Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have questions for the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation on the procurement of their projects. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister if the NWT Housing Corporation uses BIP? Thank you.
Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the NWT Housing Corporation does use the BIP process as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In my community of Fort Resolution, there are many very highly skilled individuals who can build houses and do all kinds of things. An example is in most big projects in the community, like the health centre that was just recently completed, I think they had one or possibly two people from outside the community, and the entire health centre was built, but they can't seem to get to work on the houses. Most of the housing projects go to members from outside the community. They come in because there are some people having difficulty getting BIP or some liability insurance, and so on. Would the Minister consider using a contribution agreement with a local organization, whether it be the hamlet, the band, the Metis, using contribution agreements to deliver projects to the community members in Fort Resolution?
The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation does try to work with communities. We do try to support local labour. Sometimes, though, the proposals that come in are just not doable; their bids are actually not reasonable. So sometimes we do have to go outside of the community. We do try to stay within the Northwest Territories, though, so again, we do try to support the communities as much as possible. We will look at negotiated contracts under the Negotiated Contracts Policy to actually help communities to build up their capacity; not for large corporations that have been in business for many, many years, but for organizations that are trying to get a head start.
I'm just asking, not for a negotiated contract, but rather something a little bit different, something that's probably common and doable with the Housing Corporation, to sign a contribution agreement with the community, whether it be the NWT Housing Corporation's own agency, the Fort Resolution Housing Authority, or the band, or the Metis. I think a contribution agreement is kind of two-fold; first, it's going to create employment for the local people, and secondly, it's going to actually get the projects done for the community. It’s just that, when it goes to a neighbouring community, then the contractor will make two trips in, and then the money's gone. So I'd like to ask the Minister if she would take a closer look at the system of having the money flow through a contribution agreement or a local organization?
As stated, we do try to support local labour, whenever possible; sometimes it's not doable. We have committed. I mean, we do learn from previous mistakes; we're trying to better the programs so that people have better access to housing and better work experiences. So there are some things we're doing. We're doing a community initiative program that works with Aboriginal and municipal governments, in partnership, to deal with issues in their community; everybody having something in the pot. We are looking at individual community plans, such as we've done with Fort Good Hope, which was one of our first ones, actually. So within that community, we're looking at their needs, specifically, and how we can work better.
The Hay River Reserve, we're working with Chief Fabian, to see how we can support labour in his community, because they haven't had a chance. We worked with Salt River First Nations to develop housing needs. So we are trying to work with the communities as best as possible, but recognizing that sometimes we can't support local labour. If they come in, if I have a two-bedroom housing unit, which I did one time, that I put out for tender, and the bids were coming in at over a $1 million, I can't accept that, Mr. Speaker. So they have to be reasonable. I want to be reasonable, but I also need people to be reasonable.
Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have very reasonable people in Fort Resolution. Mr. Speaker, I know that the Housing Corporation has a method in which they can do contribution agreements. Now, the Minister is correct that they're moving in that direction, and we're not talking about bidding on houses. Unreasonable bids, bids to lose contracts, I'm not talking about those. I'm actually talking about mostly elders in the community who are homeowners, where they need help, and when they go in with the size of the project that the Housing Corporation has to offer, it usually takes two small trips in from a contractor from outside the community and then money's gone. So then the elder has to wait one more year in order to then apply again. You see, that is unreasonable, actually. So I'd like to ask the Minister if the Minister would work with me to work with the community -- it's not only for Fort Resolution; I represent four communities -- to work with me to see if a contribution method would be a way that we could get the projects completed for the elders in the riding of Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh? Thank you.
I agree. It's totally unreasonable that people who are homeowners are people who can't access services. I heard a story once when I first started that somebody had applied in one of the smaller communities, and it may have been the honourable MLA's communities, had applied for some repair programs, and we gave them a grant of $10,000. By the time they paid for their contractor to come in, stay, travel, stay in their community, they got a kitchen sink for $10,000, Mr. Speaker. That is not okay, and that is not reasonable. In order to address that in a reasonable way, I have changed the program, Mr. Speaker, so that, if we do give people a $10,000 grant, the contractor's costs are outside that $10,000. The $10,000 will be put directly into services so that the next time I won't hear that their kitchen sink cost $10,000. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Time for oral questions has expired. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to the orders of the day, point number five, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
