Lucy Kuptana

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in February I shared a highly confidential letter with MLAs that indicated the progress with the Rockhill properties. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge International Women's Day, which is observed annually on March 8th to celebrate women's social, cultural, and political achievements throughout history and across nations. International Women's Day provides an important opportunity to showcase commitments towards women's equality, raise awareness about issues affecting women, and to highlight initiatives towards gender parity.

The theme of this year's International Women's Day is Accelerate Action. According to the World Economic Forum, at the current rate of progress full gender parity will not be...

Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT continues to expand its inventory of public housing units. These new units will provide stable living conditions and reduce homelessness for vulnerable populations. Safe, affordable housing improves the quality of life. It impacts health, self-confidence, stability, and stronger families, giving people the chance to look beyond survival and focus on opportunity.

New units, however, are only part of the solution. We face a shortage of certified tradespeople, both here and across Canada, to build and maintain existing units. This shortfall delays construction projects...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A difficult question and thank you to the Member for the question. This is the same type of question that I've asked Housing NWT. Considering the conditions of units across the Northwest Territories, utilize the unit condition rating, but at this time the expectation is that they would be the same across the board. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time, the department is considering a number of different options to increase revenues with Housing NWT. But market rental rates have not changed since 2012, 2013, and this is a possible -- this is a possible revenue for Housing NWT because it does subsidize our public housing units. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. The local housing authorities and the district offices are always available to talk to clients about market housing needs in their communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, good news to report, most of the market housing rentals in the Northwest Territories are 20 years or less. The Government of the Northwest Territories started investing in market housing in the early 2000s. So most of them are 20 years or less, so much better condition than our public housing units. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And safe for staff because staff are going into these housing units and having to upkeep and maintain these units, and sometimes they can't even get into the unit. So illegal activities, they're barricading the doors, and it's difficult for staff. But with the RCMP, the RCMP and the rental office have met with Housing NWT, and they meet with program advisers, they meet with the LHOs, they have training with the LHOs. The RCMP regularly meet with Housing NWT officials to ensure information is shared and how improvements can be made. So the RCMP also encourage local...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure of Housing NWT's insurance obligations especially with a fire related to the duplex in Fort Resolution. I can check into the information for the Member and follow up. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The information I have from Housing NWT is over the past two years, Housing NWT has completed eight incremental and two replacement public housing units in Fort Resolution, including a four-plex for singles, a duplex for singles, a duplex for seniors, and a public housing replacement duplex. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.