Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to start off with a story of a few elders in Lutselk'e and their housing issues. About seven years ago, I began to advocate for the elders to have the northern territorial rental public housing units transferred into their ownership. About a year or so ago they were transferred into their names. They were very happy, but their happiness was short-lived. These units were built in the late ‘60s or early 1970s and when the elders applied for repair programs, they were hit with a barrage of reasons why they were ineligible for NWT Housing Corporation programs. The main reason the elders had difficulty was that they need to have house insurance. Without the elders holding house insurance, the NWT Housing Corporation could not protect their investment into the elder's home. There are many areas where the NWT Housing Corporation find the elders ineligible, but the house insurance is probably the worst one. House insurance premiums in the community where there are no fire departments other than two or three volunteer firefighters and communities with no fire hydrants are extremely high. Without assistance from the NWT Housing Corporation, it is impossible for elders living on old age securities to have their homes repaired or pay for their own repairs. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member's statement.
---Unanimous consent granted.
Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is the mandate of the NWT Housing Corporation to reduce core need in the NWT. Core need in my hometown of Fort Resolution is 50 per cent, a large majority with adequacy as a main housing problem. When a household has adequacy as a main housing problem, the house needs repairs, renovation or retrofit to address the core need issue. The NWT Housing Corporation must find a way to deliver appropriate programs to address core needs of people in the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
