Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today in my Member’s statement I spoke of the CMHC declining funds impact on the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. I have questions for the Minister of the Housing Corporation. Has the Minister given direction to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation staff to develop a plan to address the CMHC declining fund? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I am seeking information on exactly what the NWT Housing Corporation is doing to ensure that this government is not left holding the bag on costs pertaining to the declining CMHC Social Housing Fund. As it stands, if the NWT Housing Corporation does not have a plan to address the impacts of the CMHC declining fund, we as the GNWT will be left with the responsibility of providing the budget to continue the Social Housing Program.

Currently CMHC provides millions of dollars for operations and maintenance of over 2,000 units across the Northwest Territories. As CMHC...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Standing Committee on Social Programs conducted its public review of Bill 8, Social Work Profession Act, on September 28, 2010. The committee thanks the Minister and her staff for presenting the bill.

The bill provides for regulation of social workers in the Northwest Territories. It sets out a system to qualify and enrol registered social workers and licensed social workers, the definitions of unprofessional conduct, a complaints mechanism, and a fair system to resolve them. These standards were designed to protect both the public and social workers.

The bill...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope the Housing Corporation doesn’t move away from homeownership. I think that’s the way to develop and build small markets in the communities.

Mr. Speaker, the CMHC fund has been declining for over 10 years now. What has the Minister and the corporation done to address the decline to date? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, will the Minister provide this House with a framework of this plan that’s been developed by the staff at the NWT Housing Corporation on the CMHC declining fund? Thank you.

If this doesn’t happen, we’ll have a major expense on our hands insofar as homeownership units across the NWT that are beyond economic repair and in need of replacement at a cost of $300,000 to $400,000 per unit. So you can see, the strategic plan to address the CMHC declining fund is critical.

I will have questions for the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation on the matter.

I move we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Committee wishes to continue with Tabled Document 66-16(5), NWT Capital Estimates 2011-2012, and do the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Finance and, time permitting, Bill 8 and Bill 9.

Can the Minister outline other aspects of the plan that the NWT Housing Corporation will be employing as it pertains to creating homeownership out of public housing tenants? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to discuss a little bit with the Minister and ask the Minister questions on long-term care and what seems to be the general philosophy of the department to regionalize long-term care.

As indicated by my colleague Mr. Krutko many times in this room and in committee, we talked about the need for the communities to care for their elderly, their seniors, and most of us are affected. I don’t want to get into a long story, Mr. Chairman, but at one point, when things were a lot simpler, the elders and the seniors got to stay in their communities in what was...