Alfred Moses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to acknowledge the Member for bringing this to our concern. We have seen a lot of it in the news, as well as in the media and all over social media. We are addressing the issue. I know that, through our local housing organization, we did identify some units that did have the bedbugs. We did address them the way that we do treat it. Then, at the same time, we went above and beyond to look at all of our public housing units, and we did identify six other units that we needed to do the treatment to. We have done that.

Our current situation is that we are going to be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following two documents entitled "Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 13-18(3): Report on the Review of Bill 31, Northwest Territories 911 Act"; and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 632-18(3): Community Government Funding Gaps." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I mentioned, there are houses that are right on the shoreline that are going to be impacted. We are working with the federal government, and I know that we do have funding that may no longer be available from the Government of Canada come March 31, 2020. That is where we need to put a little bit more emphasis to get this work done.

I do also understand that protecting the shoreline is also the responsibility of the hamlet. We are going to be working with the government to see how we can support them and make sure that things are done in a timely manner. We do know that we had two big storms...

Our department, NWT Housing Corporation, continues to work closely with the environmental health unit from Health and Social Services in eliminating the bedbug incidences in public housing units in all of our communities.

I just want to let the Member and Members know that bedbugs are not considered to be a public health hazard, and we are working with the Department of Health and Social Services to make sure that we educate our tenants to address this issue and make sure that any detecting of bedbugs is reported immediately to the local housing organizations. As I mentioned, with any families...

The NWT Housing Corporation follows its standard protocols to deal with insect infestations when and after they have occurred. This involves an inspection to determine the type of insect and provide the appropriate treatment measures to remove the insects from the unit as soon as possible. That is what we have tried to do with Simpson, and then doing further follow-up, addressing some of our other public housing units.

As I have mentioned, we have purchased heat treatment systems for each of our district offices. Technical staff are trained, and they have the proper equipment in place to deal...

It is my understanding that the hamlet is inviting contractors who have experience moving houses and that the structures will be properly braced before moving, which is a big concern, because I know that we do have at least one unit that we need to take into consideration when bracing, possibly two. The new foundations include geotextile material for drainage, various granular materials to ensure good support, and the screw jacks, and the hamlet will be able to adjust the foundation to ensure the structural integrity of the homes. This type of foundation is in common use by the NWT housing...

Yes, we are working with the YWCA to determine the best way that we can provide assistance for those who were affected by the fire. As I mentioned before, we have a rapid rehousing program that provides assistance to cover such things such as moving costs, deposits, and the rental and/or utility assistance necessary to allow individuals to move immediately out of homelessness and to stabilize a permanent housing solution. The program also provides long-term and short-term rental subsidies, as well as financial assistance to the households.

In short, yes, we will. We will work with the Member as well as leaders. We just had a housing summit up in Inuvik, and we had a lot of really good discussions on all the housing issues throughout the Northwest Territories. As you know, we are developing these community housing plans, and the leaders and the stakeholders and community members can tell us what their priorities are. We'll work with them to address them, and we do know that our elders are very important. They're the holders of our cultures, our traditions, our languages, and we want to make sure that we support them so that they...

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about a new partnership between the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and the De Beers Group, a partnership that will help house some of our most vulnerable citizens.

De Beers Group has invested heavily in the Northwest Territories over the years through the development of its two mines. These investments have provided numerous gains for the residents of the Northwest Territories in terms of jobs and procurement. In addition to the economic benefits, De Beers Group has indicated that they want to support lasting social improvements to communities...

As I mentioned, we will continue to work with the YWCA to adjust the situations on a case-by-case basis. Our contribution agreement with the YWCA under the rapid rehousing program should address some of these household needs until a long-term solution to their needs has been established. We'll continue to have that open dialogue and communication with the YWCA.