This is page numbers 2439 - 2492 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd 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.

Topics

Land Tenure and Homeownership
Members' Statements

Page 2442

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We all recognize that one of the biggest barriers to NWT housing is the lack of market. Home insurance, land tenure, and complicated home ownership schemes mean that it is hard for people to own their own homes. In many communities, a house is not an investment, but a liability. Mr. Speaker, one of the things we must do to build more market housing and to get more people into home ownership is increase the use of fee simple tenure. A great place to start with this, Mr. Speaker, is the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation owning their housing units.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, this is something that they have been trying to do for a number of years. Yet, presently, the Department of Lands makes it very difficult for the Housing Corporation to own their own buildings in fee simple. If we want to be successful in promoting home ownership and in transferring units to people to actually own their houses, then we need to transfer all of the Housing Corporation's leases to them in fee simple title. Fee simple title is the foundation of any housing market. It allows people to get mortgages. It is the strongest property interest that any bank will support.

Mr. Speaker, we have a long history of a love of leases in the Northwest Territories. I get this is complicated, and it gets caught up in land tenure and land ownership debates. II want to give people their houses in fee simple. I want to give our residents their houses in fee simple, and the best place to start is with the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation allowing them to own their own units. I will have questions for the Minister of Lands about why we have not done this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Land Tenure and Homeownership
Members' Statements

Page 2442

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Eulogy for David Schindler
Members' Statements

Page 2442

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. A good friend and advocate for the North and nature, David William Schindler, passed away last week at the age of 80. David grew up in Minnesota and studied engineering and then biology in the US before completing his doctorate at Oxford in 1966. Later that year, he moved to Canada to serve at Trent University before becoming the founding director of the Experimental Lakes Area project near Kenora, Ontario, in 1968. His 10 years there were filled with real-life experiments of adding different chemicals to small lakes to solve real-world problems, such as the dying Great Lakes and acid rain. This research was revolutionary in terms of our understanding of aquatic ecosystems.

In 1989, University of Alberta offered both David and his wife, Suzanne, positions, and he became the Killam Memorial Chair and Professor of Ecology. That same year, he was named to the Alberta Pacific Review Panel to study a proposed pulp mill on the Athabasca River. Cindy Kenny-Gilday sat on that panel for the Northwest Territories, and Jim Boucher, Chief of the Fort McKay First Nation, was also on the panel. They did their best to protect the North. Eventually, the mill went ahead but with new technology that was less harmful to the environment. At the University of Alberta, Schindler continued his water research. He warned about the environmental impact of how "the combination of climate warming, increases in human populations and industry, and historic drought is likely to cause an unprecedented water crisis" in the Prairie provinces.

In 1996, he appeared as an expert witness during the review of Canada's first diamond mine. He next turned his attention to the environmental impacts of the tar sands on the Athabasca River watershed. David was always watching out for us, what was upstream of the Northwest Territories. During his 50-plus-years, he was awarded most of the planet's top environmental science prizes and held 13 academic or honorary degrees from universities around the world. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2004.

One of his best quotes is as follows: "I am looking forward to some day seeing things done right so that I can relax and just do science. That's where the fun is. It isn't in hassling with politicians and that, which is to me rather like playing chess with a gorilla. The game is boring, and you know you are going to win, but you have got to be prepared to duck once in a while when they get angry and take a swing at you." Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Eulogy for David Schindler
Members' Statements

Page 2442

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Housing for people in the NWT is a basic need that should be considered a right for all people in the NWT. To bring about real change and bold new ideas, I have but one question for the Premier: can she tell me and the people of the Northwest Territories, in order to address a growing housing crisis in the NWT, if she would commit to considering either a Cabinet shuffle or changing out senior bureaucrats in the NWT Housing Corporation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Honourable Premier.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to start by saying, and I have said it many times and I believe it to the core of my whole entity: Maslow's hierarchy says food, clothing, and shelter are the most basic needs. If you don't actualize those, you cannot prosper. I believe that to the core of my being.

Mr. Speaker, I came into politics because of working 20 years with low-income families and homeless women. I came in with a cause for housing, and I haven't dropped that cause. I was the housing Minister in the last Assembly for a couple of years, and then, when I got "promoted," they called it, to education, which also needs a huge amount of work, I didn't see it as a promotion. I saw it as a loss. Housing has always been my passion.

Mr. Speaker, I am not going to consider a shuffle at this time. I know that every single Minister here is compassionate. They care about their files, and they are doing a great job. I know that the Minister of housing has so much passion for housing, but I know that housing is an issue. I did meet with the housing team, and I met with the Minister in December. We talked about the changes that needed to happen to the Housing Corporation. We talked about the change of policies that were needed and the change of focus that has to happen.

Mr. Speaker, it would be not okay for me to go through this Assembly and not address housing. It is a priority. It was my priority when I came, and it's still my priority. I will do what is necessary to make sure, before the end of this Assembly, that we have more houses on the ground and that we address -- not all, I'm not naive, but that we start addressing the housing needs of the Northwest Territories. That is my commitment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of housing. How many units will be built in Inuvik, other than the RCMP housing, in the 2021-2022 fiscal year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For the construction season throughout the Northwest Territories and specifically for the Member's questioning of how many units are going to be constructed in her riding, I don't have that number on my right now. We are looking at the co-investment fund applications going forward. We are looking at Indigenous partnerships, and I am engaging with the federal government and yet to hear an announcement provided by them about being able to put houses on the ground throughout the Northwest Territories. Going forward, I am very confident in an announcement that will be coming forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you to the Minister. I know I didn't give you the questions ahead of time, so I know some of the details you probably don't have. As the Minister of housing, you know that you have four years here. How many houses will be built in Inuvik for the residents of Inuvik by the end of this government?

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Right now, the Housing Corporation is going through a lot of changes with the old units that we do have. All of the single-family dwelling units across the Northwest Territories are up for sale. We are bringing that back to the table to discover and to find out a considerable, meaningful sale amount on each of those units and taking a lot of consideration into the occupancy of those units, as well. Like I had said, we are really weighing in on Indigenous partnership and federal engagement, as well. I don't have the numbers specifically for everybody in the Northwest Territories here to look and update that construction build for this year. I will provide that to the Members.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

I have heard the Premier and I have heard the Minister talk about the resale of these older units, and my constituents, some of them, that is just not what they are looking for. They want to be able to access low-cost housing because of the economy and because there are not enough jobs to keep people working. To manage a home, as my other colleague said, it's not always what everyone is looking for, so how many additional units will be added by leases if not built from private market in Inuvik to increase the stock?

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

I would like to inform the Member of the number of units being distributed out through the Northwest Territories. Once again, specifically for her region, I don't have those numbers on me right now. I just look at the old builds that are there. I know that throughout the territory that that is not a significant response for housing, looking at what we already have on the ground and not being able to have those new builds. I am confident, Mr. Speaker, that an announcement coming forward will honestly address this issue going forward. Right now, I am just not able to provide that information.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did ask a lot of questions and did not get a lot of answers. Will I get a commitment from this Minister that she would be willing to look into more leases in my community to decrease that list in my community, not just in my community? That's the thing. If there is this great announcement that we are going to get more units, then I look forward to it, but will I see it in the life of this government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Absolutely. We are going to be able to meet the needs of a portion of what we are to be building, 100 units on the ground. We are supposed to be looking at home ownership, as well, but also looking at more leases for the Member's riding. I am interested in doing things differently. I am interested in investing into the local regions, as well. If there is something that is unique about that region, if there is an opportunity for the Housing Corporation to enter into new leases that are available in those specific regions and in those specific ridings, I would be interested in looking at that. Being able to work with the MLAs, as well, to identify opportunities within their ridings, I would definitely want to entertain that and be able to look at where we could go with that conversation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I was talking about medevacs in our communities. I brought it up last week. It is really concerning to me, regarding how everything is happening. We are either short of planes, or staff are timing out during these medevacs and spare planes. Where do we get the service required to support our people in our small communities? Mr. Speaker, how many patients have been medevaced from Nunakput to communities, to Inuvik, Yellowknife, or Edmonton, in the last year? How many of the escorts have been approved to go with them at that time? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not have an answer that is Nunakput-specific, but I can tell you that, in the 2020 calendar year, for the Beaufort-Delta region as a whole, there were 305 air-ambulance transports. Thank you.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

I thank the Minister for that. How does the Minister weigh the cost of medical response and medical travel against the cost of more doctors at Inuvik's hospital, for more doctors' visits in Tuktoyaktuk and Sachs Harbour and Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok?

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

I am going to take that question on notice and provide an answer to the Member by Friday.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Taken as notice. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.