Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On March 15, 2019, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of the Mackenzie Place high-rise. Luckily, everybody made it out safely, and the Hay River fire department quickly extinguished the fire. Unfortunately, the resulting water damage and loss of power meant that the building was deemed not safe for habitation and, just like that, 123 residents were left without a home and, in most cases, with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing.
Before I go any further, I have to commend the efforts of everyone in Hay River and KFN who sprang into action and helped the evacuees by providing accommodations, meals, toiletries, and so much more. Our community always steps up in times of need, and this was no exception.
However, despite everyone's best efforts, the effects of the fire are still being felt. Many evacuees were able to find rental accommodations in the private market, and the Housing Corporation managed to provide housing to many more. Unfortunately, according to the most recent statistics I have seen, a number of evacuees are still facing serious housing issues. Eighteen people are considered to have unstable housing, meaning they are couch-surfing, camping, sleeping in cars, and so on. Essentially, these people are homeless. Another 28 have temporary housing, which means they could become homeless.
The fact that we are more than two months on from the fire and are still facing these issues exposes deficiencies in both the availability of rental units in Hay River and in how the GNWT deals with those in need of social housing. Some of the evacuees facing issues might only be in that situation because rental units are sparse and the cost of rent is high. In a better market, they could find a place on their own. However, a third of the high-rise tenants had their rent paid by income assistance, making the high-rise the largest concentration of social housing in Hay River. Many of these individuals are considered hard to house. Some of them are banned from renting from the Housing Corporation because of arrears, and they have difficulty finding private accommodations because they have burned bridges with other landlords.
Mr. Speaker, to address the situation, we need a plan. We need a plan from the Housing Corporation. We need a plan from the Minister of Education regarding income assistance, and I have not seen anything yet. I have brought this issue up time and time again in this House. The last time I brought this up was 10 days before this event occurred. For years, the MLAs from Hay River have been trying to get the government to create a plan to deal with this situation, and now it's happened, and I still do not see a plan. I will have questions for the Minister of Housing, and, if I have time, I will have questions for the Minister of ECE, I will have questions for the Minister of Justice, and for the Minister of Health. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.