Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at the recent NWT Association of Communities meeting with Hay River, the Minister of Housing was questioned by one of Hay River's representatives about the issue of drug dealers and bootleggers living in housing units. Her response actually prompted an editorial which appeared in today's Hub newspaper. The editorial echoed the opinions of others who brought this to my attention.
People have concerns about this. One of the concerns is about fairness. People don't like coming home from their second job, which they need so they can afford to pay their mortgage or their rent, and seeing another brand new Ski-Doo parked in front of a housing unit when they know that the person who owns that Ski-Doo and lives in that house declares no income and pays next to nothing for rent despite having a steady income from the sales of drugs.
The other obvious concern is about community safety. People don't like the government providing safe spaces for illicit activities which harm the community. I have been told by some that they see this as the government is complicit. For my first question, I just want some clarification: what is the Housing Corporation's policy regarding bootlegging and drug dealing in housing units by tenants? By trafficking, I mean all aspects of trafficking, storage, packaging, et cetera, not just the physical exchange of money for drugs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.