Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Entrepreneurship accelerates economic growth, spurs innovation, instigates social change, promotes research and development, and improves and grows existing sectors. Global business owners have been instrumental in spurring social change and improving the way people live and work around the world.
Mr. Speaker, entrepreneurship is a good thing for every NWT community. While some business ventures are large operations, so many more are small homebased businesses expanding our workforce and economic and social health. But Housing NWT is standing in the way.
People in public housing work and their rent is based on their income through their T4 but Housing NWT prohibits homebased business in public housing due, quote, "to the fact that these homes are provided with subsidized rent." But the rent, Mr. Speaker, is subsidized according to a person's income. I think of a writer, a bookkeeper, a consultant, a baker, an artist or crafter, or maybe a labourer, wanting to start their own business but putting their housing in jeopardy by doing so.
Business startup for some NWT residents is a viable economic tool to access opportunity and pull themselves out of poverty. Building a business takes time. There is a time where a business owner grows their brand and reputation, to build their clientele as they grow their annual income. But to say public housing tenants with selfgenerated income are not welcome removes a very viable sector of opportunity from NWT residents, particularly those living in public housing dominated communities.
As a business owner, I followed the homebased business and zoning bylaws established in my community and income tax rules established by Revenue Canada that required me to submit GST quarterly and file my taxes annually. Zoning bylaws established what type of homebased business I could operate in my home and homebased business bylaws established rules around parking, people traffic, and signage. At this point, Mr. Speaker, it seems the only business operators protected in public housing are drug dealers.
I urge Housing NWT to create a homebased business framework for public housing to support economic diversification and growth across the NWT, especially in small communities. Entrepreneurship is a viable and much needed form of employment in our territory. Given the time and dollars ECE and ITI invest in skill development, building employment in small communities and entrepreneurial growth, I kindly ask Housing NWT to be part of the solution. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.
