Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just I don't have the timeline. I just have the number of units that's listed here. But in total, we are looking at 90unit delivery within the lifetime of this government. And just for what is supposed to be constructed for this year, I will have vicepresident Jim Martin to respond with that number. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Martin.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Housing Corporation has three main delivery streams here this year. First off, with the coinvestment fund support, we're delivering 60 units. We're expecting to deliver those 60 units, as the Minister mentioned, certainly over the next two years. Our target is to complete 46 in 20222023, and 14 in 20232024. So that's for the 60.
The second category is the CIRNAC supported units, and that's 30 units. And the 30 units, we've already completed seven, at least by the end of this fiscal year 20212022. An additional 21 is targeted for completion in 20222023. And the remaining two in 20232024.
The third category that we're delivering here is the RCMP housing units, and that's 45 units, and 15 are now completed; eight are scheduled well, sorry. Actually by the end of this fiscal year, we'll be looking at 23 to be completed. And in 20222023, we'll be completing the balance of 22 units. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. So not including the RCMP units, because the Housing Corporation is getting revenue on those and so those would pay for themselves, there's about 74 new units coming onboard in the 20222023year. So with the increase of O and M costs on those units that is expected to come with each of those, is that amount still based on that 25,000 O and M per unit, and is that built or is the increase of 74 units in the 20222023 year O and M built into this budget? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll have vicepresident Jim Martin respond. Thank you.
Thank you. Vicepresident Mr. Martin.
Thank you, Madam Chair. With regards to O and M, the 90 units that are being supported by coinvestment fund and CIRNAC dollars, our expectation is to have those units delivered as expansion units. So that would be new public housing units. And in terms of the ongoing O and M associated with those, we did receive funding support from GNWT for 20222023 based on the projected delivery for that year, and we'll continue to obviously bring forward further submissions through the upcoming annual business planning process for the balance. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and I feel like I need to apologize because I'm kind of through you talking to people that I have back to, and I always feel bad for that. So sorry about that.
So the GNWT has committed support for the O and M on those units for the 20222023 year. But is it then correct that there's no commitment of funding for O and M on those units for any future year after that? So can I just get confirmation on that one and what the plan is for that going forward, if they plan to continue to ask FMB for that and if there is stability in that? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We would be going back to the GNWT after 20222023 and build that operation and maintenance into our budget. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Has the Housing Corporation received any kind of indication from FMB or the GNWT as to whether or not they're going to continue to do that following 20222023 fiscal year? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We were instructed to go back to FMB. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, my next question is in regards to how this will impact the rest of the housing stock.
So we have these new units coming onboard, and we have funding secured through FMB for that. Does this mean that more existing units will then come out of the public housing stock and be transferred into homeownership? And if so, what number is projected to come out of the public housing stock this year in response to that? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Homeownership is one of our priorities as well too, and we have acknowledged the public housing clients and looking at if they're wanting to get into homeownership programming. With that, I'm going to have president Young just report on the numbers and the acknowledgements and where we are with that process. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Martin.
Thank you, Madam Chair. And just quickly to confirm though, there is not a relationship between the additional expansion units that we're building this year and whether or not units come out of the existing stock for homeownership. That is two conversations. We do have expansion units built this year.
At the same time, though, we are having conversations with clients in existing houses. Our goal over the life of this Assembly is to try to move 100 clients into homeownership that are existing public housing tenants. To date, we have 45 applications in various stages of the process, and our understanding is that two of those could be signed off any day. So we are slowly making progress on getting those clients that are interested to move into homeownership. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I appreciate that. So if I'm in the wrong section for this next question, please let me know. And it's in regards to the declining CMHC funding.
I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to whether or not the Housing Corporation has put in an application to have that declining CMHC funding replaced by the GNWT to FMB? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll have vicepresident Jim Martin respond. Thank you.
Thank you. Vicepresident.
Thank you, Madam Chair. With regards to the declining CMHC dollars, the Housing Corporation did enter into a bilateral funding agreement with CMHC that extends out to 20272028. And under that agreement, the corporation has the flexibility to utilize the funds under that to offset declining CMHC up to that point. So at this time, the Housing Corporation has not returned to FMB for funding offsets for that decline. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. In response to that, then, does the NWT Housing Corporation intend to put forward a costed measurable plan as to how they are going to address the declining CMHC funding, which as I understand, are able to be offset by the bilateral funding agreement until 20272028. So it gives them a little bit of time to come up with that plan. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Housing Corporation has acknowledged and has been working with the decline that we are going to be seeing. Every year, we are experiencing a percentage that is going down of this funding coming to the Northwest Territories. I will have vicepresident Jim Martin respond. Thank you.
Thank you. Vicepresident Mr. Martin.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Housing Corporation has set out in its fouryear business plan recognition of this decline and has set out a number of measures that the corporation is implementing ranging from cost saving measures to incremental revenue generation opportunities. So we're certainly looking at all those areas, but do recognize that there is a need to look to the longer term, you know, to plan for that, and there's certainly federal engagement activities going on in this area, and we'll continue to monitor this area very closely going forward. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake. A quick one.
Quick one, oh my gosh. Okay, thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I will leave the discussion about retrofits and repairs to somebody else. And I notice that there is an increase in here for rent supplement leasing. Does that have is that an increase in leasing units in the territory? Does that have anything to do with the money that's given to ECE for renting and leasing units, and is there an intent to combine those budget line items between ECE and housing so that housing is coming out of one department? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We did have an increase in the Canada rent program. I just can't find the number right here right now. I will have president Young respond. Thank you.
Thank you. President Young.
My apologies, I couldn't hear quite the question when I put my earphone on but the number of Canada housing benefit clients? Sorry.
I'll just get the Member from Kam Lake to repeat her quick question.
I'll just ask one question instead of the three I snuck in there. No, the Canada Housing Benefit I'll ask about in another section. My question was specific to the rent supplement leasing and the increase to that, and can the Minister please speak to what that increase is getting, if it's getting more leases to more units in the territory through market rent? Thank you.
Thank you. I'll give it back to Ms. Young.
My apologies, Madam Chair. We've just confirmed, the budget has not changed in our plans for our leases. There are, of course, nuances through the year in terms of costs but right now we are budgeting the same year over year for our leases. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Madam Chair. I've got questions under the apprentices. I want to first thank the Minister and her department for initiating the journeyman housing maintainer program. Our maintenance staff in Providence are really looking forward to it.
What we notice too, because I was an employee of the LHO in the maintenance department too as a journeyman housing maintainer, but when we were there, we always looked in awe at the Department of Public Works and Services at that time, and it was always in the larger centres. Specifically this one we were looking at was in Hay River. They had a full slate of trades on staff, electrical. They had electricians, plumbers, OBMs, carpenters, and those are the main ones anyways, and there was always apprenticeship opportunities in the larger centres for those trades, okay. Nothing in Fort Providence. Probably similar to all the small communities. We never ever get a chance to get a real trade certification because those things are not offered in our communities.
We had a plumber/gasfitter at one point. He trained an OBM, not a plumber/gasfitter, which is a better ticket to have, but an OBM. And we also had an OBM on staff quite a number of years ago but that didn't pan out. And right now we don't have any, and we got, you know, units probably the seniors home is the one that has two or three boiler systems in the building, and you need certification to be able to operate those. And I've always said I think there is a problem within the corporation because of that, because the nearest contractor is about two hours away, you know, and for the maintenance of them on a daily basis.
And I'm just wondering, my question would be is if the corporation would consider putting a heating journeyman heating ticket, whether it be journeyman plumber/gasfitter, an OBM, or oil heat technician now, into the communities? This will spur, you know, the local economy also and then spur apprenticeship opportunities for our people, which is good for years to come. Mahsi.
Thank you. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you to the Member for the question because we do see this as an issue throughout the territories and amongst the smaller communities, but I'm quite optimistic with the unit delivery that we do have, and the builds that are coming into the communities, that we may be able to expand on those opportunities. For that, I'll have president Young elaborate on the response. Thank you.
