Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member’s statement today is on log housing pilot projects in the Sahtu and Northwest Territories. Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation funding is declining; $33.2 million will be phased out by the year 2038. This is a substantial challenge to the GNWT as a whole, and the NWT Housing Corporation in particular.

A creative solution is needed, Mr. Speaker. According to the community housing needs and detailed results, tabled in the House on October 21st, 35 percent of houses in the Sahtu are in core need. Overcrowding is a problem. Between 13 and 21 percent of homes outside of the regional centre have six persons or more living in them. Only four percent of homes in Yellowknife are this crowded. The average for the Territories as a whole is seven percent.

Since 1981, the percentage of houses in need of major repairs has increased in every one of the communities in the Sahtu, with the exception of Colville Lake. Colville Lake has decreased from 100 percent to 85 percent since 2000. Thirty-nine percent of Fort Good Hope homes are in need of major repairs today. The majority of the GNWT housing budget is spent in communities: 89 percent of the budget.

It is important that communities are consulted on how the communities’ needs can be best met. People in the Sahtu are interested in log homes as a viable option at least for seniors. This program can potentially promote self-reliance, provide youth with training opportunities, and get away from cultural dependency. Mr. Speaker, the department says that they are reluctant to pursue this initiative. That initiative has failed in the past due to the high cost of logs and the cost of trainers. The cost is substantially reduced when you factor in the benefits of capacity building, local materials and housing that is more culturally appropriate for our people: the pride of creating a home.

Mr. Speaker, the report on the draft estimates that the program for smaller communities are more economically…(inaudible)…Mr. Speaker, the official records show no indication that the current Minister of Housing is going to follow through on the commitment made by the previous Minister. I will ask questions during oral question period. Thank you.

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