Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As an MLA, one of the things I've heard most from my constituents about is housing. Not only does my community border downtown Yellowknife with its growing social issues, but there are also several apartment buildings in the district that are home to residents on income security as well as NWT housing clients. When I began to campaign for MLA, I visited these buildings to knock on doors and became concerned at the state of their disrepair. It was apparent that regular maintenance was not occurring, and I saw many safety issues.
Over the following year, I've heard from constituents about several of their housing issues including energized parking stalls that don't work, leading to vehicle freeze ups and major mechanical damage; and a lack of snow clearing at buildings, causing treacherous conditions and many occurrences of residents falling leading to injury. Lights are burnt out and locks are broken creating issues with security and a high level of reported criminal activity and trespassing. Many times, the landlord is contacted with no reply, leaving residents no option but to vent on social media in hopes of affecting change. Generally, these pleas fall on deaf ears, not surprising given the large percentage of apartment buildings owned by southern real estate firms. These firms, or REITS, have a mandate to increase profits for their shareholders. This leads to a high turnover of renters in apartments as it is "good business" to have a certain percentage of new units for rent each year so you can increase the rent.
All of these conditions and a lack of housing options is causing a major social crisis in the North. Often units are badly in need of repair, with mould and other health concerns often not addressed by the southern-based owners; and when they are, there are no overflow housing units for temporary shelter while work is being done. Large families are in units that are not adequate for their size, and there is a major lack of single person units in the North.
Increasing the number of affordable homes and reducing core housing needs is one of the 22 priorities of this 19th Assembly, and I think all of us would agree it is likely the most important given the overwhelming need. If there is one legacy I hope we can leave as a collective group, it is to see this issue addressed during our time in office. Once people have a safe, healthy place to live, they will feel stable, and feeling stable is a key component of recovery and wellbeing. Until such a time when our residents feel safe and stable in their homes, we cannot progress on the myriad of other social issues facing us. Mr. Speaker, it is time we recognize that housing isn't just an infrastructure situation; it's a social one.