My question is for the Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty. It’s in regard to the area of staff housing. I know that Ms. Bisaro’s question is looking more in line with how we deliver the program. I’d just like to ask the Minister…. I know he mentioned last week that he is working on a pilot project in regard to providing staff housing. Mr. Speaker, we already have a policy in place developed by way of the previous government for market housing in communities. I’d just like to ask the Minister: why is he not using that initiative, instead of making decisions to go with a pilot project?
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Member’s asking that question. I did mention last week that our department is working with the Housing Corporation on a pilot project in one of the regions. If it’s successful, then we will continue working with other regions on the project itself. We are going with this as a third party, because we don’t get involved with staff housing. But we do what we can to work with the communities to find suitable, affordable housing in the communities.
Again, Mr. Speaker, I ask: what is the reason behind having to do a pilot project? A lot of the government staff housing was sold off to a lot of development corporations. They purchased these assets strictly for staff, by way of teachers and that, in our communities. But yet the possibility of doing that is already in place.
I’d just like to ask the Minister: why aren’t you following existing programs and services to do exactly what you’re saying you’re going to do, without having to do a pilot project?
Mr. Speaker, that is what we’re doing with the communities. We are having the Housing Corporation assist with the development corporations to build units in the communities. With us, there are no ties, as we are the third party. We are assisting the communities in pursuing the building of these units for professionals in the communities, specifically for teachers, social workers and nurses in the communities as well. That’s what we’re doing as a department — our department, working with another department — to identify a solution in a community.
Mr. Speaker, this issue is not just familiar to one particular region, one particular community; this is a problem right across the Northwest Territories. Communities are trying to address this problem. They have, in most cases, put their own money into putting this infrastructure on the ground. To be fair to all communities on this issue, I’m not waiting ‘til a pilot project is assessed or done or completed.
Could the Minister commit to working with other development corporations throughout the Northwest Territories to improve the existing staff housing stock, and also to deliver more housing stock on the ground? They are already in place; they are already looking at doing it. It just needs some assistance from this government to be able to deliver on market housing in our non-market communities, by way of staff housing.
Mr. Speaker, the question is more coming down to the Housing Corporation, but we as a department will continue working with that issue. Yes, certainly, I’d like to reiterate I’ll be working with my colleague in the Housing Corporation and other Members. We are open for business, as well.
What we’re doing as a pilot project…. There’s one pilot project that’s on the way, and if another region wants to continue with that pilot project, then certainly we can sit down and discuss that as well. We’re open to that concept, and I’d like to move forward on that. That’s what we’re pursuing right now. Mahsi.
Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Mr. Speaker, in regard to the quality and the condition of these units, as I say, most of them were purchased from the government when they sold off our staff housing. Again, a lot of these units are aging over time, and I think we do have to bring them up to a certain rating. I’d like to ask the Minister, working with his colleague at the Ministry of Housing, if they can look at implementing a program to assist those communities and developers to upgrade those facilities and also expand them, so we can allow for more teachers and more resource people to be able to take advantage of these market housing initiatives in our communities.
Mahsi. Mr. Speaker, we can certainly take that into consideration, working with the development corporation at the community level, along with the Housing Corporation and our department. Mahsi.
