Mahsi. Are there any further comments? Ms. Nokleby.
Yeah, just quickly something my colleague said made we wonder. If we want to get out of leases, because we're trying to get them into smaller or sort of get more landlords involved in our portfolio, for lack of a better word, but yet we have a housing deficit, I don't understand then why we wouldn't just turn around and lease more spaces to have more housing units. Why do we need to remove leases to add new leases and not just have more spaces as needed. Thank you.
Mahsi. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll have President Young respond. Thank you.
Ms. Young.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And vicepresident may be able to add some specific numbers to what I'm going to explain. But the money that we're using to pay for leases basically is equivalent to what we're paying for operating for a public housing unit that we would own. The numbers may be slightly off but it's the same money that we're talking about. So if we let go of a lease, we'll be using for that money to pay for the public housing unit we put the client into. So it's the same money right now being it's either paying for a lease or it's paying operating costs for a public housing unit. So there isn't getting out of one doesn't give us more money to spend on more units, I guess. The only net impact if we have our own units, then the public units that are out there are available to other clients outside and maybe Canada housing benefit clients or other programs, but they wouldn't be, you know, under a public housing lease per se. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. Ms. Nokleby.
Yeah, I probably didn't maybe explain my question right; it's been a very long day. So I guess why would we not add more leases? I'm not talking about like so we would actually need more money, not saying that can we free up any money by doing this. More of a sense of, like, is there if there really is and I mean, I guess I'm answering my own question because I don't think you're really going to find any spaces so it's probably a moot point. But I think if we have people on a waiting list and we have the ability to enter into new leases, then we should be doing that to just get people housed. But, again, maybe that's more of a comment, Mr. Chair. I don't know if the department wants to answer. Thanks.
Mahsi. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll take that as a comment.
Any further questions?
Actually, this might be a little bit of leeway as well but since my colleague brought up the security at these apartments and it is my understanding the security that has been jointly hired does look after several of the apartments, not just one building in particular. But it is my understanding that the more specialized firm that had been hired earlier on coming from Alberta was is no longer being contracted and it's back to northern security firms. Could the Minister or department confirm if that is truly the case? Thank you.
Mahsi. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll have vicepresident Jim Martin respond.
Mr. Martin.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. So as was noted, Housing NWT has entered into a partnership with Northview and does recognize the importance of security and ensuring the safety of our tenants. And we are in a current arrangement/agreement with them under existing lease arrangements, and we're now assessing an extension of those arrangements. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. Ms. Nokleby.
Yeah, my question was is that southern firm still being contracted for this work, or has it gone back to a northern companies that don't have necessarily the same specialized training as that southern firm had? Thank you.
Mahsi. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll have vicepresident Jim Martin respond. Thank you.
Mr. Martin.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Housing NWT does have funding arrangements in place with Yellowknife Housing Authority and is supporting the local security firms for a number of our own buildings. But in addition to that, we are in a current arrangement with the risk control company which, as was mentioned, is a southern company at this time.
Now I should mention as well, just a supplemental, that we understand that risk control does also have two local employees working with them at this time as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. Ms. Nokleby.
Thank you. And yeah, and I do appreciate that at the time when we you know, I was raising this issue and the department was responding, and the reason to bring in that southern firm was that training but, you know, as that goes farther, and I hear that we're looking at this contract and this arrangement, I feel that maybe the best way to maybe go forward, and perhaps you have to pull the colleague in from ECE or something is to help or to ITI, is to, you know, help develop the local firms to have that capacity in the North to do that more critical risk control type work, which does, you know, require specific types of training that just aren't available.
I do want to note that I have looked and seen the security guard position posted for our largest lease provider, or largest landlord, and it's like, I want to say the salary range is, like, $18 to $23 an hour fulltime. So I can't remember what that worked out to but it was, like, I want to say $60,000 max maybe, not even, for some of it. And for that level of pay to be doing that level of work is just unacceptable and, really, I think is a liability. So more, again, of a comment. But I really feel that rather than us saying this is a problem, we can't deal with it and I don't like security guards there, however, let's try to develop that northern people and I'm happy to hear but I don't want to see the answer be that that company comes up and sets up another shop and that competes with four other firms that are operating here already. So while it's great they're hiring local, you know, I would rather see we build that capacity into the northern firms. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi for that. Minister, do you have a comment?
Thank you, Mr. Chair, for that. I'll take that as a comment. That's really good information. Thank you.
Ms. Nokleby.
Mr. Chair.
Good. Any further questions on this section? Before anybody says yes, we're moving on here. I didn't see anybody. Anyway, okay, thank you, Members.
Please turn now to housing corporation summary found on page 373, with information items on pages 374 and 375. And I guess we will entertain questions on this section. This is the overview. Any questions on this section? Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee defer further consideration of the estimates for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation at this time. Mahsi, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi, Mr. O'Reilly. The motion is in order. To the motion? All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried. Consideration of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation 20232024 Main Estimates operating expenditures is deferred.
Carried
Mahsi, Minister, and mahsi to the witnesses for appearing before us. Sergeantatarms, please escort the witnesses from the Chamber. Mahsi.
Madam Speaker, your committee has been considering Tabled Document 81319(2), and would like to report progress, with one motion adopted. And, Madam Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Mahsi.
Thank you. Do I have a seconder, for the report? The Member for Nunakput. The motion is in order and non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion is carried. The report of the Committee of the Whole has been concurred with.
---Carried
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Orders of the day for Thursday, February 16th, 2023, 1:30 p.m.
Prayer
Ministers’ Statements
Members’ Statements
Returns to Oral Questions
Oral Question 1343-19(2), Impacts of COVID-19 on Education
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Replies to Budget Address
(Day 7 of 7)
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Returns to Written Questions
Replies to the Commissioner’s Address
Petitions
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Motions
Motion 73-19(2), Extended Adjournment of the House to February 27, 2023
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
First Reading of Bills
Second Reading of Bills
Bill 64, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, No. 3
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bill 23, An Act to Amend the Public Utilities Act
Bill 29, Resource Royalty Information Disclosure Statute Amendment Act
Bill 57, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2022
Bill 61, An Act to Amend the Ombud Act
Committee Report 40-19(2), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Bill 61: An Act to Amend the Ombud Act
Minster’s Statement 264-19(2), Response to the NWT Chief Coroner’s Report on Suicide
Tabled Document 681-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 26-19(2): Report on the Child and Family Services Act – Lifting Children, Youth and Families: An All of Territory Approach to Keeping Families Together
Tabled Document 694-19(2), Northwest Territories Coroner Service 2021-2022 Early Release of Data
Tabled Document 813-19(2), Main Estimates
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Mr. Clerk. This House stands adjourned until Thursday, February 16th, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 5:38 p.m.
