David Krutko

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, presently we are reviewing the mandate of the Housing Corporation and this is one of the areas we can focus in. Because we haven’t concluded that review, this is something we’ll definitely bring back to the department to look at and see if there are ways we can revise how we determine rents and rates. I’ll bring it back to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to go back to item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With regard to the approval of land in Rae-Edzo, we are presently in the process with MACA to develop and forward an application, but we are also in discussions with a private businessperson to see if there’s a possibility of expanding this to just, say, 12 units. So we are in discussions with a private entrepreneur to look at the possibility of getting the private sector involved in this project so we can try to get more units into Rae-Edzo. Like you’ve mentioned, there is definitely going to be a demand for more units and it’s good to hear that the Tlicho agreement...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a former constituent of mine, Ms. Winnie Blake from Tsiigehtchic, who now lives in southern Canada.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, probably one of the most crucial timelines we have to pass is get this budget through the House because the money is in the budget. So we have to get that approval in order to make that expenditure, but also we are in the process of talking to MACA and also talking to the private sector to develop this program. So once I get some timelines I will be sharing that with yourself, as a Member, to keep you involved in where we’re going. But, as it sits right now, it’s all based on the approval of the budget.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a corporation, we are considering that in the mandate of the corporation. We realize we have people in the territory who depend on seasonal economies. They don’t have full-time jobs. We have to be open minded to find ways of working with these people who may have problems getting a mortgage through the bank. The key to anything is affordability. You have to be able to afford to not only manage your house but also be able to pay down your mortgage and also know that you can afford the mortgage and make those payments. I think what we are seeing now is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with regard to our seniors who live in social housing or public housing, they will not be affected by this increase. If anything, there won’t be an increase because, in most cases, seniors who live in public housing can't pay. With regard to trying to ensure we are fair, we have, through the local housing authorities, individuals or tenant relations officers who work with the elders and explain how this program is going to be laid out and how it’s going to affect each one of them. There was also an information package mailed out to each tenant to make...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if we can make adjustments on how we phase in this program or how we look at what percentages are there, if that is going to make it easier for our clients and also for those people who are trying to make that transition, I am open to looking at those ideas. I think that, as a government, we don’t put any hardship on anyone, but I think more importantly we want to work with our tenants and the people who are there to assist them through this process but also assist them to the transition of becoming homeowners. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like I stated, we are working with the tenants. We do have the tenant relations officers in each of our local housing authorities to explain these increases with the clients. They are also going to ensure that if they are going to have financial difficulties with arrears, we are trying to counsel them to tell them how to pay off their arrears such as you can pay it off over a period of time or instead of doing monthly rental payments, do bimonthly payments. There are ways we can work with our clients with regard to social housing and also making them...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is not too often I get to recognize somebody from my home town, so it gives me great pleasure to recognize Renie Squirrel, who is now living in Hay River. Welcome, Renie.

---Applause