Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I awoke to a story in the news that I believe many of us have seen, a Colville Lake man who is taking housing into his own hands. As a trapper, he spends much of his time on the land. I have no doubts that his hard work and innovation will see him through the process and challenges of getting his dream home built.

I want to commend this man and all those like him who are the embodiment of northern self-reliance, tackling the problems our communities face with grit and determination. This should be an inspiration to all of us.

Mr. Speaker, it was reported in the article that the feelings and sentiments expressed in the community of Colville Lake are that "the best way for them to live in their home communities amidst the housing shortage is by building their own homes." Well, that is not an option for all. I am inspired by this man's story, and I truly wish him and the community of Colville Lake all the best as they work to solve the challenges of community housing.

Mr. Speaker, housing problems are by no means new to this territory. Northerners know the tragic state of disrepair of many of our dwellings in the NWT. In Yellowknife, we know that the affordability issues can place housing solutions out of reach for many people and their families. This is a tough problem, and there is no doubt about that. What will work in Yellowknife, Hay River, or Inuvik will not likely be a good fit for our smaller communities.

Mr. Speaker, I was happy to read that the NWT Housing Corporation is working with community builders to advance their own housing projects, and I want to commend this government for its continued investment in public housing. What's clear, though, is that money alone will not solve this challenge. We need to empower Northerners to build their own homes, work with the private sector to pursue innovation outside government initiatives and government funding, and work with all Northerners who have creative and innovative solutions to solve these challenges.

Mr. Speaker, housing needs to remain one of our top priorities as a public government. We need to ensure that we're caring for Northerners, because housing is fundamental and foundational to all other issues in life. You can see the social issues in the community relate to how many people have a lack of needed housing. So, I'd like to applaud this individual, and again, I'd like to commend the government for continuing to support housing and supporting this individual in particular. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.