Debates of June 1, 2006 (day 3)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has become apparent that approximately 80 tenants of Behchoko public housing units are at virtual eviction but this government does not investigate or remedy the situation.

It is hard to believe that some pensioners -- yes, Mr. Speaker, I am talking about our elders -- owe the Housing Corporation $30,000 plus because of discrepancies in the calculation of their rent, going back to 10 or 15 years in some cases, Mr. Speaker. This is outrageous. The Housing Corporation should have stepped in when they first noticed these tenants were falling behind on their payments for rent, Mr. Speaker, and figured out what was going on.

It just accumulated over time. It still is and we are not doing anything about it as GNWT. Mr. Speaker, some unit renters that I have visited prior to my election and just recently when the Minister toured the community of Behchoko in March said there were some discrepancies in their rental units. They were at times paying as much as $2,400 a month on a 30-year-old public unit, Mr. Speaker. A 30-year-old unit paying out $2,400 a month times 12 months equals $28,800 on an annual basis, Mr. Speaker. We are talking about our elders in the communities.

Mr. Speaker, it may be the case where family members were living with these elders, but that shouldn’t have an impact on the elders in the communities. He or she rents a unit raising their children. Some families in the Dene culture are quite large, on an average of seven to 15 in a household or more, Mr. Speaker. The GNWT needs to step in and analyze the seriousness of the situation and find out if the owing of these 80 plus public units is accurate or not. I can tell you that some of these units I visited that owe approximately $30,000 is not right when the pensioners are living there. One example is two unemployed sons are still required to pay approximately $800 a month, Mr. Speaker. That is just one example. It is just disheartening to see and hear that our elders and community members owe so much in rent because of the rent scale that needs to be fixed. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Housing at the appropriate time. Mahsi.

---Applause