Inuvik Twin Lakes

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 60)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The program was originally designed to help with subsidies for about 150 clients a year. Since the inception of the program, we’ve had 158 clients go through the program. We currently have 68 clients that are still in the program. Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 60)

I don’t think we had a timeline on this. It was a program to help those that are living in market communities that were dealing with an affordability issue. We had originally, I think, budgeted just over $1 million. We’re down to about $900,000 now. I don’t believe we had put a timeline on this. Again, it will be part of the whole evaluation process to see how well the program is working and we’ll take that information as we move forward. Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 60)

I’m not sure of the exact date, but we are almost at our two-year anniversary now and we will do an evaluation of the program to see if the program is working as it was intended to. Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 57)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It has been about three years, but we’ll confirm that information and relay that on to the Members. Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 57)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We appreciate the comment’s that the Member made and it’s correct, it is a team effort, not only with the folks delivering the program but I think it’s also the Members of the Legislative Assembly because, as I said before, without a lot of the support that they give us, it makes it harder for us to move some of our initiatives forward. So I think we can all take credit for that.

The decline in CMHC funding, I mean, that’s an issue that we’re going to have to deal with and we’ll have to continue to bring that forward.

The aging stock, again, that’s another one we have to...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 57)

Thank you, Madam Chair. To my right I have Mr. David Stewart. He is the president of the NWT Housing Corporation. To my left I have Mr. Jeff Anderson, vice-president of infrastructure and finance, NWT Housing Corporation.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 57)

There are about three elements to the collection approach for our rental units. First of all, we need to improve the collection of current rent and we did note that 97 percent was a good sign that progress is being made, and I think we see that in all areas of the Northwest Territories.

Secondly, we need to ensure that those who have accumulated arrears enter into some form of repayment plan, and we do obtain rental officer orders for these tenants. We’re currently seeing the number of tenants with large arrears declining as people are starting to dig themselves out of the hole, and we still...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 57)

Mr. Speaker, first of all, we’re very fortunate that the 17th Legislative Assembly has added about $2.1 million annually to the NWT Housing Corp to help offset some of the decline in federal funding. We do have a long-term strategy. I mean, we would hope that the federal government enters into an arrangement on public housing for long-term, stable funding in partnership with us, because we see that as a way of going forward.

But we are taking steps to address the declining funding. I’ve spoken to this before. We’re building more multi-family energy-efficient units to help with that. We’ve done...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 57)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We don’t have that level of detail of information handy. We will compile that information and share it with the Members. Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 57)

Mr. Speaker, I’ll be glad to have a conversation with the officials and ask them about the units being shut down in Fort Simpson and how that’s going to affect our numbers there. I will gather that information and I will have conversations with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.