This is page numbers 3681 – 3720 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was housing.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I'd like to thank the Minister for that response. Yes, we really need to get that legislation before the end of our term. Last fall in the House we changed our mandate for the 18th Assembly and we included a new section around the knowledge economy. I'd like to know what the Minister can tell us about his department. What specific work are they doing on developing a knowledge economy? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

The Member in his opening remarks earlier talked about training and skill development. That is a focus of our department, but we work collaboratively not only within other departments within the GNWT but also business and other organizations on how we address that. I think it takes more than just the one department to look at addressing the knowledge economy.

One of the other mandates that has changed was working with the Department of ENR in terms of studying the feasibility of creating a Northern Centre of Excellence to support and promote such things as research, innovation, traditional Indigenous knowledge, and foster partnerships with other universities outside the Northwest Territories and other governments and other organizations. The GNWT departments are now working together to engage with external partners to study the feasibility of creating such a centre. I look forward to the outcomes of that study. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Mr. Speaker, I was looking in the main estimates and I've discovered what I assume must be a typo. The rental office is listed the activity services to the public, but last year two thirds of the applications to the office were filed by public housing agencies. Either the rental office should be listed under services to government, or the government is essentially monopolizing the public service for its own good and at the expense of small landlords, renters, and to the detriment of the public at large, as I note in my Member's statement.

Given that the length of time it takes the rental office to process applications has been identified by this government as a serious concern, I'd like to make sure the entire government is taking steps to solve it. That being said, I would like to ask the Housing Minister if the Housing Corporation monitors its applications to the rental officer so that it can take policy steps to help reduce the number of times that it makes applications to the office? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we do monitor the applications to the rental officer. I do want to give credit to the Minister who was responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation before my time.

Previously, many years ago, people were in debt, like $60,000, $100,000. The debts were incredible, insurmountable, and people, they're going to be evicted at that point. The last Minister actually spent a lot of time actually getting people to try to pay their debts. It was very successful, with a 110 per cent collection rate, which means people were mostly paying up their current rents and dealing with their past rent arrears.

Because that was such a strong focus, my hope and my assumption will be that, in the future, now that people are more used to having to pay their rent, they know that they can't get away for it for years and that our applications will lessen because of that. Yes, we do monitor, and my hope is that they will lessen over the years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

That was a lot of hope coming from the other side. Does the Housing Corporation currently maintain a policy outlining when and under what criteria it will engage the rental officer on issues with tenants?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Yes, we do maintain a policy, and it's called Under the Collection Policy and Procedures. My direction actually when I took over is: don't leave it for three months. As soon as somebody is in arrears for over a month, you start the process. I apologize if that does cause inconveniences, but my job is to take care of 2,600 people in homes in the communities, and so it's important that people are provided their support by the eviction. Eviction is the last resort provided in the rental tenancy order so that they can start carrying their arrears once they owe only a month or so versus years of debt. Yes, we do follow a policy, and under my direction, it is stringently reinforced that says, as soon as people aren't paying within a month or so, start the eviction process, so that people have a chance to maintain their homes.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

I appreciate what the Minister is saying, but the fact remains that the government is monopolizing a service meant for the public. Much in the same way that the government and the Housing Corporation pay higher rates for things like power, perhaps the Minister would voluntarily pay higher application fees than private individuals to help the rental office fund another position to help the independent landlords out in this situation. Would the Minister do that?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

It isn't the responsibility of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to pay for the rental officer. There are a lot of services. If there are not enough building contractors in the communities, does that mean we should start new businesses? If there are not enough suppliers, should we start the suppliers? Our job is to keep people in houses, and that is my priority.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's the point. They're keeping people in houses, and a lot of times, it is people who aren't paying rent to independent landlords.

I know the corporation has engaged in a broad strategic renewal, looking at a lot of its policies. The Minister mentioned that arrears are what is taking up a lot of the time. What is the Minister doing, other than ensuring that arrears are going to the rental officer right away, to deal with it? Are there any other pre-emptive things that the Minister is doing? I know she mentioned one earlier, sort of a work program. Is there anything else they are doing like that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Yes, every LHO is notified as soon as someone is behind their rent, and then they can actually provide counselling to people to try to ensure that they can catch up on their rent.

We do allow people to enter repayment plans. We try to work with them to say, "If you keep current with your current rent, can you pay a few dollars towards your arrears?" to keep people in, and then, finally, like I said, we are trying the new pilot project, the housing support worker, that when we get notified that someone is falling behind, we send in a worker to see if we can actually work one-on-one with those families to try to assist them so that they can keep themselves out of the Rental Office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The time for oral questions has expired. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to the Commissioner's opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. The Honourable Premier.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled "Letter to Minister Bennett from Gary Vivian, President NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines Regarding Northern Minerals Industry Submission on the Arctic Policy Framework, dated February 28, 2018." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled "Follow-Up Letter to Oral Question 119-18(3): Medical Travel Coverage." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 139-18(3): Waste Water Resource Management Strategy." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Justice.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents entitled "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 138-18(3) and Oral Question 144-18(3): Rental Office Wait Times in the NWT"; "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 150-18(3): Proposed Access to Information and Protection Privacy Legislation"; and "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 186-18(3): Perimeter Fence Repair at North Slave Correctional Complex." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table one document, "Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Mining Companies 2017." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Member for Frame Lake.