Michael McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes we have made a lot of estimations on these units. We recognize they are not the same as a house. That is something that I didn’t mean to indicate, that they are one and the same. There was a reference made that they are substandard for accommodations and that is the point that I was trying to make, that many people are residing in mobile homes across the North and they take pride in these units. We have looked at and realize that there are cost factors, and that is one of the reasons that we’ve gone to a mobile home. They may be a little bit more...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would have to guess, but I would say yes. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Member has indicated, there are some units going into communities. There is a high need especially in the community of Fort Resolution. We are planning to put in five this year, and providing everything goes this year, from the report and Cabinet’s direction, we would look to next year for more units. The community has come forward, the DEA Chair, and also the LHO president has come to Yellowknife to meet specifically on this issue. They are indicating to me that what we are allocating is not near enough for what they require. They have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to commit and reassure the workers and those staff or employees that may be out there listening that the intention is not to put anybody out of a job April 1st, that we want to work with the communities. There may be some transition time required, and we want to be sensitive to that. This is supposed to be a good news story. The intent here is not to get into a conflict situation with communities or staff, but to work through the questions and to work through the process. We have done that in the majority of cases, and those cases...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have begun drafting a chronology of events. We’ll have it prepared and provided to the Members as soon as possible. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, in this whole initiative, our goal was to provide affordable housing to the non-market communities and our intention was to bring it to a cost where it would be affordable and people would like to utilize it. We contacted a number of different organizations and boards and agencies across the North and we did have a very positive response. We felt because we had an open bidding process that we would go that route. The manufacturing community does have an opportunity to bid on this, as does everybody else. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just got the package and it’s being copied right now and will be distributed to the Members. It’s in the works as we speak and I apologize for being late by a day. The commitment for Monday was a tough one to meet.

---Laughter

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not aware of anybody in the south who has been contacted. There may have been some contacts made in terms of assessing what the average cost of these units would be, but I have not seen any information in that regard. We are quite comfortable that there are many, many people picking up the tenders, including northern people interested in bidding on these things. But in response to the Member's question, no, I am not aware of any companies that were contacted, at least not any that have been brought to my attention. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I would like to make the Members aware that if I go through the request that the Member is making, to stop this process, that would mean no units in the communities for this year. We have huge pressure from the different organizations, from the different communities, to do something and do it quick. I would also like to point out that the tender process is open to northern bidders, and if it comes down to me saying whether or not I would defer these units, these modular homes into the communities, I would have to say no. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the initiative for market rent housing in the communities has been around for some time, as the Member has answered in response to his question.

---Laughter

The issue has been raised in a number of different reports, and the Special Joint Committee on Non-Tax-Based Community Affairs had heard this concern in their consultations in the different communities, also the Members of the Social Programs committee of the 14th Assembly raised it and stressed that something had to be done. So the issue is not a new one. It is something that we are finally attempting...