Mr. Speaker, today I raise the issue of concerns I have with the Residential Tenancies Act. I know it’s coming forward eventually, and let’s hope it comes forward in this Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, the issue is about concern with protection, and the fact that I, not unlike in many other constituencies hereabouts in Yellowknife and throughout the Territories, have many rental units. It was told to me that someone was forced to sign a lease of…. I don’t want to belabour the circumstances, but it was like: you sign here and pay this much, or basically get out if you don’t like it, and the cost to leave…. People are being forced and squirmed into unusual circumstances that I don’t think are fair.
My question to the Minister of Justice, who will oversee the update of this act, is: will he take that into consideration, in that we can help build modest increases to leases and rentals if they can be somewhat justified, as opposed to whatever they feel necessary?
Mr. Speaker, the Residential Tenancies Act will be given over to this House. It’s forthcoming. I did manage to meet with the Standing Committee on Social Programs on January 21 just to give them a brief on the actual changes to the act itself and to get some more feedback from the committee as well. We are at the point where the act is within our department. There are changes that need to take place, and we are still accepting recommendations to the act itself. I will certainly take that into consideration, to work with my department, and how we can fit into our current act that will be in place. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister for that. But one of the issues I highlighted in my Member’s statement is that if somebody gets a job — and let’s say they’re a renter here in Yellowknife, and they get a job maybe somewhere in Nunakput, like my good colleague here — they have to break their lease. What if they’ve just signed a year’s lease? This isn’t a hypothetical question, because this actually does happen. So they’re forced to pay out the remainder of the lease if they want to take a great job advancement somewhere else. The protection doesn’t exist to allow them…. They only get out of the lease if there are good graces by that landlord. Those are the types of protections I’m talking about.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister inform this House if he’ll take that into consideration when the review of this Residential Tenancies Act does come forward for a final decision?
Mr. Speaker, we will be taking into consideration what is brought forward here today, because the act is still in the works. It has been presented to the Social Programs Committee, and it will be brought to the House. I can certainly take those suggestions into consideration, work with my department, and see if we can integrate that through our discussion paper on the act itself. Mahsi.
I wasn’t 100 per cent clear on the Minister’s answers there. Did he say he would take into consideration those two areas of concern I raised: the way increases happen in the context of the amount; and further, about helping people get out of their leases if they’re built into contracts and they have to leave the normal municipality they live in?
Mr. Speaker, these leases the Member is referring to…. There are different areas, different avenues, whether it be private contractors or at the community level. But certainly those suggestions will be taken into consideration in my discussion with my department, and possibly integrating that through the act that will be proposed. Certainly this is an ongoing discussion with our department — the act itself — so that will be taken into consideration for discussion. Mahsi.
Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate what the Minister has offered to do there, and I’ll take his commitment on that.
Can I get a sense of the timeframe on when he expects that — updates, or the act to be made public — so we can have some public discussion on that? Further, can he assure me that he will deliver any updates on those suggestions to me as soon as possible?
Mr. Speaker, I am certainly hoping to give notice of introduction of the bill later on this week. Mahsi.
