Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am all for brevity, but I was hoping the Minister could give a bit more detail than just it is increasingly complex. Kam Lakers need better answers than that, so I will turn it back to the Minister, if you do not mind, and get a bit more detail on these complexities. How much are they going to cost, and if the department is in a position to make these necessary improvements to keep my constituents safe? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago two high school students, David Shepherd and Travis Price, bought 50 pink T-shirts in support of a boy in their class, or at the school, who was bullied, and today we celebrate that as Pink Shirt Day. Those values, Mr. Speaker, today seem more relevant than ever. I honestly thought bullying was a thing of the past, left in the schoolyard, becoming a relic of childhood, and because adults, as we all know, should know better, be better, and act as role models for their communities, and especially for their kids. Mr. Speaker, this year I have been...

Thank you, Mr. Chair, music to my years. When can we expect this new program to roll out, and will it require a supplementary appropriation? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I appreciate the Minister's decisive attitude when it comes to providing some relief to renters. Just to again be very clear, is the corporation in the process of developing a rent supplement program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think it's quite appropriate that we're reviewing the main estimates for the Housing Corporation today after we had a line of questions for the Minister earlier, and I think a lot of good ideas have been shared, not just today but throughout the life of this Assembly. I think we all know that this is a key concern for our constituents, the people of the Northwest Territories, and for individual Members. Housing remains a priority. I know the Minister feels the same way, and the government feels the same way. It is about how we act on that priority and ensure that we...

I am unsure what the Minister's needs are, but the needs of my constituents are lower rents and more affordable housing. Mr. Speaker, it is not just the Housing Corporation that provides support for co-ops. It is also the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and the Department of Justice who all provide either administrative support or are some way responsible. Will the Minister commit to forming a working group with those three departments to build on the success of housing cooperatives?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Kam Lake is home to two of the Northwest Territories' housing cooperatives. These are great communitydriven housing communities that allow for housing options that are below market rent. In fact, the average price for a threebedroom apartment in Yellowknife is around $2,300 a month in rent, whereas, at one of the housing co-ops in my riding, it is $1,400. That is an incredible amount of savings. I am wondering if the Minister has looked into starting a pilot project to develop more housing cooperatives here in Yellowknife and across the Northwest...

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate the Minister's clear and, again, decisive answer. So, in six months I look forward to the new program and voting in favour of it if it meets the expectations that we have set out for it.

Finally, just a comment. I appreciate that the corporation and the Minister responsible have not eliminated a program completely that they recognize still meets a need but needs finetuning. Perhaps the Minister can share that wisdom with the Minister responsible for Education visàvis the Aurora College cuts and a number of the other programs that we have addressed that...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate where the Minister is coming from on this. Before this role, as an everybody member of the middle class, I made use of the transitional rent supplement program, and I think I was given something like $10 a month for my needs as a single parent in a very expensive apartment.

We have heard that this program isn't really working. At least, it is not working to meet the objectives that have been set out for it, so why are we retaining it? I think we have been looking at finding efficiencies throughout this budget. That has been a sticking point and an issue of...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I know it's already been discussed in this review, but I just wanted to follow up on one of the Minister's points on the Transitional Rent Supplement Program. The Minister indicated that she would like to see these resources reallocated towards a rent supplement program. Is that a direction the department will be taking, or is that just an aspirational statement the Minister wants to give us as food for thought? Thank you.