This is page numbers 4687 - 4726 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 know.

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Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

It's also arrears for housing public unit. So can the Minister commit to working with integrated service delivery to ensure that low income families at risk of evictions are fast tracked to the support and services they need, which includes access to legal aid programs, financial plan, and childcare, career and employment support, healthy living and healthy choices. Thank you.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question as well. And I just wanted to speak about the community housing support worker that we did have in the Member's riding as it was a pilot project a couple of years ago. And we are still interested in reestablishing that program because it was quite successful. But that is followed up with the Tlicho housing working group where Housing is participating. I will request a further update on where this position is because it's exactly what the Member is requesting is something like integrated case management wraparound services. And this is exactly the responsibility of this position. It would greatly support her riding or her community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, this is regarding the bilateral agreement. So Mr. Speaker, many of our Indigenous governments have a keen interest in increasing the housing stock of their regions and communities. In its new mandate, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation commits to pursuing government to government relations with Indigenous government as she mentioned. This is a welcomed change towards developing bilateral relationships. Most of our Indigenous government are very interested in taking responsibility and taking over housing assets from the GNWT. I want to ask the Minister, what is the framework currently being used to transfer housing stock from the GNWT to Indigenous governments? Thank you.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. Indigenous partnership is a priority that I do have within the portfolio, and we have made great success in developing those relationships. And this year we had signed an MOU, a memorandum of understanding with the Tlicho government in regards to housing for us to better support and come up with stronger solutions and also lobby the federal government for addressing the housing crisis in the Member's region as well. And I'm just looking forward to providing the Member with a further update on the meeting that was just recently had in September. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final short supplementary. Member for Monfwi.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, with that in mind that she just mentioned, you know, to have a relationship with the Indigenous government, then what I would like to see this government do, then, is transfer the 14 units that the Tlicho government are asking for, I would like to see that happen. You know, if they're going to continue have a good working relationship with the Indigenous government. So the federal government seems interested in supporting housing stocks being transferred to Indigenous governments. Is the GNWT receiving assistance in facilitating these transfers? Thank you.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In our recent bilateral that we did have with the Tlicho, there was mention of the 13 units, but it was not on the agenda. The Tlicho government did receive distinction-based funding as well, and they were looking at housing delivery coming into the community but also looking of housing repair. We do have the working table with the Tlicho government, and I don't have a further update on what their priorities are at that table. But Housing is working with them very closely to address the housing needs in the Tlicho region. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral question. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Richard Edjericon

Richard Edjericon Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Finance.

The capital estimates allocate some $35 million to Housing NWT. As I've said many times, I am firm in belief that this money would be better spent through contribution agreements with Indigenous governments. Does the Minister agree that Indigenous governments in the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding are efficiently and effectively managing their financial resources with respect to housing and programs and strategies? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister responsible for Finance.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Mr. Speaker, if I can redirect that to the Minister of Housing. It's housing questions. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And to the Member's question, I was kind of confused there for a minute there that the question was for the Department of Finance. But it's not my role to be telling the Indigenous groups how to spend their money within their riding. But as a housing minister, we have been working with the Member's riding very closely for them to be successfully receiving co-investment federal funding and the rapid rehousing initiative funding as well too to the Member's riding as well. And he did see a number of units that were delivered to Lutselk'e. And the conversation between the housing and the Indigenous governments in the Member's riding continues. And I look forward to further successes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Richard Edjericon

Richard Edjericon Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am directing that question to the Minister of Finance but then the Premier spoke up and passed that on to Housing. So I'm not sure if the Minister of Finance was able to speak to this question. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Once it's redirected to another Minister by the Premier, the Minister of Housing is -- you have to direct your questions to her. Minister -- so, yes, there's really no question. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Richard Edjericon

Richard Edjericon Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess what I'm trying to get is that, you know, I've been trying to really advocate for housing for our people in our communities in the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding. And, you know, I've been trying to really work with the Minister of Housing Corporation of how we could address and build relationships with Indigenous governments. You know, I see these MOUs are good ideas but, you know, they're -- they only go so far, and I don't hear no commitments from this government at all in trying to fix these problems we're having in our community.

So will the Minister work with the same Indigenous governments and the Cabinet colleagues to transfer housing projects scheduled for 2023-2024, along with other resources, to Indigenous governments housing programs through a contribution agreement? Thank you.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question as well too. I'm not sure which units that are in question to be transferred over to the community. But I'm interested in working with the Indigenous governments. And if this is something that is a request that Indigenous governments are interested in doing, I would like to further that conversation and if they would be able to identify the units to me, I'd like to see what condition they're actually in. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Richard Edjericon

Richard Edjericon Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, you know, this issue is really not going to go away. I mean, we had 50 years to get our act together to provide housing for people here in the Northwest Territories. And in the Minister's statements earlier, she talks about the MOU and the great success she's made in the Sahtu region. But the chiefs are very clear on what I heard on Cabin Radio on August 26th on the SSI meeting. The chiefs made it very clear, bring your cheque book. So what we're saying now, Mr. Speaker, is that we want to see the Minister to come to our communities and look at building new relationships so we can improve housing in our communities. Right now it's not working. So I'm just saying that, Mr. Speaker, that we have an opportunity to build new relationship and I hear from the Minister, but I don't see no action. Thank you.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question as well too. And, you know, I disagree with the Member. You know, Housing has been working with the Indigenous governments throughout the Northwest Territories, and we're trying to do things differently and really looking at the communities' perspective on what is required at the community level, what is it that the community would like to construct, what type of housing would they like to enter and to get into.

I just wanted to comment for the co-investment, the Yellowknives Dene have received $90 million in co-investment funding. Housing has also provided $133,000 to work on their community housing plan as well too. And also looking at the rapid housing initiative for Dettah and N'dilo, housing is at the tables with the Indigenous governments in trying to find these solutions. The Indigenous governments are the drivers of housing projects in the smaller community. We are there to support them. And if there's an opportunity to be flying in and getting into the Member's riding, I am open to be doing that as well. I did travel to Lutselk'e over the summer, and I did see the significant need of housing at the ground level. But I'm willing to be travelling into the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Richard Edjericon

Richard Edjericon Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I heard this -- I've been around for a while, and 50 years Housing Corporation was here. And we're still talking about that today, and our communities are still suffering from housing repairs and I produced documents here showing that we have problems in our community. We have problems with cockroaches in our communities. We got big problems but yet we can't seem to be fixing these problems. And what I'm hearing from Indigenous governments now is that they're really tired of Housing Corporation's policies and bureaucratic red tape. So we're going to have look at new ways to building new relationships. So the sooner the better on that. That was just a statement, not question. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Give the Minister opportunity to respond. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I just wanted to also comment on our policies and programming that is actually being reviewed right now by the Council of Leaders working group where that consists of Indigenous leaders throughout the Northwest Territories as well. I'm not sure if Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh is participating in those meetings, but I can provide the Member with an update. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for lessons to be learned, one must conduct a review and assessment of the event. In this case, it's flooding. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of MACA confirm if there will be any followup analysis in the form of reports prepared by this government on the flooding in both Hay River and Fort Simpson, and if so, when can we expect to see those reports? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.