Mr. Speaker, one of the major elements of our society and our economy today, in terms of things that are not working very well for us, continues to be the shortages, and in some areas, some sectors, Mr. Speaker, a crises in social and affordable housing across the Northwest Territories. This applies to small communities and, of course, here in Yellowknife we’re on a sustained situation with this difficulty.

Our Housing Corporation tells us that there are across the Territories some 3,000 families in core need of a safe, affordable place to live. Mr. Speaker, this situation continues to erode the quality and stability of life for thousands of our residents. Affordable housing is one of the most common topics that comes up when I speak with constituents and residents of Yellowknife.

There’s almost universal agreement that affordability is connected to many family, economic and social issues and is perhaps best illustrated by the never-ending waiting list for transitional housing managed by the YWCA here in Yellowknife and for the waiting list in social housing with the housing authorities across the NWT.

Higher rental and apartment construction has raised the supply of rental units and helped increase availability, and the important role of the private sector should be acknowledged. I’ve tried to do this whenever I can, Mr. Speaker; to acknowledge the investment that continues to be made, at least here in Yellowknife, in the housing stock we have. Information that I have suggests that we’ll see about 120 new rentals under construction in the city this year, adding to about 1,600 that we already have. In normal circumstances, this would improve not only availability, but affordability. But increased construction costs and pressure from a very lively economy are continuing to put upward pressure on the cost of housing, and electricity and heating costs are going to hit hard this year.

As the private sector continues to invest, at least in Yellowknife, other communities are not so fortunate. Mr. Speaker, I want to repeat a message that has often been said in this House and that has had considerable success in other jurisdictions. The message is that government should continue to strive to put incentives and opportunities in place for the private sector to continue to do what they do best. Thank you.

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