Deh Cho

Statements in Debates

Debates of , (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

What is the number of clients assisted through EDAP in the Beaufort-Delta region in the past two years?

What are the amounts received by each client, by community?

Thank you.

Debates of , (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the NWT Housing Corporation is always changing directions and my question is for Premier Handley. I’m wondering if this government has ever considered following suit and creating a department of housing whose sole mandate would be to provide safe, adequate and affordable housing? Thank you.

Debates of , (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have committed to providing I think it’s $250,000 a year for a period of four years to the Nahanni Butte access road. It’s something that we are very interested in doing and in a lot of cases it’s to create partnerships with the communities or the development corporations in the communities. We have had discussion in several other communities about the possibility of doing so. We, of course, would have to involve the Department of Finance in this whole discussion to ensure that the FAA is followed, but we’d be glad to do so. We’d be glad to sit down and...

Debates of , (day 23)

Lend some technical experience when required and asked for, but for our sake, stay out of the business end. We can’t afford any more blunders. How many units could have been put on the ground in the NWT, Mr. Speaker, with all of the money that we have lost so far? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Debates of , (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. People in social housing who are paying the high end of the rent scale are people who I hear about who want to get into EDAP, but they can’t because they make too much. Now we are talking about starting a whole new subsidy program, another layer of public housing. So it doesn’t seem that that is the group this is geared for. I will ask my final question again; will this affect the other programs that the Housing Corporation offers. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Debates of , (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Minister missed a few of my questions. I asked how much of the $32 million is going towards this program and if it was affecting the other programs the Housing Corporation runs. Thank you. Thank you.

Debates of , (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Like my colleagues, I have concerns with Novel, too. I think it’s a good concept, but I think the Housing Corporation should have been working with ITI and MACA trying to come up with a good plan and Housing can look after the technical part of it. However, my questions are with regard to the Supported Lease Program. I notice there is 112 units in the Minister’s opening statement towards the Supported Lease Program. I would like the Minister to explain what the program is and which group of clients it’s aimed at. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Debates of , (day 23)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Many of the first clients of the NWT Housing Corporation’s programs are now senior citizens. They no longer require the three or four-bedroom houses they had built for their young families. However, these people now find themselves unable to access any of the services of the corporation, because of the one house in a lifetime policy.

The committee is of the opinion that the corporation would be able to free up houses for the private market if it were to provide smaller housing packages/construction services or possible bridge financing for those elders who no longer...

Debates of , (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The new department, based on previous numbers, would have a budget of approximately $90 million. That would go a long way to providing safe, adequate, and affordable housing. The CMHC funding is going to sunset over the next 30 years, meaning that the reason for keeping the NWT structure may no longer be needed. Would the Premier commit to taking this into consideration in creating a new department of housing whose sole mandate would be to provide safe, adequate, and affordable housing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before we can say yes or no, or I respond to the community’s request, we’d have to see a lot more detail. We are quite interested to sit down and talk to communities. Other communities have come forward and demonstrated that there is a cost savings of having some of the money fast-tracked into a one-year period where we would save on the mobilizations cost and also the demobilization. So we’d be very interested to sit down with them. Whatever we can arrange through a meeting with the community along with the Member, I’d be glad to sit down and have that...