We just need to take a quick break in order to make an amendment to the motion and we will come back and follow through on that motion.
---SHORT RECESS
I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. We’ll go to Mr. Ramsay, to the amendment to the motion.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I move that Committee Motion 5-16(3) be amended by adding the words “and laptop computers” after the word “BlackBerries”.
And further, that the second paragraph be deleted.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The motion is on the floor. The motion is being distributed.
The motion has now been distributed. The motion is in order. To the motion. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a quick question. I’d like to know whether or not this motion is going to inhibit the use of laptops by committee staff since we’ve taken out that second paragraph.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. We’re actually in the process of debating the motion and we can’t ask questions. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called.
---Carried
To the motion as amended.
Question.
Question has been called.
---Carried
Does the committee agree that consideration of Committee Report 3-16(3) is concluded?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Committee Report 3-16(3) is concluded.
As recommended, we’re going to be moving on to Tabled Document 11-16(3), to continue our debate on the Housing Corp. Is committee agreed?
Agreed.
Minister McLeod, do you have witnesses?
Yes, I do, Mr. Chairman.
Can I please get the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort the witnesses into the Chamber.
Mr. Minister, can you introduce your witness, please?
Mr. Chairman, I have Jeff Anderson and Revi Lau-a with me.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Yesterday when we finished off we were on page 5-43, information item, corporate summary, operations expenditure item. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Actually, I’m just looking for clarification from the Minister. I didn’t understand his answer. I was asking about where we’re at with core needs, at meeting core needs and I think the Minister mentioned 36 percent in one area and 70-some percent in another area. I was asking about Ndilo and Dettah and the NWT as a whole. I’m not totally sure what those percentages refer to. Perhaps I could just get a clarification or a little bit of interpretation of what that actually means. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister McLeod.
Mr. Chairman, the core need assessment looks at the adequacy, suitability and affordability issues in the communities. The community of Dettah, I mentioned yesterday was over 30 percent. It’s actually at 42 percent. The last survey was done in 2004 and we have another one going on right now. We anticipate to have all the results compiled for public review by the early summer.
Again, just so I really understand this concept, is that a rating on one measure for the three combined aspects of equitability, no, sorry, equity, suitability, and affordability? Is it a measure of that and is 42 percent...Are we looking to get to 100 percent or to zero?
Mr. Chairman, it would be really nice to get to zero, but I don’t think that would ever happen. The national average is actually 12 percent and that’s the goal that we are striving towards. We have 2,200 families right now in core need across the Territories. That’s the rating we use. We look at and analyze people in the communities in terms of the different measurements for suitability, overcrowding, things of that nature.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. We’re on page 5-43, information item, corporate summary, operations expenditure summary.
Agreed.
Moving along to page 5-44, information item, active positions by region.
Agreed.
Moving along to page 5-47, also an information item, executive, operations expenditure summary.
Agreed.
Moving along to page 5-49, information item, finance and infrastructure services, operations expenditure summary.
Agreed.
Page 5-50. Mr. Bromley.
I’ll hold off for now.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. We’re on page 5-50, information item, finance and infrastructure services, grants and contributions. Mr. Yakeleya.
Support for the Homeownership Programs, Mr. Chair. Thank you. Fire damage repairs and winter road you had in previous years $187,000 and for ’09-10 there’s nothing. Is that just the way the funding is arranged with the Crown corporation here in terms of $187,000 not being in this year’s budget?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister McLeod.
Mr. Chairman, this was an area that was reduced as part of the reduction process. We expect we’d be able to accommodate this program through our repair program.
Mr. Chair, including this program here, so this program was somewhere in your new design of the funding that this program will be included as part of the criteria, requirements that when this issue comes up that the Housing Corporation will be able to satisfy, say yes, we can deal with this in this area. Thank you.
Yes, Mr. Chairman. The Member is referring to a program that we’ve decided to eliminate as part of our budget reduction program and also as part of our desire to incorporate the many programs that we had historically into a smaller grouping. This will be built into each region’s budget and will be able to be covered off through the different programs that we have. Thank you.
The other question I have is on contributions and federal and territorial funding. I’m very curious as to why it here it says urban native fully targeted. Can I get a brief explanation as to what that is all about?
Mr. Minister. Mr. Anderson.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The $3.4 million that we’ve set aside under that is part of the funds that we received from the federal government that came with the 1997 Social Housing Agreement where the federal government transferred projects that they had administered to our organization as part of that exercise. That includes non-profits. Targeted means they’re income tested and it includes funding we provide to co-ops and mortgage write-downs and some of the non-profit organizations across the Territories. It represents about 500 units across the Territories that we provide this federal funding towards. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Anderson. Mr. Yakeleya.
Mr. Chair, is it possible to get a copy of these 500 units that they administrate across the Northwest Territories? Because certainly I would be interested in asking further questions on this. Certainly in some of my communities people aren’t making any profits, so I don’t know if they would be qualified under that. This here, in terms of the funding, it seems like it’s been a...I don’t know. I’ll wait until I make my conclusion, but I need to see some more information as to this funding here for the 500 units.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister McLeod.
Mr. Chairman, these are all programs that we had inherited historically from the federal government. We do have a listing and we’d be glad to share it with the Members.
Is it possible to also get an idea as to a description on the urban native fully targeted in terms of what the Minister and officials from the Crown corporation has said? I wouldn’t mind getting some information to read before I could ask a few more questions if I had to.
Mr. Chairman, we’d be glad to give a definition on each one and give the location and the projects that we’re doing in the different regions. I would also be glad to sit down with the Member if he had further interest in some of these areas.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. Next on my list is Mr. Menicoche.
