Thank you, Ms. McNeely. Minister.
Sorry, Mr. Chair, I will need clarification of the question.
I believe it was just a comment. It sounds like a comment. Any further compliments or comments, Mr. McNeely?
None, Mr. Chair. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. McNeely. Next we have Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to follow up with a couple of more questions hopefully regarding the apprenticeship stuff. So when I was given the list of positions there, I was told that there were three types of apprenticeships, but I have heard of a plumber. So do we look at all five trades or is it just the three trades that we are looking at? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, we do look at them all. All we need is to have a Journeyman within the communities who can do the apprenticeship. So we are open to all apprenticeships. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. You forgot to start my clock. In regards to this apprenticeship, so is it the Red Seal has to be working for the LHO or can it be somebody in town?
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Thank you for reminding me about the clock. We are on the second round for most of the MLAs and we do have to keep in mind that we have a lot of information to get through. So, Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We do try to do the apprenticeships through the local housing organizations. We have made exceptions, though, when the local housing organization does not have the Journeyman certification to provide the training. So again, clarification saying that preferably within the local housing organizations but we will make exceptions if there is no other option. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I apologize for that there. I am sleepy and I noticed my time was not started yet. I thank the Minister for that answer and I guess I am looking forward to seeing this corporation having 15 apprentices every year in place. I understand that there are some challenges of people succeeding, but we should have 15 apprentices out there because we have a shortage of the trades in the Northwest Territories, and so I am looking forward to the Minister's plan and the corporation's work on it.
Just back to my last concern in regards to utilities. You have heard me say this before: has the corporation looked at developing an incentive for the tenants to actually save, whether it is the power, the fuel, the water? Has there been an incentive in place? Have you looked at developing it yet? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So currently right now and we at the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation are subsidizing all of public housing tenants, utility costs. Once the utility costs are transferred over after the three years, yes, we will definitely look at it an incentive program and training program so that people can actually be rewarded for conservation. It is important. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Nothing further from Mr. Thompson. Next we have Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I was trying to come to an understanding in terms of where it could be appropriate to ask this question, but I understand in the section community housing services within the department I think the Minister had stated that there are working agreements with Aboriginal governments and they are continuing on building that positive working relationship. So if it is okay, I would like to ask the question in that respect. The simple question is: whether it be Inuvialuits or with the K'atlodeeche First Nations, how are these agreements contemplated? As I said earlier, whether these agreements are borne of the intergovernmental agreements that some First Nations have entered into the GNWT as a follow-up. Subject matters include housing, and so is it predicated on that or is it predicated that, you know, they have a land claim and then the GNWT, through the Housing Corporation, could engage them in terms of building or working relationship. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Agreement, the Memorandum of Understanding, MOU I will call it so I do not stumble on my words anymore, was kind of a unique situation. They lobbied the federal government directly to get the access to the funding. We cannot tell Aboriginal governments to lobby or not to lobby, so I cannot say what the federal government plans are in the future regarding that. I know that the federal government is really supportive of First Nations and of building partnerships, but I cannot say any more than that. I can say within the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, though, that we are looking at any form of partnership with Aboriginal governments.
I believe it is the right way to move. I think that self-government is, for me, a priority that the Government of the Northwest Territories takes seriously and works towards. So it does not need to be formal. Aboriginal governments do not need to have land claims to be able to enter into partnerships with the NWT Housing Corporation. All they need to do is to approach me and we will try to work towards some kind of partnership. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is very good in terms of building a relationship and I think it is integral and in some instances critical that, you know, agreements and understandings be made so that we look at efficiencies, but it seems clear that, you know, if you engage the GNWT, especially the Housing Corporation, it is not necessary that you have a land claim agreement to come to an understanding with government to, I mean, in one instance deliver houses or its program or services.
So if that is not the case, then what is perhaps the guiding principle in terms of these agreements with the Housing Corporation and First Nations in terms of ensuring that local housing at the community level are made available to people who live in the communities? What is the key principle? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So the Member is correct, it does not have anything to do with land claims; however, the guiding principle is that the Government of the Northwest Territories does believe in self-governance, does believe in land claims, and so within that we are looking at ways to partner appropriately with our Aboriginal governments. It is not okay to just put lip service to it. So we are very flexible on what they look like. For example, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, they get their money now directly from the federal government. We have a partnership that says we'll provide land and we'll take ownership and deal with the collections after. They get the economic development.
The Yamoga Land Corporation came to us. They want partnership. They have $500,000 that they're going to put on the table to deal with some of the issues with their residents. Salt River First Nations are actually doing some housing ownership programs within their communities, and so we're looking at how we can partner to give them materials.
So each Aboriginal government that has come to us is looking at a different type of partnership. We are open to whatever Aboriginal governments come to us; whatever they're putting on the table, we are open to looking at and trying to form a true partnership. Not a partnership that is dictated by the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Housing Corporation, but a partnership where both organizations come to the table and provide something. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Very progressive in terms of ensuring the capacity is made and, you know, just to position First Nations in the spirit of self-government and land claims to take on the responsibility of administering their own housing programs. The Minister states that these agreements are flexible in terms of ensuring that both parties can come to some broad terms and principles, and I just wanted to understand: where is the federal government in these agreements? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I cannot speak for the federal government. I can say that when I attended the FPT, Federal-Provincial-Territorial, meetings with the federal Housing Minister, that I did state that by making individual agreements the federal government -- with Aboriginal bands/governments, that it does put all of the other Aboriginal governments in a place of conflict and it puts the Government of the Northwest Territories in a place of conflict as well. It leaves the perception that all you have to do is ask, and if you ask you'll get more money, and not all Aboriginal governments have the resources or the ability to be able to lobby as hard as the Inuvialuit have.
So again, I cannot speak for what the federal government decides to do, but I can say that as the Minister for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation I have shared my concerns when the federal government does negotiate singly with Aboriginal governments. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. No further questions.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm looking at a motion that was passed in the House back in June of last year that called for the government to develop a comprehensive and fully costed strategic plan to get our housing out of core need at 2 per cent per year for four years. The response that came in from the government, the motion ended with a request that the government provide a comprehensive response to this motion within 120 days. That comprehensive response was four paragraphs; there were not any dollars mentioned in there.
That was tabled in the House in October, so here we are four months later. Does the Minister have a costed plan now that she can share with the House and Regular MLAs, a strategic plan to get our housing out of core need as this motion requested? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have done some preliminary figures on what it would cost to actually take a residence out of core need. At this point, though, we still have to put it through Cabinet, so we will be putting that through. We're just finalizing up the figures and then we'll be putting it forward to Cabinet before we provide it to the Regular MLAs. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I really sincerely thank the Minister and her staff then for pushing that along. She knows that I've been urging her: that's the sort of document you should be taking to Ottawa. I know you've got to work closely with the Yukon and Nunavut governments, but that's the kind of proposal that should be taken to Ottawa. We've taken enough road proposals to Ottawa; now let's start talking about people.
So does the Minister intend to table this in the House before the end of the session? Is that the plan? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I cannot commit to tabling it at the end of this session; it does need to go through the process to go through Cabinet, but I will table it at the earliest possible opportunity. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Again, my appreciation to the Minister and her staff for putting that together, and the sooner she can provide it to us I think the happier I'll be. So thanks again. No further questions, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. I will now call the page. Call the activity. Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, community housing services, operations expenditure summary, total activity, $56,062,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Moving on. The next activity is executive. It begins at page 355 and ends on page 356. Do we have comments or questions on the executive two-page activity? I will give committee a moment. Seeing none, I will call this activity. NWT Housing Corporation, executive, operations expenditure summary, total activity, $1,385,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Moving on to the next activity. Finance and infrastructure services begins at pages 357 to 359. If committee has comments or questions, please indicate which page you are speaking to. Comments and questions, finance and infrastructure services. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I know it's already been discussed in this review, but I just wanted to follow up on one of the Minister's points on the Transitional Rent Supplement Program. The Minister indicated that she would like to see these resources reallocated towards a rent supplement program. Is that a direction the department will be taking, or is that just an aspirational statement the Minister wants to give us as food for thought? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do take my role as Minister very seriously and I recognize that as Minister I don't need to make aspirational statements to the department; that I can actually say this is the direction that we are taking. So we are looking at more comprehensive supports all across the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation with the goal, the single goal, that people can obtain, maintain, and retain housing supports. Rent supplements is one piece of that puzzle. So, yes, it will be something that we are seriously looking at implementing. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I appreciate the Minister's decisive attitude when it comes to providing some relief to renters. Just to again be very clear, is the corporation in the process of developing a rent supplement program? Thank you.
