This is page numbers 81 - 106 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 1st 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 work.

Topics

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As mentioned in my Member's statement, my questions today are for the Minister of Housing. The housing situation and supply in the NWT is getting worse. How is the department planning on dealing with our housing situation that is on the records of getting worse in Inuvik and the rest of the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The majority of our budget currently goes towards supporting one of every six households in the Northwest Territories with quality affordable housing through our public housing programs. One of our major challenges is to find funding so that we don't lose the units that we currently have. In our regional centres like Inuvik, we will need to work collaboratively with the municipal government and majority landlords in order to develop more affordable housing.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, what changes to the GNWT housing strategic or plan that they currently have is the Minister looking at to deal with this issue as the current strategy plan clearly is not working to improve the housing situation? As the study has shown, it has gone backwards in the last ten years.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

The Northwest Territories alone has a majority of the housing problems and a majority of the housing issues in our territory. Right now that I have been through the briefings, I have looked and met with the department, a lot of the infrastructure that is there, the houses that are there, are not 100 percent owned by the NWT Housing Corporation, but then, going forward, I want to work with the report that has already been completed in the last sitting, and then I want to start working with the regions to establish a stronger front to come forward and to start working with our Indigenous groups, partnerships, and to see what the needs are, the core needs, in each of our regional centres.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit to being bold and lead her department to try and find new ways to increase the total number of housing units and get people off these waiting lists and into actual housing?

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Yes, I am committed to work towards our rental scale and looking towards to get people into their own housing units but also working in partnership with Indigenous groups. I am new to the position, but I am really for Indigenous partnerships and would like to see community-owned infrastructure.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am happy to hear that because it kind of leads into my next question. Will the Minister again commit and be bold and lead her department with working with Indigenous groups to lobby the federal government to supply appropriate, long-term, sustainable funding to address our housing deficits in Inuvik and the Northwest Territories as a whole?

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Yes, the Housing Corporation will commit to working with Indigenous groups. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery (reversion)
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery (reversion)

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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Members, before we continue, I would like to recognize some of my constituents in the audience with us today. We have Jordan McLeod, the chair of Aklavik Community Corp; Dean Arey, recently elected as a Hunters and Trappers Committee member; also Ella Archie, Mary Ruth Meyook, Jimmy Meyook, Lori Anne Elanik, and Ella Archie. Ella and Jimmy Meyook actually went to school with Diane, and it was similar in the Grollier Hall. It is always good to have Members with us in the gallery. Thank you. They will actually be performing for us later today as well. Thank you.

Okay, where were we? Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Question 26-19(1): Evictions from Public Housing
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Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I have my questions for the Housing Minister in regards to working together. Mr. Speaker, would the Housing Corporation and the Housing Minister take lead to stop the evictions for the next six months so we could work together with the clients in the Beaufort Delta in my riding of Nunakput to get them back on track on a go-forward basis, so cutting out evictions and people with medical having to be moved to other houses? She could take lead right now to say "yes" to me, Mr. Speaker, and make it right. Thank you.

Question 26-19(1): Evictions from Public Housing
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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Question 26-19(1): Evictions from Public Housing
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Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, the Housing Corporation, eviction is the last resort. It could take about a year for an eviction to process, so the tenant has numerous chances to change their behaviour that is causing the problem. In most cases, evictions occur because tenants have been warned but continue to make disturbances that affect the other tenants.

Also, we carry a large, I don't want to use the word "debt", a large debt, I guess, like the return of income for our housing clients, and I am wanting to work with our housing clients, wanting to work in the regional levels, to recover that outstanding debt that our current public housing clients hold. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 26-19(1): Evictions from Public Housing
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Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

The question I asked was: could the Minister stop the evictions in the Beaufort-Delta and across the territory for the next six months? Because Christmas is coming. The last thing we need to have our constituents worrying about is being evicted and having a roof over their head when, at the end of the day, this government has to provide housing shelter over our constituents.

Question 26-19(1): Evictions from Public Housing
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Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

In regard to the eviction process that we currently do have, I really would like to acknowledge the safety that is among the units, the public housing units, and the activity that carries on, but then, yet, we do have a high rate of outstanding debts that are carried by the public housing tenants. I am wanting to work with the tenants and wanting to work with the eviction notices and try my best to really exercise my department to use that as a very last resort.

Question 26-19(1): Evictions from Public Housing
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Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

As the Housing Corporation across Nunakput, I know the rent scale is out of whack. We have to sort that out for the people. The T4 system is not working. The high rates, the cost of the units that we're providing, which is 42 percent problematic since the last census, there are problems in every unit that we have. There is overcrowding. People are suffering, Mr. Speaker. We need to make the residents, my constituents in my riding, they have to have a place to stay. Would the Minister answer me, yes or no, if she could provide the answer to stop the evictions for the next six months so we can review this with the department?

Question 26-19(1): Evictions from Public Housing
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Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you to the Member for his question. I will have to work with my department in order to make this decision, and I would like to work with each of the clients in the local areas and try to recover the debt that is required and try to understand why the eviction is taking place, but I would like to go forward and like to deal with these evictions on a case-by-case basis. I am open to further discussion.

Question 26-19(1): Evictions from Public Housing
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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Nunakput.

Question 26-19(1): Evictions from Public Housing
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Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regard to this go-forward on the rent scale, I'm giving notice now, Mr. Speaker, if I'm unsatisfied with the Housing Corporation, I'll be bringing a private Member's bill to bring forward for the next sitting of this House to provide our own rent scale, but I want to work with the Minister in regard to working on that rent scale and for the people in the Northwest Territories. This is not only my riding; this is across the whole territory. This rent scale has to be sorted out, because people who want to work, people can't work because they are penalized if they do, paying that rent right through the whole year when people are only working four or five months a year, Mr. Speaker. So I give notice. Thank you.

Question 26-19(1): Evictions from Public Housing
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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member. Minister, I'll give you a chance to respond.

Question 26-19(1): Evictions from Public Housing
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Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you to the Member for your questions. This is an ongoing issue that is throughout the Northwest Territories. I would also like to acknowledge, coming from a smaller community, that I do see this at the grassroots level. I do see this in the smaller communities, and I am committed to review our rent scale program right now. I do realize and I recognize that it's not working throughout the Northwest Territories, but yet we need to work with the local housing authorities and societies to recover and try to work effectively and efficiently in our smaller communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 26-19(1): Evictions from Public Housing
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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.

Question 27-19(1): Recreational Land Leases
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Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, the concerns regarding the recreational land leases have been a very hot topic in all different venues with Indigenous and municipal governments, including members of many of our communities. My primary concern is for the residents of Fort Smith. My question for the Minister is: how is your department going to undo a major, poor decision of the 18th Assembly that should not have happened without proper consultation?

Question 27-19(1): Recreational Land Leases
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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Lands.