This is page numbers 5529 - 5552 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. View the webstream of the day's session.

Topics

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker R.J. Simpson

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

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. From data that we have compiled since January, there are approximately 270 households making a significant amount of money, about $5,000 a month. Our local housing organizations are working with some of these owners, the ones that are in higher incomes, to explore home ownership and support options with our department to see how we can address those.

On the other note, we do have a unit disposal plan, where we have sold about 20 units in 2018-2019. We have also demolished 20 units across the territory where we can build new units, whether it is public housing that needs to be addressed. We are on a plan, and we are continuing to work diligently on addressing the issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Will the Minister agree to share that plan with us, the plan where it looks like the Minister is looking at divesting public housing, which I think is the right direction to go? I would like to ask the Minister if he is prepared to share that plan with us, indicating how many units that the Housing Corporation could probably divest itself of.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Since April 1, 2016, we have been working on trying to make a commitment to dispose of 150 units. Currently, to date, we have disposed of 183 surplus units though a combination of sales, getting people into homeownership or lease-to-own, and also through demolition. That is something that we are going to continue to work on with feedback from communities and working with standing committee. We will continue to do that work.

As I mentioned, the community housing plans are something that is unique, and I think, when we work with leadership and communities, that they can tell us what their priorities in terms of housing are, and we will address that community disposal unit.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

I first spoke of community housing development plans -- I add one word in there that is slightly different from what the government is doing, "development" -- in this House about 10 years ago. Can the Minister advise how many of these plans, whether they are called community housing plans or community development housing plans, exist today across the territory?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

In the last session that we had, we had a similar question, and I did mention that we had six communities that we were looking forward to developing community housing plans across the Northwest Territories. We set that as the goal for our first year.

Since we have had the Housing Summit and since we have been reaching out to leaders across the territory, we have about 10 community housing plans in place, and we will continue to work with our leadership and our community NGOs. I will continue to encourage our leadership across the NWT, whether it is NGOs or whether it is mayors and chiefs, to reach out to the NWT Housing Corporation and work on setting up a community housing plan so that we know how to invest the dollars. Rather than us telling them what they need, they tell us, and we will invest the funding that we have received from the federal government and the work that we have been doing there.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker R.J. Simpson

Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister advise whether he can incorporate a divestment plan, community by community, in these community development plans? Thank you.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

We did make a commitment that we would look at trying to demolish and sell units, about 50 a year, and we are reaching and going over those targets. As we develop these community plans with leadership and people in the community, that is something that we are going to have to address. We don't want to be the ones who tell communities what they need and what they want. It has to be a responsibility between leadership from the communities and us, working together, as I mentioned, to address the housing priorities; and yes, we will be making that a priority. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned in my Member's statement, as of April 1st, the prices of beer for licensees in the City of Yellowknife increased dramatically: for draft brewers, around 10 to 18 percent; bottled beer, 20 percent; and wine, 6 percent. These are significant costs to their businesses and their ability to maintain a viable business without passing on too many costs to the consumer. These are far ahead of what was advertised by the NWT Liquor Commission, who said the prices would be modest. Can the Minister responsible for the Commission respond to what caused these price increases, clearly, on the public record? Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker R.J. Simpson

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to see the Member advocating for, even though he said he is not, lower prices for alcohol in the Northwest Territories, knowing the effect that alcohol has on the people of the Northwest Territories. Terminating the contract with the liquor warehouse did result in lower costs to consumer at the liquor stores and, as an unintended consequence of levelling the cost structure for liquor stores and licensees, there was a significant increase to licensees in Yellowknife. We missed that, and as Minister, I take responsibility for that.

It has been addressed. The Member is well aware of how it has been addressed, because we communicated that to him, through a discount program, and that discount program is throughout the Northwest Territories, not just Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

I am a bit confused. The Minister mentioned that the goal here is not to lower the price of alcohol, and yet it seems like that is what was achieved, while the price, as an unintended consequence, went up. Can the Minister clarify: what was the price decrease for consumers as a result of this change?

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Well, there was a price decrease to consumers because, through the discount program, the licensees were actually paying a lesser price than they were able to then pass along those savings to the consumers. I have the numbers here. I could look at possibly putting these on the website so that they know exactly what the prices went down to. It is right in my briefing book. The licence holders paid 8.3 percent less for spirits, 6.1 percent less for wine, and then they did pay a bit more for canned and bottled beer, because I think it is costed on a volume basis.

We have taken steps to ensure that the licensees didn't feel the brunt of it as much as they may have, which was unintended, but through this particular initiative, in not renewing the contract, I believe that we reduced about $1.2 million in inventory that was held at the warehouse.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

I think that this information is important for the public to know. It has yet to be fully explained. Can the Minister commit to publicizing the full extent of this information, the total pricing traces, the total price decreases after the subsidy program, and how the subsidy program is going to work to benefit the hospitality industry in Yellowknife and throughout the Northwest Territories?

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

I will look at possibly doing this, if I am able, to make that public to the 1 percent who are quite interested in it. The other 99 percent are wondering why we are lowering the price, knowing the effect that it is having on people in the Northwest Territories.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker R.J. Simpson

Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that the Minister has made this choice when his personal feelings are quite different, but our hospitality industry is not about liquor. It's about jobs. It's about business opportunities in the capital and throughout the Northwest Territories. If we are going to support tourism and other opportunities, we need to support it, as well.

There have been calls to reform Canada's antiquated liquor systems. Ontario is moving towards a major reform of policy. There seems to be interest on the ground from, at least, my constituents and the people I have spoken to. Will the Minister, in undertaking the price evaluation, look to consulting with folks on how we can modernize our liquor system and make sure that it is fair, competitive, and offers consumers more choice? Thank you.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Personal feelings aside, I think that the department has done a good job in trying to mitigate the impact that it was going to have on licensees. I think that we have done that. I have asked the department to do a whole briefing policy review, and there are a number of other things that we may need to do.

I fully understand and I fully respect the impact that it might have on business in the Northwest Territories. I am not blind to that fact. We try to do what we can to have a balance here between the needs of business and the Northwest Territories, and I think we have addressed that. If I am able to, I will make some of the information that we have provided along public so that people will know that we have taken steps to ensure that the licensees are protected in this, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker R.J. Simpson

Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My statement earlier today outlined the sequence of providing airline passengers with crucial information regarding flight check-in times at the Yellowknife Airport. I have given the Minister advance warning of questions today, so I wonder if he could first tell me: how far in advance did the Yellowknife managers know about the renovations in the baggage area, and how long were they told the renovations would take to complete? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker R.J. Simpson

Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have the notes here. Thank you to the Member for giving us the heads-up on this. I am going to take the opportunity to actually let the public know what we are actually doing out there. These renovations are part of a larger project. The whole baggage-screening recapitalization, which is funded by CATSA, which is the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, the funding was approved in December of 2018. The contract for the building modifications included the renovations to the oversized screening area, to level 2 and level 3 screening areas. For those of you who do not know, that is located behind the check-in counters. Currently, the contractor is working to complete the first phase. This required temporary shutdown of baggage-handling systems to check baggage for flights. The public communication about the impact to the travelling public began prior to the project starting, and it was communicated that the public should arrive 90 minutes in advance for a few weeks until the end of May. We have been working closely with the contractor to have this first phase finished as soon as possible, and we are on target to have it completed by the end of May.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Minister for that. The funding came through in December, and the news release from the department went out on May the 10th, 10 days after the work was already started. I think the Minister would agree that it's a pretty big deal missing your flight because you arrived too late at the airport, and I understand the Minister has some personal experience with this, so I hope that we would all agree that a comprehensive multimedia awareness campaign alerting the public to these facts is very important to convey to air travellers in Yellowknife. Can the Minister explain why there was no comprehensive communications campaign about the need to come to the airport at least 30 minutes in advance of the 60-minute check-in time?