Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask the Minister if we will be talking about the development of options to support Aboriginal and local governments in meeting housing aspirations of their residents further on into the main estimates.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have a question on the opening remarks. I’d like to ask the Minister what marketing preventive maintenance means? Thank you.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise also in support of this motion. I think that the housing situation in the NWT is bad. We have situations in our small communities where we have a lot of home ownership units. The survey from the Housing Corporation itself indicates that over 38 per cent of those units are in core need, and the majority of that core need is made up of suitability and adequacy issues. I questioned the way they determine core need with the idea that NWT Housing Corporation has a strong belief and apparently so do the federal government that a person that has a perfectly...

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister if the affordability issue stands alone in core need. According to the definition that’s in the Housing Corporation and even according to the definition of that with CMHC, they consider any one of the three to be core need. My question was: if you provide income, are you eliminating core need? That’s my question again. Mr. Speaker. Does the Minister believe that having an affordability only, without having a suitability or an adequacy issue, puts the person in core need?

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have questions for the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister if she can explain how a family that has an adequate and suitable housing be in core need.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’m making a Member's statement on housing, but I’d like to acknowledge the Seniors’ Society. Mr. Speaker, today I’d like to speak on the NWT Housing Corporation and their definition of core need. In general, core need for housing is identified as a household that has one or more of any of the main ingredients that form core need. Adequacy, in general, is a house that requires a retrofit; or suitability is when there are too many people sharing bedrooms; and affordability is when the family spends more than 30 per cent of their household income on utilities...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I’m not asking the government to ignore people that can’t afford their homes. There are subsidies that can be paid to individuals. My point is we have a budget that is there to address people that have adequacy, suitability issues. Somebody’s house is not adequate to live in, whether they’re lacking electricity, hot and cold running water, continuous heat, solid foundation, whatever, all adequacy issues, however, and/or it’s too small. They got more than two people using the national standards on individuals. I’m not going to go through that, but just...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I feel like I have been talking about core need all day here, and then we’re getting into more questions around core need. I would like to know how the Housing Corporation sees affordability when the house is in perfect condition and adequately sized or suitably sized, affordability as a housing issue, as a coreneed housing issue. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this is a budget session. In the opening remarks, the Minister indicates that they will be developing options to support Aboriginal local governments. My question: is it appropriate at this time to speak on that issue or is it actually a line item in there, in this main estimate somewhere where it is not completely apparent to me at this point. Asking that question: is it in the main estimates? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 15-18(2), Main Estimates, 2016-2017. With that, Mr. Chairman, we would like to continue with the Environment and Natural Resources and possibly get into Health and Social Services. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.