Minister of Housing NWT.
Debates of Feb. 26th, 2025
This is page numbers of the Hansard for the 20th Assembly, 1st 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 housing.
Topics
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Dr. Erin Kelly
Thank you, Madam Chair. So there are capacity challenges in many communities, and we have had situations where proposals have gone out, projects have gone out, and we haven't had folks that have been able to -- they haven't been taken up because with the builds, with the distinctions based funding, there's more projects that are happening in more regions and communities and there's still the same number of tradespeople which we, I think can all agree, is not adequate to meet the needs that we have.
But as far as the amount there, there's a balance when creating a budget, and we've heard from other Members interested in new builds and preventative maintenance in programs for owning homes and repairing homes, and so the department looks across those and builds a budget based on what we can achieve and the interests of folks.
When we get additional funds, we look at where the need is, and we use unit condition ratings and other factors to determine where these repairs are done and need, and so that's how those numbers are put into the main estimates. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Shauna Morgan Yellowknife North
Okay, thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to switch gears a little bit and point -- so, like, the line item for homeownership entry level and market housing programs.
So I know that are plans to discontinue the homeownership entry level program, and I understand that the goal when this program was started was to allow people to transition towards owning those units, and some people have been in there -- those units for a long time and never have been able to or wanted to transition to homeownership, so it was sort of decided, I guess, enough is enough and we just discontinued the program. But it sounds like there's 51 units that are being disposed of somehow. Can the Minister explain what is actually happening to those 51 units and what's happening to those who currently live in them. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Lucy Kuptana Nunakput
Thank you, Madam Chair. So in the last year's budget, we had the same line item with these HELP units, and we're not disposing of these HELP units. We're actually counselling with the owners of these HELP units to see if they want to purchase these HELP units. But if they feel that they can't afford it or if they want to stay within that HELP unit, we look at turning it into either a market unit or a public housing unit. So they are being counselled. There is advice. Depending on financial situation, depending on the situation within the family, that would depend on them with Housing NWT providing that support in place. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Mo Rgan
Okay, thank you for explaining that. My understanding from some of the research we had gotten was that there is a $556,000 reduction in the budget which is an adjustment related to the planned disposition of the 51 units. Is that understanding incorrect, that -- is there to be a reduction associated with the discontinuation of the HELP program? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Lucy Kuptana Nunakput
Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Jim Martin here will provide more information with the HELP unit disposition. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Jim Martin
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, as part -- a component of Housing NWT's 2025-2026 fiscal sustainability adjustments does include a recognition that we are disposing of homeownership entry level programs through the modes that the Minister mentioned, and the target for 2025-2026 is $408,000 budget fiscal adjustment. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi
Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. If we're still on the page 387, public housing program. From last fiscal year, it went down, but according to the business plan, the mandate commitment says that increased housing availability for all residents by working with partners to address the gap, and the target minimum a 20 client each year and a minimum spending of $50 million per year from housing, and to achieve this it says $50 million per year from outside organization on housing. Can the must explain this further. The business plan on page 4.
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Lucy Kuptana Nunakput
Thank you, Madam Chair. The business plan here, President Kelly will provide more detail to it. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Dr. Erin Kelly
Thank you, Madam Chair. So we have spent over $50 million the last two years. Much of that money is coming from the federal government, so that's what we're referring to in the business plan. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi
Yeah, thank you. That's good. The reason why I asked is because in Behchoko alone, you know, I'm glad that, you know, you guys came, that, you know, Housing NWT visited the community. And there's a great need for housing, and we have, like, looking at this, 25 space each year. We have over 130 people on the waitlist and a lot of singles, and it's families, and some elders. So how are we going to achieve this for Behchoko? I know that we cannot solve all this, like you know, to accommodate 130 people, but at least building some houses. And I like what I see now that there's a -- you're partnering, you know, with Tlicho investment corporations and -- you know, I know that some of these can be done through partnership and so I just -- how are we going to do this for Tlicho region, especially in Behchoko when there's -- I mean, all the communities in Tlicho communities need houses. We have some waitlists but not as big as Behchoko alone, over 100 people on the waitlist. And, yeah, so how are we going to take care of that? Is there a plan in place from the Housing NWT to take care of Behchoko housing waitlist? Thank you.
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th
Lucy Kuptana Nunakput
Thank you, Madam Chair. An enormous task, considering Behchoko has 135 people on the waitlist -- 135 families on the waitlist. That's why this territorial housing needs assessment is so important, because we look at everything that we have but we also look at the quality of housing that we have. That's why unit condition ratings are so important is we make decisions, planning decisions, based on unit condition ratings and ages of the housing unit. We have over 356 housing units that are 50 years plus in the Northwest Territories. Some in Behchoko, but many in other communities as well. So these decisions -- and this was right back to 2017, there was a housing needs assessment report done then, and it outlined $1 billion over a 20-year period for housing, so back in 2017. But I'll tell you the 19th Assembly was the first Assembly in 20 years that put any investment into housing, and the 20th Assembly continues to invest into housing. So there has been that restart of investing into housing and community. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 75-20(1): Tabled Document 275-20(1): 2025-2026 Main Estimates - Deferral of Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th