The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions for the Minister of housing. The Housing Corporation has something called the community residency requirement where somebody must live in a certain community for a certain number of months, and sometimes it's up to a year, before they can actually put their name on a wait list for public housing. I am just wondering what the purpose of that policy is. Thank you.

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Looking at the resident requirements for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and for our public housing units provides consistency through our application process, and it eliminates people coming from the South or people coming from the smaller communities and bombarding one housing wait list. I need to make sure that we deliver our programs fairly and that we are meeting the needs of the people of the territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

The problem with this policy is that it inadvertently, I believe, affects women. If a woman is trying to flee family violence, leave her small community, and go somewhere else, she can't put her name on a list somewhere other than her home community. She has to be willing to move to a community and couch surf or be homeless in order escape family violence. If somebody wants to be able to move from, say, Yellowknife, where they came for extra services, and move home to their home community, they also have to be willing to live homeless or couch surf before they can move home. Is the Minister willing to revamp this policy or, better yet, get rid of it?

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

In regard to the family violence and looking at relocation, the Housing Corporation has worked, I want to say, fairly with individuals throughout the territory. We were able to look at a transfer from one community to another in regard to fleeing a domestic situation. I will take a look at that policy and I will make sure that we do recognize this situation when we're looking at reallocation or transfers.

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Is the Minister willing to consult with the Standing Committee on Social Development with this one?

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Once I do have the conversation with my department, because I just made this commitment on the Floor, so I will be speaking with my department prior to requesting a meeting.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] We have Highway No. 3 leading to our community, and I'd like to ask a question regarding that to the Minister of Finance. We have no cell service between these two communities. The people I represent are asking me questions regarding this, so I'm asking her these questions. [End of translation]

Mr. Speaker, I just have a quick question for the Minister of Finance. Two weeks ago Monday, we had a meeting in Behchoko on the lack of cell service. There was an expression of interest that went out. Can the Minister please explain what it means, "expression of interest?" My constituents like to know exactly what is going to be taking place and the process itself. Masi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister of Finance.

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The expression of interest is a tool that we're using right now in the Department of Finance essentially to suss out what the options might be. An expression of interest is just that, to go out to the private market to see what options they may have, what ideas they may have available to us so that, indeed, we can look for a solution to this problem. As I've said before in the House, there is not an obvious market solution. There are no profits to be made or gained from opening up cell towers, but technologies are constantly changing, technologies are emerging, and it certainly incumbent on us to make sure that we go out, see what's available, and that's the first step of this expression of interest. The deputy minister of Finance was at the meeting that was called by the Tlicho, as was the deputy minister from Infrastructure, and that was an exceptional first step, to start to bring together the Tlicho Government, the Government of the Northwest Territories, and other stakeholders. I think there were members of the private market and private service there, again, at that meeting. I understand it was a good dialogue had. We are taking our steps to get our information from the private sector, and I am looking forward to hopefully finding a solution that will benefit this stretch of road and maybe other stretches of roads if we are innovative in what we find. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

The meeting we had was very productive. I'm glad that the Ministers sent their senior staff to attend. These constituents who travel on a daily basis, there are upwards of 53 for one organization, between Behchoko and Yellowknife. I would just like to know the time frame. The expression of interest went out two weeks ago. Where is it at and, on the process itself, if there can be some timelines pertaining to that?

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

To give some context and some background, the request for the expression of interest was issued on February 1^st, and it closes February 22^nd. From that point, then, obviously we will be reviewing what's in there. We would expect to review those proposals beginning on February 28^th and we would have to conduct some internal reviews and no doubt engage with stakeholders further before anything further might take place. Hopefully, we would be in a position, subject to those reviews, to be soliciting for formal proposals, if we do indeed go that direction, by the summer.