Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is also partly what fueled the worst fire season ever had last summer. Our government needs to respond to this, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister of ECC. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho. Members' statements. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, [Translation] this item that I am going to talk about is about housing mortgage and the policies that are in place and how they work with people in the community. This mortgage has been in place for a long time since 1978, and it's affecting the people in the community and now we have a lot of elders that are over 60 that are dealing with this issue. That is what I'm going to talk about. [Translation ends]

Mr. Speaker, I have seniors in my riding who entered into mortgage agreements not understanding what exactly they were signing because there was no interpreter. In many cases, these clients fell behind on payments, and Housing NWT provided refinance agreements as the only option to maintain their homes. Mr. Speaker, people signed these documents and follow along with the options Housing NWT provides but, in many cases, they do not understand what they are committing to. There is little meaningful effort from Housing NWT to ensure clients, mostly elders, understand the process and what they are signing.

Mr. Speaker, constituents in my regions have a mortgage with Housing NWT but they don't even know how much they owe. To these people, it's a mortgage sentence for life. Many people don't know how they will ever pay for their home in their lifetime. Housing NWT does not appear to be providing annual mortgage statements to clients. For clients that have fallen into arrears, they may eventually be referred to collections. In the collection process, clients have to deal with the law firm. There is no language or liaison person assigned to support clients in arrears and specifically for elders in arrears.

Mr. Speaker, this is a disservice to our elders. Seniors who have been paying into mortgages for 10, 20 years should be given more support from Housing NWT so they can become homeowners. With a mortgage, Housing NWT clients are on track to homeownership. This is something Housing NWT should be supporting, not penalizing. Often there are language barriers but dealing with bureaucracy and government administration is also a barrier. What is being done to support elders, especially those who are residential school survivors, to be able to age in place in their homes and in their communities?

Member from Monfwi. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to reflect today on the problematic way that our government funds and works with nonprofit organizations who are providing essential social services. Yesterday in Committee of the Whole, I raised the urgent situation of the Spruce Bough supportive living housing facility where the non-profit Yellowknife Women Society is housing and providing wraparound services for 26 people with complex medical needs and addictions issues.

Ever since this facility opened its doors in 2020 with capital funding support from the feds, it's been cobbling together short-term operational funding, mostly from the GNWT. Now, a lot of our basic social safety net is operated by non-profits. They put roofs over the heads of seniors or the underhoused population or women and children fleeing violence. They provide daycare to children so their parents can go to work or school and put roofs over the heads of their families. These are services that we can't allow to fail. And if they do, the government is under considerable pressure to step in and take over these services to stop people from dying or to stop the economy from grinding to a halt. And we've seen the GNWT have to step in and the extra cost of that.

In recent years, the GNWT has taken over the day shelters and sobering centres in both Inuvik and Yellowknife, and we see in our supplementary estimates that that facility in Yellowknife alone costs us an extra $2 million a year on top of what it used to cost to have a non-profit running. The reason, of course, that NGOs provide these services more cheaply is that they rely heavily on volunteer and low paid labour. We rely on goodwill, but that is a fragile currency that can easily dissolve.

And yet we seem to treat these essential social services as if they were any other contract. Pretend that we are the one in control, that we can drive costs and set the terms, and that any NGO would be lucky to be chosen as the winning bidder. But in many cases, we need those few non-profits as much or more than they need our funding.

The GNWT has done reports on how to better support NGOs in general but there are differences between the government throwing chunks of funding here and there to host fun community events and throwing short-term --

Member from Yellowknife North, your time is up.

---Unanimous consent granted

I was saying there's a difference between throwing chunks of funding haphazardly for community events and throwing short-term chunks of funding haphazardly to keep roofs over peoples' heads. And so I don't want to stand here and plead with the government to have a heart and please donate money to these heroic organizations because that's part of what got us into this mess thinking that we can just offer charity when we have extra money in our pockets. I'm asking this government to think practically about what services our residents expect and how we can make longer term plans to collaborate with NGO partners with stable (audio).

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It comes as no surprise to you, and all the Members of this House, that how important it is to have a family doctor on your health care journey. So whether you live in the Mackenzie Delta or you live in the Sahtu, I can tell you it matters to them. I mean how many times have people from Aklavik driven all the way to Inuvik to find a new doctor that they have to explain their story to them over and over again? How many times does someone from Deline have to take that goat trail all the way to the Wells to explain their story why they need their prescription changed or adjusted, Mr. Speaker? Or you live in Yellowknife and you have to explain to the locum doctor that you've never met before how many times your diabetes medication has been changed and tried and yet they continue to offer the same thing?

Mr. Speaker, it's well known that family doctors are key. They know your story. They know you. Even the Canadian Medical Journal points out about the relationship is number one. That's the difference between a family doctor and a locum.

I've reached out to the department of health and I asked how many people are on the waiting list. A non-transparency list in other words, Mr. Speaker. A list that doesn't exist but apparently they're keeping numbers.

I'm sorry to report it wasn't 100 people waiting to have a doctor, Mr. Speaker. It wasn't two. It wasn't 300 people. It wasn't four. Mr. Speaker, I could auctioneer this off for another ten minutes. Why don't we jump to the conclusion?

The department said 2,000 people are sitting on the non-transparency waiting list to see if they can get a family doctor, Mr. Speaker. That's a shameful process in this first world country in a territory as rich as ours. My goodness, Mr. Speaker, a family doctor should be a right, and that should be it.

So I asked them how can doctors refuse patients? Their answer was pretty much bare. I ask them about how do they get more doctors? They send me to Practice NWT as the result. And as a matter of fact, looking at that website it looks for attractive as they spell out the benefits of being a locum doctor better than they spell out to be a regular doctor in our communities, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, having a doctor is key whether you're in the early season of your life, whether you're new, or you're renewed like some of us and certainly maybe even those who are heading into the winter of their life. That special relationship is key. And as this government unilaterally ponders their policy and how to carve out $50 million here and there, it has Northerners worried. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll have questions later today.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements.

Good afternoon, Members. Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the Paul Stipdonk Memorial Soccer Tournament. It was the second time since the pandemic they cancelled the previous tournaments. As I stated previously in this House, this tournament is a bit unique in that they don't keep score, teams are mixed up, and we do not have winners or losers. The focus is on the youth having fun and playing the sport; something that the namesake was all about.

Besides playing the sport, the youth are given the opportunity to attend a skills competition event on Saturday. This year, we had athletes from Yellowknife, Fort Providence, and Fort Simpson. They were great sportsmen and ambassadors of their respective communities. It was amazing to see all those smiling faces and the fun that they had over the weekend. I am proud to say the Fort Simpson athletes were great hosts and really enjoyed the games as they made new friends from the region and the territories. I am proud to say that parents and families of the athletes, whether they were from the community or from out of town, did an amazing job cheering and encouraging the youth. It was awesome to see the stands and the small hall full of supporters.

A special shout goes to the Mackenzie Recreation Association, Municipal and Community Affairs, the village of Fort Simpson recreation staff who kept the facility nice and clean, and most importantly Kali Norn and Jackie Whelly who dedicated many hours organizing and making sure the event ran smoothly.

To the speed skating moms, thank you for catering the whole weekend.

I would like to thank the Fort Simpson high performance athletes, especially Amaria Tanche Hanna and Gina Hardisty, for being the coaches of the teams, helpers, and being great role models to the youth. It was great to see this capacity being built. I take great pride when I see younger athletes paying back to the sport.

In closing, I would like to say a big thank you to the Stipdonk family for letting us to honour their husband, dad, grandfather, and my friend in a way that brings so many smiles to the youth. Thank you.

Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's with a heavy heart today that I announce that the late Vince Patrick Sharpe, aged 76, passed away peacefully on February 15, 2024, at Stanton Territorial Hospital here in Yellowknife.

Vince was born on February 10th, 1948, in Nova Scotia to Walter J. Sharpe and Margaret M. Sharpe. Vince is one of six siblings, with two brothers and four sisters.

Vince left Nova Scotia at the young age of 19 and was soon captivated by the lure of the North and moved to Inuvik in 1968, initially working for Slim Semmler and John Camaralie. In 1968, he took a position then as Transport Canada firefighter at the Inuvik airport and volunteer firefighter of the Inuvik volunteer fire department.

He met his first wife Mabel Keevik in 1971. Vince has three beautiful children - Sheryl, Mike, and Harmony. And three wonderful grandsons, Brent, Colton, and Daniel.

He met and married his second wife Lena Allen, which then grew their family by two more children, Jimmy and Jenny Kalnik.

Vince went on to become a successful general contractor employing many local people for Inuvik and the surrounding areas.

On November 17th, 2007, Mr. Speaker, Vince was awarded the medal for bravery from the Governor General of Canada for rescuing two occupants from a burning structure in Inuvik.

Vince is predeceased by his father Walter Sharpe, Toronto, Ontario; his mother Margaret, Turo, Nova Scotia; and, brother David Sharpe, Gjoa Haven.

Mr. Speaker, Vince was one of the first people I met when I moved to Inuvik 30 years ago and we remained close friends since that time. Vince has always been an incredible advocate for our community that he so dearly loved. He served several years as a municipal councillor. He was a staunch supporter of the Inuvik fire department, any local protective services, and he supported and fundraised for community events such as the Muskrat Jamboree, the Firefighters Gala, the Children's First Centre, and many, many more, Mr. Speaker, that I could probably go on for an hour.

Vince's favourite place on the planet was at Ya Ya Lake where he spent many, many -- well, pretty much every weekend that he could out there in the summer hosting tourists, family, friends. As anybody who knows Vince, and I know some colleagues from the Beaufort Delta who are with me, and yourself, Vince lived life on his own terms always and was a true pillar for Inuvik and a legend for Inuvik, and he'll certainly be sorrily missed.

Mr. Speaker, I offer my condolences to his family and friends and funeral services will take place on Thursday, February 22nd, 2024, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Midnight Sun Complex, the Roy Sugloo Arena in Inuvik. Burial at the cemetery will take place following the ceremony.

Mr. Speaker, I will be absent from the House Thursday, February 22nd, and Friday, February 23rd, to attend the service with family and friends for Mr. Sharpe. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Our condolences go out to the family and friends of an amazing individual that I had the pleasure of knowing since 1988. So he will be sadly missed. So please pass on our condolences to the family and friends. Thank you.

Members' statements. Return to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a question for the Minister of Housing. Can the Minister explain the process that the department follows when a mortgage client has fallen into arrears on their payment? Is the collection process different for people with a mortgage or people renting units? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Minister for Housing NWT.

Mr. Speaker, the process for collecting on a mortgage and rental arrears with Housing NWT is not different. It's the same institution, Housing NWT, same corporation. So the process is not different, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What supports are in place to assist elders as they deal with Housing NWT?

There's many supports in place, Mr. Speaker. We have tenant relations officers. We have district office. We have the local housing associations. And we also have government services officers in the communities. So we have many supports in place, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know this is long overdue, and I want to ask the Minister, will the Minister do the right thing and commit to doing a mortgage write off of its clients? It's been there since -- for over 20 years. Some of those are from early 1990s. So I just wanted to ask the Minister if she will do the right thing and do a mortgage write off because those are the people -- the people that we're talking about are 65 and over now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my heart of hearts, I wish I could write everybody off, but I can't. We're a housing corporation and we use this revenue to provide more housing throughout the Northwest Territories. But we look at individual cases every year. Housing NWT does look at individual cases, and we follow the Financial Administration Act. And if there is cases that the Member would like us to look at, we can look at those. We can review things but, again, we have to follow the law and our regulations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Housing NWT. Member from Monfwi. Final supplementary.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if a client is referred to collection, a law firm represents Housing NWT. Housing NWT has a law firm to represent them, but the clients have no extra support to represent their interests. Can the Minister commit to a liaison person who can support Housing NWT clients in the collections process? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A very serious process and ensuring that clients have the proper legal support, that's something I can look into and then follow up with the Member on to make sure that the information is correct and proper. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.