Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the chamber.
Colleagues, we'll just take a five-minute recess.
---SHORT RECESS
Debates of Feb. 27th, 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 know.
Topics
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair Richard Edjericon
I'd like to call committee back the order. Would the Minister please introduce her witnesses.
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Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Lucy Kuptana Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chair. To my right is the president of Housing Northwest Territories, Dr. Erin Kelly. And to my left is Mr. Jim Martin, who is our vice-president of finance and infrastructure.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 27th
The Chair Richard Edjericon
Thank you. Committee, we will resume where we left off yesterday. We are considering community housing services starting on page 386. Are there any questions? I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 27th
Shauna Morgan Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do have a few remaining questions. The first is just following up on the last line of questions that I was asking about the HELP program and the disposition of those 51 units. The Minister or her staff people had said that the adjustment is $408,000. I think there's a reduction there. Can the Minister explain where those savings come from? How are we saving $408,000 by disposing of the units? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Lucy Kuptana Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Jim Martin here will provide some insight to the savings of the $408,000. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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February 27th
Jim Martin
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The savings as a result of disposing of the HELP units is the cost savings that we would realize by no longer operating those units. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Shauna Morgan Yellowknife North
Okay. And can the Minister clarify, and maybe this is not all decided or sorted out yet, but who is going to operate the units? So if residents don't want to own them and they don't necessarily need to be kicked out, so -- and we're going to save money by not owning and operating them anymore, who is going to own and operate them and rent them to tenants? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Lucy Kuptana Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So the HELP units, the disposal of the HELP units, what we'll do first as Housing Northwest Territories is we'll talk to the tenants to see if they're interested at all to take ownership of the unit. If they're not interested in taking ownership, housing remains the owner and will continue to operate and maintain those units and perhaps turn them into a public housing unit or a market housing unit. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Shauna Morgan Yellowknife North
Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm going to leave that for now. I'm still confused; if we don't even know yet who's going to own and operate or how these units are going to work, I'm not sure how we can get a very specific number like $408,000 in savings if we're not sure what's happening to the units. But to be continued.
I had a few questions about items in the business plan that I think are related to this page. So on page 407 of the business plan under -- it's titled initiatives of community housing, it talks about the goal of working with Indigenous governments or NGOs to create supportive or transitional housing or working with ECE to provide market housing for teachers, and the specific goal that's listed is three per year. And I wonder if the Minister or her staff could clarify three of what per year? Are we talking about the goal of three units? Three communities? Three partners? Three projects? Or what counts as a project? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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Lucy Kuptana Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Dr. Erin Kelly will provide some information to that question. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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Dr. Erin Kelly
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We're referring to three units for the example that the Member put forward. Thank you.
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Shauna Morgan Yellowknife North
Okay, that is good to clarify. So thank you for that. Although that does seem like a pretty low goal, but.
I just want the to finish -- so page 409 of the business plan sets a goal for total housing investment in the territory, and the goal that's written in the business plan is that there would be $50 million per year of housing investment coming from Housing NWT and then $50 million a year coming from outside organizations. Now, we heard yesterday from the Minister that the $50 million per year from Housing NWT, we're not sure if we can find yet because we need to go to outside funders like the federal government to find that $50 million.
So I find -- maybe the Minister can clarify what it means, then, to say in the business plan that we're going to contribute $50 million. It sound like of our own money and then $50 million coming from the outside, but now we're hearing that that $50 million isn't our own money; it's from the outside. So I'm wondering if that goal can be clarified or, really, it should be just changed to saying we're looking for $100 million from the outside. Period. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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Lucy Kuptana Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Dr. Erin Kelly will provide information to the question around the business plan. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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Dr. Erin Kelly
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So we have spent over $50 million the last two years. Much of that money is from federal investment, and we still are looking to the federal government for increases to that investment.
We're also aware of Indigenous governments and the distinction-based funding which is also contributing to housing in the Northwest Territories in large amounts of money, but we don't have the specifics related to that.
I think one of the things I will comment on is that if you look at the positions that Housing NWT is looking in our internal resources to fund, one of them is a planning and evaluation specialist, and we plan to take a look at the targets and measures that are in the business plan and work to improve them, and one of the pieces would be related to the last question that the Member had as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.