Thank you to the Member for the question because I have the similar question in Hay River South as well, too, in looking at replacing units throughout the territory but also looking at vacant land. We don't have that budget set aside. We honestly have to forecast for those replacements. With the significant level of affordable housing projects occurring under the federal government programs, such as the National Co-Investment Fund Program, the Housing Corporation's current public housing delivery, its focus on smaller communities for this government. The corporation is currently updating its analysis on core need investment, needs for new existing stock, and the intent to share this information with all Members as soon as it's available. The corporation has continued to closely monitor the status of its properties in the city and will certainly be looking at replacement aging assets when they reach the end of their service and their life. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, specifically, only one home was destroyed in my riding for the situation of my constituent. So that is why this case was handled differently. Does the Minister believe that any victim of a natural disaster whose home was destroyed should be treated the same regardless of the community they live in? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Member. Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. First of all, I want to acknowledge that any situation causing the loss of someone's home and belongings is a tragic event. My heart goes out to those who have experienced their losses especially that I've seen during my term. During my term, I've seen a number of fires that have taken homes throughout the Northwest Territories and, you know, the corporation has tried to work with those clients in trying to help them to get them housed immediately.

In this case, where is a wild spread of a natural disaster, the assistance is offered through the disaster assistance policy through MACA. The incident that the Member refers to was deemed not to be widespread natural disaster and therefore that policy did not come into effect.

For the corporation, we are responsible for our units in these situations. So for an example, in Jean Marie, where four Housing Corporation owned-units were impacted, the corporation took responsibility for repairing and replacing those assets. Personal losses from the tenants in those homes would be dealt with by the disaster assistance policy and not by the corporation. For private homes, the primary relief available repair by typically do not replace private homes that are lost in natural or manmade disasters. Examples, House fires. But like I had said, that the corporation when we hear of these emergencies, the local housing authorities do reach out to the clients and do try to allocate them units as soon as possible and where we would avoid putting them on the waitlist. We would treat this as an emergency. And for somebody who had been on the waitlist for the past three, four, five years, six months, whatever, we would make sure that we address those emergencies accordingly. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, can the Minister tell us if the NWT Housing Corp considers natural disasters that destroys people's homes on a case-by-case basis, or is there an uniform approach from the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation in dealing with people's homes destroyed by natural disasters? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. We don't have a policy that guides us into those type of emergencies in replacing private homes. We are responsible for our own assets where they're, you know, damaged by natural disasters. The corporation would try to replace those homes or else they would have to go on our next forecasted capital budget for those replacements. We have experienced where we have lost our own assets and we're not able to replace those units as soon as possible. But then I fully understand with the disaster assistance policy, it had to have been widespread and my apologies to the Member that we did the best that we can to address this issue and trying to find alternative solutions to work with the Member. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, can the Minister tell us if the NWT Housing Corp treats victims of natural disasters differently based on the type of disaster they were in or are all victims treated the same across the board? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Housing Corporation has been consistent with our approach to the homes lost through disasters. The corporation does not hold responsibility for the loss of private homes. It is only responsible for the loss of its own properties. But like I had mentioned before that we try to work with those clients and we try to find solutions for them. And to help them to get on to the waitlist, and we avoid that -- we make sure that there is a unit that possibly is vacant that possibly could be available to the individual but according to the policies we do have right now, we don't replace private homes. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Thebacha.

Madam Speaker, the Minister's previous answers to this situation always references the income threshold. My constituent would like to be treated fairly and receive a fair rental monthly fee for the unit he is now in. This type of policy is something I would like the Minister to investigate and think out of the box. Does the Minister believe that any NWT resident who is a victim to a natural disaster is deserving of compensation if their home is destroyed? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will follow up with the Member because this is a file that I've been working with and it's just really obviously who I'm speaking about so I would like to follow up with the Member separately. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Okay, Madam Speaker [Translation] Madam Speaker, this issue I am going to talk about is regarding the people of the Northwest Territories. It is them who wrote this statement. They don't have a lot of job and they don't make very much money. And beyond that, and the people from Housing Corporation, they still have these people's information, they have policies in place and it depends on your income whether you fall into the certain brackets. And they are not able to help them. They have policies like this in place and it's preventing people from being helped which is not right. In our eyes, we think that this is completely wrong. If they want to help the people in the community, they need to have a policy that helps people equally. And we know that there is a shortage of jobs in the community, and this policy needs to be reviewed. So if they want to help the people in the communities, they need to look at these old houses and some of these people still have old mortgages. We want them to write off these mortgages. So my first question is, Madam Speaker, is it right? Is it accurate? Is it right that some people are still living -- are still living in a rental with no running water? Is that right? That's my first question, if she thinks this is right for people to live like this. [Translation ends].

Thank you, Member. Minister for NWT Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. With the current policies that we do have, and I do hear the Member and I pulled the -- I've asked the corporation to provide me with a list of outstanding mortgages that we do have throughout the Northwest Territories. I have said to the corporation that I would like to deal with these files and try to close them up before the end of this government.

But what I have been able to discover was that we do have to follow the Financial Management Act when we are going to be writing off any of these bad debts coming forward, and it does go through a thorough process as well too. So I would have to follow up with the Member for those specific clients as well and I would like to get those further details. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mahsi. [Translation] I am happy I would say. My second questions would be [Translation ends] assets to ensure it is fair for both party.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Absolutely. Like I had said in my previous responses is that we are working with the 248 mortgage clients throughout the Northwest Territories and trying to strategize in how to work with those debts coming forward, and I would like to meet with the Member privately as well too so I can -- she can provide me a list of those constituents that would need to be addressed from the corporation. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mahsi. Would the government commit to an ombudsman for the Housing Corporation so people's concern can be reviewed and reported on an independent third party?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'm not going to commit to that today. Madam Chair, I would like to meet with the Member privately and we can discuss those files going forward and those concerns and what we could work through and accomplish within the lifetime of this government. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

Mahsi, thank you, I'm looking forward to the meeting. So when is the Housing Corporation policy review going to be completed? Will the MLA and communities have a chance to comment on them? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. We will be tabling the strategy for renewal for the corporation today, and we do have set timelines and I will be sharing that with standing committee and all MLAs. So I could provide them with a timeline and measure our progress going forward. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

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