Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Status of Women Council of the NWT Annual Report 2015-2016." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled "The NWT Community Counselling Program Client Satisfaction Report 2016," and the "Public Performance Measures Report 2016: NWT Health and Social Services System." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following 11 documents entitled "Aurora College Operating Budget 2016/17;" " Yellowknife Catholic Schools (Yellowknife Public Denominational District Education Authority) Budget, June 30, 2017;" "Yellowknife Education District No. 1 2016-2017 Approved Budget;" "2016-2017 Operating Budget - Commission scolaire francophone TNO"; "2016-2017 Operating Budget Dettah District Education Authority"; "Tlicho Community Services Agency Operating Budget 2016-2017"; "Sahtu Divisional Education Council Operating Budget 2016-2017;" "South Slave Divisional Education Council Operating Budget 2016-17;" "2016-2017 Operating Budget for Beaufort-Delta Education Council;" "2016-2017 Operating Budget for K’alemi Dene School;" and "2016-2017 Operating Budget for Dehcho Divisional Education Council." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled "Follow-up Letter to Oral Question 331-18(2): NWT Water License Decisions" and "Follow-up Letter to Oral Question 344-18(2): Darnley Bay Marine Protected Area." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document "Yellowknife Homelessness Road Map Action Plan – Report of the Homelessness Working Group, October 2016." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I wish to table a letter from the Association des parents ayants droit de Yellowknife to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about the lack of consultation on a proposal that's gone into Heritage Canada, [Translation not provided]. Merci.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to table the following two documents. One is an article from the Wednesday, October 26th edition of the Yellowknifer “St. Joseph School Feels the Pinch," and the second is from the Northern News Service Online from Wednesday, September 7th, entitled "Auditor General Examining Municipal Services."
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee wishes to continue the deliberation of Tabled Document 14318(2), Capital Estimates 20172018, and we would like to consider the NWT Housing Corporation first, followed by Health and Social Services. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We will continue deliberation after a short break.
---SHORT RECESS
I will now call committee back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Tabled Document 14318(2), Capital Estimates 20172018, and we have agreed to begin with the NWT Housing Corporation. Does the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation have witnesses she would like to bring into the Chamber?
I do, thank you.
Sergeant-atArms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Minister, would you please introduce your witnesses to committee.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. On my left is Tom Williams, the president and CEO of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. On my right is Mr. Jim Martin. He's the vice president of finance and infrastructure services.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. We will begin with opening with general comments. Do any committee members have general comments? Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, just a few comments. I usually have almost the same ones every year. As I always say, the department does do well replacing units, but the main concern in the communities is actually adding to stock. A good example is in Fort McPherson and Aklavik we have in the neighbourhood of a threeyear waiting list, in Aklavik especially.
We have younger people that want to get their own place and possibly start a family, but, you know, they are having to wait in the neighbourhood of three years for a unit. It's very discouraging for them, and I know their parents, too, are concerned. They want to encourage their children to get on their own two feet, and it's really challenging in the communities. As we do move forward, hopefully, you know, we could add more units to the communities and fill the gap that's there. I look forward to that, and, hopefully, we will have some new units in the near future, here. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Would the Minister like to respond?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation and on behalf of the department, we also are conscious of the need for additional units within our communities. That is part of the reason that we're doing the engagement survey, not to identify the problems that we have; we know we have problems. We're looking to identify solutions within that survey so that we can actually assist residents of the Northwest Territories to be more independent or semiindependent so that we can invest more into public housing. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Cochrane. Further general comments on the NWT Housing Corporation? Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm interested in what the Minister just indicated with public housing, encouraging independence and, I guess, essentially, moving towards home ownership. I'd like to ask the Minister if the Minister has a divestment plan for public housing.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. This is general comments, but I will allow the Minister to respond. Minister Cochrane.
