Mr. Speaker, today I spoke about the shortage of teachers’ housing in the communities of Paulatuk and Sachs Harbour and its impact on the communities’ local housing market. I would like to ask the question of the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Is the Minister aware of the shortage of teachers’ housing in the communities of Paulatuk and Sachs Harbour?
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to thank the Member for asking that particular question. Yes, we are aware as a department. As the Members will know, it is a Territorial-wide issue. Housing is a real challenge for professionals living in the community, whether it be nursing, health workers, social workers and most recently the teachers as well. So we are aware of it, and we are working with the communities and the N.W.T. Housing Corporation to find some solutions to this whole ordeal of housing shortages for the professionals in the communities.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister: will the department look at putting four-plex units into Paulatuk and Sachs Harbour to address the shortage of teacher housing?
Mr. Speaker, we are working with different parties. We’re doing a pilot project in one of the regions. We’re doing design work and having the Housing Corporation guarantee financing as a third party because the G.N.W.T. does not get involved with housing. We are looking at options of how we as a department can get involved to find a solution to finding or building these units in the communities. We are looking for partners in the communities.
Just to let the Member know, my department staff has met with the Beau-Del board of education as well and also various parties from the Beau-Del area, and they did indeed stress this as well. So we are doing what we can as a department to work with that.
Thank you, Minister, for your comments.
Mr. Speaker, would the Minister commit to immediately look at this urgent issue and meet with the communities and myself to discuss options for addressing this important issue?
Mr. Speaker, yes, it would be an honour to go visit Nunakput. We did arrange to visit the community, but due to circumstances, we couldn’t visit. We are planning to make arrangements to visit the community. Probably after session sometime we’ll make some arrangements to go visit the community. Mahsi.
