Thank you. Are there any further questions under finance and infrastructure services? Seeing none, we'll move on to programs and district operations beginning on page 387, with information items on page 388 and 389. Are there any questions? Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just looking at the contributions and seniors aging in place retrofits and repairs 800,000. I know that with the number of of repairs that were or allocations that went into Hay River, it's severely underfunded, that program. And, you know, we talk about keeping seniors in their homes as long as we can. You know, and part of it is that we will provide, you know, funding for retrofits and repairs. We'll also provide home care and those type of things. And we just don't you know, we're just not putting enough money into it. And looking at it here, you know, it hasn't changed. So that tells me that, you know, either either there's just no chance at getting any money or it's something that's really not taken seriously by the department. And I'd just like to ask them if there's any you know, if there's something we can do to to increase that number, because I know that, again in Hay River and in probably and in probably in every other community, there's a demand for that for that program. So I'd like to see what we can do to to increase that number. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We ended up with a with more applications than we were than we were budgeted for. I'll have president vice president Jim Martin respond. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Vice president Martin.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So as the Minister mentioned, the Housing Corporation has observed an increase in applications. This was driven partially by COVID's impacts and also there on April 1st, 2021, there was some modifications made obviously to our homeownership programs that did result in an increase uptake in this area also.
The Housing Corporation does continue to monitor this closely. It is managing within the existing budget at this time but will certainly look for other funding sources as well, such as the federal government. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. You know, this program I think is very important to probably more so to Yellowknife and the regional centres where there is market housing and, you know, private homes. And I think it's very important that we look that we look at trying to increase increase that amount and trying to put more out there.
When we look around the Northwest Territories and like again Yellowknife and Hay River, you know, Inuvik and Simpson and Smith, there's a lot of modular units; there's a lot of trailers out there, and they seem to you know, they seem to have a lot of problems, and you know, with leakage and, you know, windows and things like that. So we have to make sure that if we expect seniors to stay in place and age in place, we have to provide that money to help them maintain their homes. So I would just ask the Minister to hopefully direct her department to you know, to look a little a little harder at that number and actually, you know, try and find some funds to increase it. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. And the department is working on that right now presently because we did see a huge intake of the program during COVID as well too, and, yeah, we're working within our department, because we've seen a lot of the programs oversubscribed I want to say during within the last couple of years. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. And I guess the same thing with the emergency repair program as well, like that's a very important one. I'm dealing with some clients who, you know, needed some repairs right away and, you know, when you look at it, it's an emergency repair. So that means it has to be done quickly. And a lot of times what happens is that that I find is that the application process and when the work has to be done just don't match up. And what I tell clients, and maybe it's the wrong thing to do, is I say just go get the work done, send me the bills and I'll send them in and I'll talk to the Minister and she'll cut a cheque. So that's maybe it's not that easy but, you know, that's what you know, that's what we have to we have to work within the communities. And even the staff I think in the communities, you know, say sometimes just go through go through your MLA as well. And, you know, it's not trying to circumvent the system. It's just trying to ensure that something that is an emergency is actually dealt with in relatively short times. So I would just ask even the Minister to you know, to look at that program as well and to maybe look at the way it the application process unfolds and the timeliness of it. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. And I just you know, like we're going through a policy review as well too and looking at you know, looking at fairness and consistency throughout the Northwest Territories and making sure that, you know, we're reaching the clients that are not able to financially I guess contribute to their emergencies at that time. So I just for the Member, that we are reviewing these policies as well too. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess what it comes down to, like, you know, as we talk about housing, it just comes down to dollar and cents. There's just not enough money there to go around, and, you know, with what we have, we going to have to, you know, make better use of it. With the increase of, you know, materials and labour and that, like, it's just driving the cost up where, you know, a million and a half dollars just doesn't do anything anymore. You know, in Yellowknife here, it'd probably eat that up in no time and people would still be you know, there'd still be a lot of people looking for help. So I think that's very important that you know, that we that we look at those areas when it comes to seniors and emergency repairs. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Did you have any further questions? Are there any further questions under programs and district operations? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Just just a couple questions about some line items here.
So on page 387 program detail, programs development and implementation went from $3.6 million in 20202021 to $11.6 million, then for 20222023, it's down to $10 million. What's going on with this line? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll have vice president Jim Martin respond. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Martin.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So looking from 2021 actuals to 20212022 mains, there was an increase there of approximately $7.9 million, and that was primarily a result of an additional $5 million being added to our budget to support cost sharing for National CoInvestment Fund projects. So that was added in that area.
There was also a new CanadaNWT housing benefit program that was added to our budget in that year in 20212022, and that was $1.75 million.
And in 20212022, the Housing Corporation set aside two additional funding sources for cost sharing the Hay River Family Support Centre and the Spruce Bough CoInvestment Fund projects in that year. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Oh, sorry, there was one other change. Thank you. And then the change from the 20212022 mains to the 20222023 mains, that change represented a decrease and the primary reason for that is is that the money that I alluded to earlier that was set aside for the Spruce Bough and the Hay River Family Support Centre projects, that was set aside in 20212022 and it sunset in 20222023. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Okay, thanks. I guess I start to ask questions and I got some more. So yeah, well, the Regular MLAs will take credit for the extra $5 million and that line item. I think it's over just two years, unfortunately, so it's going to go back down again unless we do something else about that.
But can someone tell me, then, where is there any funding in 20222023 for Spruce Bough as they continue to operate, and where would that funding be found? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll have vice president Jim Martin respond. Thank you.
Thank you. Vice president Martin.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The dollars that are set aside to support the capital cost sharing for that project when that is approved, we have dollars set aside in the 20212022 budget. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Okay, sorry, so how much is set aside for Spruce Bough, and is it in this line here? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll have the vice president Jim Martin respond.
Thank you. Mr. Martin.
Madam Chair, yes, it is in that line item, and it's broken out on page 388, community housing support initiative coinvestment fund line item, and that's where those dollars are at the moment. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. How much is set aside then for Spruce Bough in 20222023 in the current main estimates? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister for Northwest Territories housing corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The original set aside was 650,000 but they did end up they may have adjustments through their coinvestment application, and we haven't gotten those numbers yet. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Okay, thanks. On the same page, 388, then, the new home program, just seems like it was a 20212022 program, $767,000, and then there's nothing before and nothing afterwards. What's happening there? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. This was a program that we were going to initiate throughout the territories, but the cost to build these homes came out a lot higher than expected. It is with the corporation to come up with a new design for this initiative. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Yeah, thanks, Madam Chair. Yeah, $767,000 might be able to get, if you're really lucky, two homes out of that. What was the original design? Is it to provide some sort of subsidy to new home owners, or what was wrong with the original design, and how's it going to get fixed because there's zero dollars in 20222023 for this? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. This was quite a huge project that was supposed to happen. It was to support elders aging in place, I mean with the family. So it was a generational home, I would say, is that they have the family members living in the home and it would be there would be an elders suite for the elders to remain in the community. Just with that design, it came out quite significant. The program and the intent was something that we were looking at but with the price coming in at a lot higher than expected, it's being brought back to the corporation for a different design. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Okay, thanks. So and when when is this new design going to come forward? Because there's zero in the main estimates, is there going to be a supplementary appropriation? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll have vice president Jim Martin respond. Thank you, Madam Chair.
