Mr. Moses, Ms. Cochrane, Mr. Abernethy, Mr. McLeod – Yellowknife South, Mr. McLeod – Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Schumann, Mr. Sebert.
Masi, Mr. Clerk. The results of the recorded vote: in favour, nine; opposed, zero; abstentions, seven.
---Carried
I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Beaulieu.
Marci cho, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the committee would like to consider Tabled Document 50-18(2), Main Estimates, 2016-2017, and committee would like to consider the NWT Housing Corporation budget.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Does committee agree?
Agreed
We will consider the document after a short break. Thank you.
---SHORT RECESS
We are back to order. We’ve agreed to consider Tabled Document 50-18(2), Main Estimates, 2016-2017 and we’ve agreed to begin consideration of NWT Housing Corporation. I’ll turn to the Minister responsible for the department for opening comments, Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to present the 2016-2017 main estimates for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. The main estimates propose a budget of $146,907,000, an increase of 2.6 per cent or $3,780,000 from the 2015-16 main estimates. The budget includes a contribution of $81,702,000 from the Government of the Northwest Territories for 2016-17. These estimates continue to support the objectives of limiting expenditure growth in order to sustain the long-term sustainability of the fiscal framework.
Highlights of the proposed estimates includes the addition of $16.6 million in new federal social infrastructure funding aimed at public housing replacement, repairs and renovations to Northwest Territories Housing Corporation rental housing, single units to address small community homelessness, semi-independent Housing First units in emergency shelters, repairs to family violence shelters and third-party social housing, homeownership repairs and other minor capital repairs;
This federal funding includes:
$1.1 million for replacement and modernization and improvement projects to seniors’ public housing;
$3.5 million in strategic initiative funding for RCMP housing;
forced growth of $164,000 related to northern allowance for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and local housing organization employees;
sunsets of $700,000 for energy efficiency initiatives and $5 million in capital funding to support public housing renovations;
reprofiling of $578,000 of the new federal funding to the Contributing Assistance for Repairs and Enhancements program; and
reductions of $435,000 to the Providing Assistance for Territorial Homeownership program.
The proposed Northwest Territories Housing Corporation estimates continue to support the priorities of the 18th Legislative Assembly. Specific activities in support of these priorities include:
building more seniors’ supported independent living units;
marketing preventive maintenance, renovation, and mobility upgrades to let seniors age in place;
support Housing First, address the high demand for singles’ households, and review homelessness supports;
implement community-based housing property management services;
rationalize public housing utility structures to promote self-reliance;
support land requirements for new housing investment;
develop options to support Aboriginal and local governments in meeting the housing aspirations of their residents; and
improve the energy efficiency of public housing.
That concludes my opening remarks. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Would you like to bring witnesses into the Chamber? Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Would the Minister please introduce her witnesses?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. On the right hand I have Mr. Jeff Anderson, he’s the president and CEO for the NWT Housing Corporation. On the left Mr. Jim Martin; he’s the vice-president of finance and infrastructure services. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. We’ll now proceed to consider the detail for the NWT Housing Corporation. We have the departmental summary on page 358, but we’ll defer that. This is a little different from the other departments. We will turn back to page 356 for the first information item. It shows the expenditures, capital and financing, financing sources. I’ll give the Members a moment to have a look and then we can proceed with comments and questions. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have a question on the opening remarks. I’d like to ask the Minister what marketing preventive maintenance means? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Marketing preventive maintenance is preventive maintenance services that we provide to people, such as seniors, et cetera. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Beaulieu.
Okay. I know what preventive maintenance is. I just wanted to know what marketing preventive maintenance meant.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We’ll be marketing preventive maintenance programs, because we realize that preventive maintenance is the proactive way of addressing issues. For example with our seniors, we’ll be actually trying to go into their homes and to try to promote the preventive maintenance aspect as a key focus within our fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Nothing further from Mr. Beaulieu. Any more comments or questions? Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We’re on page 356, correct? I notice in the CMHC/AHI and renovation programs there is almost a $16-million increase. Could they please explain? Is that the federal funding that we got from the federal government? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Actually, yes, it is federal monies that we received, the $16 million. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
No, that’s all I have on this page. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Further comments or questions on this page? Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question concerns the capital acquisition plan. I’m wondering if the Minister can tell us about the rationale that’s applied to deciding which assets to acquire? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. How we do the capital acquisition is we consider the following items for priorities in our capital planning. We look at the age of the asset, we focus on units that are over 40 years of age, we look at the condition rating, the operating performance and the community and LHO consultations within that. Then units are considered beyond economic repair if the cost to repair the asset is 70 per cent or more of the cost of replacement. At that time, it makes more sense to build a unit. Most units beyond economic repair are replaced with multi-configured units that we’re looking at, such as the small multi-units that we’ve talked about in session today. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the Minister for that response. I’m wondering then whether there is any regional distribution of the money beyond the age of the asset and the other items that she spoke about. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We look at the stock within the territories and we try to make sure that the stock is actually fairly evenly distributed throughout the communities that we have. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. One of the reasons I ask is because I think some of the highest core need for affordability and suitability is in the Tlicho region. The amount of money that is going to be spent in the two neediest communities, Gameti and Whati, is minimal compared to other communities. I’m wondering if the Minister can explain why that is. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Actually, some of our smaller communities actually don’t take as much revenues because the population is small and the amount of unit that we, Public housing, has in there are small too, so we don’t need as much financial resources within those communities to be able to address their needs. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.
I’ll leave it at that. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Do we have any further comments or questions on this page? Does committee agree: we move on?
Agreed
Moving on to page 359, active position summary. Comments or questions? No comments or questions from committee. We can move on to community housing services. We have deferred the total activity on 361 and we can discuss the information item on page 362. Comments or questions? Ms. Green.
Mr. Chair, I’m just trying to follow along. When I was asking my questions, I thought we were on page 356, but weren’t we in fact on page 358?
We were discussing page 356; that was the first page that we discussed. Now we’ve moved on to page 362. Do you have comments or questions on page 362? Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I noted in the Minister’s opening remarks, she said she was going to implement community-based housing, property management services. I’m wondering if she could explain what that means. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Cochrane.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, we’re looking at expanding our LHO services to Fort Liard, Whati, and Gameti. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Ms. Green.
Nothing, thank you.
