Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This afternoon I was going to do a Member’s statement on the school in Colville Lake and the health centre with their honey bucket system that they have there – it doesn’t smell too good – but I want to change that to what I just heard from the Minister of the Housing Corporation talk about: the moratorium on the arrears with the people in the Northwest Territories.
I think the Minister made a good statement. It’s Christmas and maybe that’s a gift to the people in the public housing units, that they have a huge present from the Government of the Northwest Territories for them until April 2012.
I applaud the Members around this House here for raising this issue, and Cabinet, under the leadership of Premier Bob McLeod, to look at this and say this is something very serious that we need to deal with with our people and not kick them out this winter. There are people right down the valley in the Northwest Territories that have huge amounts of arrears, some because they do not go to the Housing Association to let them know that they’re not working. If they don’t go there, they are charged automatic economic rent, whatever it costs for that unit. Some of them are stuck after that with a huge amount of arrears. However, that can be worked out. I take this as a real opportunity to work with the people, educate our people on these units, and looking at how do we come together to reduce the arrears or the amount of money owing to the Housing Corporation.
A little bit of history here: I talked to a person last night who was at a housing meeting in the 1970s that spoke about how the government said you’ll only pay $2 a month for the rest of your life if you move into housing. Now that’s changed so much.
I will ask the Minister other questions on the arrears and how that will work with this announcement on the public housing units. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
