Merci, Madam la Presidente. On January 25th of this year, there was another announcement about funding for 29 houses being built in small communities. That's all good but it got me thinking about that federal co-investment carve out for $60 million that was set aside for the NWT.
After the last Cabinet failed to make housing a priority, we got very little under the National Housing Strategy, but that's another story.
Recently I got an accounting of the funds spent and used under the NWT co-investment carve out. $25.5 million of this amount was allocated to the NWT Housing Corp to assist with the construction of 60 public housing units and the remaining $34.5 million was allocated to Indigenous governments and organizations to create 66 affordable homes through a combination of repair and new construction projects.
As for the cost share requirements, the NWT Housing Corp has had to utilize its own fiscal resources to supplement the $25.5 million federal funding for the delivery of the 60 public housing units. Unforeseen construction cost increases are going to cost the Housing Corp another $6 million in internal resources. And there could be more. It's not clear what funding the Indigenous governments and other organizations had to put up to access the NWT co-investment carve out. The average cost of a new housing unit, using these funds, amounts to about $520,000. I guess that's good but I wonder whether we can do any better and what this will mean for the O and M costs for the NWT Housing Corp. I also wonder whether other NWT organizations have been successful in accessing the National Co-Investment Fund and what, if any, support has been given by the NWT Housing Corporation. What is clear, Madam Speaker, is that the NWT Housing Corporation needs improved communications with its clients, MLAs, and the public. I will have lots of questions later today for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
---Applause