Mr. Chairman, that is good news indeed. I understand it allows the planning. You have to reserve space for shipping and do the planning for ordering and so on. Does it allow negotiation of contracts for construction? Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, it does allow us for earlier tendering. Then if there are expressions of interest out there for negotiated contracts early enough, then we can start the process a lot earlier using this process that we are in now. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, that is good news. I guess two things that I would appreciate it if the Minister could keep working on this to fully realize those opportunities, perhaps working with the Minister of Finance. Is the Minister working perhaps through local housing organizations? What is the outreach process for early notice to local businesses or community development corporations, if that is what they are called and so on, to ensure that they are alert to this possibility of early negotiation a year ahead of time or whatever? Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, through our district offices, we try to get the information out there as quickly as possible and, again, having a pretty good idea of the potential projects for the next building season will give us an opportunity to get some of the information out there quicker so we can, if there are any expressions of interest out there, we would obviously hear about those a lot sooner.
The infrastructure budget is obviously a tabled item, so the information is available and will be available, so they would be able to realize the number of projects that might be coming out in their particular region. Whereas before you almost had to wait until the budget session in February/March to see what was coming to your region during the summer construction season. This process here is going to give us a good head start on being able to accomplish things a lot quicker and get things out there, get materials or everything in place and be ready to build at the beginning of the building season instead of at the end. Thank you.
Thank you. Next I have Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I’m pleased to review the infrastructure investment by the NWT Housing Corporation. In my riding, of course, this is one of the regions with the highest core need. So I’m interested to see how the corporation is addressing that fact in the capital plan that’s before us, Mr. Chair. If I could get the Minister to review some of the capital expenditures for the Nahendeh riding just to see how it reflects to address the core need that’s there. I’m just kind of counting quickly and by comparison to other ridings, I don’t see that much, but perhaps there’s more in the works. Perhaps the Minister can explain how they’re addressing the core needs in the Nahendeh riding with this capital infrastructure investment that’s before us.
Minister of Housing, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Some of the projects here that are going to the Member’s riding – I mean, he’s seen the numbers here -- there’s been a huge improvement in, actually, the repair dollars, the CARE dollars that are going into the Member’s riding. Then there’s some M and I that’s happening. So this is just some of the infrastructure that’s going on the ground. We felt that with putting more money into CARE, we’d be addressing some of the issues that were identified through the core needs study survey. Thank you.
The Minister must be talking about some O and M dollars, because I don’t see the amount of repair dollars reflected in the pages that are before me. Maybe the Minister can just clarify that? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister, can you clarify or do you have that information available for Mr. Menicoche so he can maybe get a copy of that? Mr. Minister.
We can provide the information to the Member. We’ve got about $1.2 million in CARE. The Member is correct; it is through the program delivery. So that’s on top of the infrastructure that’s going into the Member’s riding. There’s approximately $1.2 million earmarked for CARE. Then we’ve got preventative maintenance money, but I can provide some information to the Member as to exactly what’s going into his riding. Thank you.
One of the ways, if you’re going to create a study there, Mr. Chair, I believe that you should address those needs and we’ll certainly have that discussion when we talk about the business planning for 2011-12, Mr. Chair. But in terms of this budget, it’s not really reflective of the identified core need. I was very pleased to see that study, because that study actually only confirmed what my constituents and I have been telling the Housing ministry for years and years, that these needs have to be addressed. In fact, when I go to Fort Liard, they’re saying that they actually need 30 homes to replace. What’s there doesn’t address the accommodation issue, it only replaces what’s there. There’s still overcrowding if we replace that many homes, and that’s the kind of action that I certainly would like to see and it’s just not reflective in this capital budget. So I’d like the Minister to comment on that. As well, why aren’t they using their own facts and figures to address shortages in certain ridings? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We feel like we’re starting to take into account some of the numbers from the Needs Survey. I think in the Member’s riding, a lot of his communities don’t have public housing or local housing authorities and I think that’s one of the biggest challenges we face there. I think there’s a lot of people that say there’s a high need for public housing. So we’ll obviously have more of a discussion during the budget session and to some of the money, and I think I’ll be able to provide the Member with a lot of the investment that’s going on into his riding.
But I feel we’re making an attempt to deal with the numbers from the Needs Survey and we’ll continue to do that in the future, because, as I’ve stated in the House on a number of occasions, that we’re using the Needs Survey to start allocating some of our funds for homeownership and public housing into the places where it’s most needed. Obviously, the Member has one of the highest needs, if not the highest need, I believe, in the NWT. So we’re starting the process and I think it’s one that will be improved upon. Thank you.
I’m pleased to hear that from the Minister and I’ll continue to raise the issue and press the issue. I look forward to the discussion in the business plans early in the new year.
Just going down the list, perhaps the Minister can describe the four-unit four-plex building purchase in Fort Liard. Exactly what that is?
I’ll let Mr. Anderson respond to that.
Mr. Anderson.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That relates to the four-unit seniors facility that we’re presently leasing in Fort Liard and we’ve been having discussions with the owner about the potential for acquiring that asset through this process. Thank you.
Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much. That kind of clarifies it to me. That four-plex building, I’m glad to see that it’s back on-line and is being utilized. It’s something that the community of Fort Liard has certainly wanted to see up and running again.
Just in terms of Wrigley, the two units, the duplex, this says replacement of the current public housing unit. Maybe the Minister can comment on that as well.
Minister of Housing.
That’s exactly what it says there, Mr. Chair. It’s the replacement of two public housing units.
Mr. Chair, just in terms of Fort Simpson, maybe the Minister can describe what the plan is for the one unit and two lot developments that are there. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The one is a HELP unit. It’s a one unit detached. The second one is another HELP unit or land development. Two of them are land developments. So two are lot developments and one is a HELP unit, the one unit detached. Thank you.
What exactly does lot development mean? Is it the same lot that the unit’s going on so there’s only one other lot being developed, or what’s the process with the lot development?
No, these are lots that we’re acquiring for future development. In some of the communities that we go into, we have to identify and try and obtain lots ahead of time so we can develop them. So when we go back in the next year and go out for tender or have units to build and we actually have lots to put them on instead of in some of the communities we’re told we should come in a year early and develop some of the lots, because the ground could be swampy and you need time to settle that. That’s exactly what this is. It’s just developing the lots for future use.
Thank you. Just for the Minister, you did offer up some information to Mr. Menicoche, so maybe it’s possible if you have it with you to share it with the Clerk so we can circulate it. It might be helpful to the other Members. The information that you said you would provide to the Member, maybe you can also provide that to committee or to the Members in the House and get that to us. Next on the list I have Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a couple of questions with regard to the housing capital for Yellowknife. I note that there’s a multi-unit building purchase and then there’s a 12-unit retrofit. I wonder if I could know how many units, first of all, are in that replacement for the multi-unit purchase and the location of that.
Minister McLeod.
I’ll have Mr. Anderson respond to that.
Mr. Anderson.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The two projects we have slated for Yellowknife for this next year are public housing replacement for two units through multi-build looking to acquire a duplex if possible. The other is we’re doing 12-unit retrofit on public housing stock and that includes energy upgrades, insulation upgrades, siding, interior finishing, windows and doors on those 12 units.
Ms. Bisaro.
I appreciate the information. I would like to know, if I could, where in the city these two projects will be located.
Mr. McLeod.
I was just commenting to the official that we put in multi-unit purchase. We should have actually made it a little easier by just putting duplex because that’s exactly what it was. I apologize for that and we’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.
The fact of the matter is we’re looking for a duplex to purchase. We haven’t identified one yet. This is money that’s earmarked for the possible purchase of a duplex.
And the other project, where is it located?
These have not been identified yet. These are with the public housing inventory with the Yellowknife Housing Authority and they would identify the projects. We will budget the money and they will identify the projects.
Mr. Anderson.
It’s identified, we just don’t have it here.
Mr. McLeod.
Oh, okay.
Mr. Anderson.
They have 300 units almost.
Mr. McLeod.
Ms. Bisaro.
Just one last question, I guess. Part of my riding includes Sissons Court, which has quite a number of public housing units. I wonder if the Minister could advise the status of those units in terms of their repair or lack of repair, basically an evaluation of their need for how good are they. Do they need repairs? When are they likely to be renovated and retrofitted?
Unfortunately we don’t have that. I will follow up with the Member. Part of the 12 units, once we find out where those units actually are, some of them could be amongst the units that the Member is speaking about. I will get the proper information and I will share it with the Member.
I lied. I said I had one last question but I do have another one.
Quite often I’ve heard Members talking about the practice of putting out a tender for housing units and it’s put out as supply, ship and erect. I gather that has quite an impact on smaller communities in that businesses within the smaller community cannot do that whole contract of supply, ship and erect. So has the Housing Corporation changed their policy of tendering housing projects so that they could be split into possibly supply and ship and then a second contract for just the erection of the units?
We have heard that. We have taken the message to heart and we are planning on doing some contracts, particularly in the smaller communities, with just labour only and just putting the supply/ship, then we’ll have the labour as a separate contract.
