their search for cost savings through modular units means expenses crop up somewhere else. Specifically, it means that jobs, including opportunities to access training, gain work experience, build skills, and bring an income, are taken away from the small communities.
There is also the question of quality. Some of my constituents worry about the quality and durability of these trailers compared to stick-built units, especially through the severe winters in remote communities. They wonder about the unit's life span and what kind of value for money the units will have in the long run.
When I spoke about the local housing organizations yesterday, I highlighted the Housing Corporation's work to support housing leadership and decision-making in the communities at the community level, helping communities take a leadership role with all of the benefits that it brings, but the same philosophy applies to construction, too, not just property management.
Residents want to play their part in their communities, Mr. Speaker, and they want to work. They do not want to keep watching jobs go elsewhere. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I will have questions later today.