Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Mr. Speaker, the Housing NWT prohibits homebased business from being in public housing. This works against four separate mandate items of the Government of the Northwest Territories, including one for increasing employment in small communities, which specifically says "amend the NWT Housing Corporation policies to allow appropriate homebased business opportunities within their units." It also goes against at least five Calls for Justice from the MMIWG.
So I'm wondering will the Minister commit to a framework that allows homebased business in public housing? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm quite excited for the Member's questions as well too because we've just completed our strategic renewal here for Housing NWT. We just went through a name change as well. And currently I am working with my colleague, Minister of education, and we are looking at establishing a criteria and a way forward of how we would be offering and looking at day homes. And that was one of the priorities set within this government as well. But I would like to work towards a framework as well too on how we would further establish businesses in public housing units and look at what criteria would come along with that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the mandate called for policies to allow for homebased businesses as of summer of 2022. It also called for the enabling of public housing to have licensed child care programs in it in the fall of 2022 or sorry, 2020 as well. So given that these timelines have very clearly changed now that we're two and a half years later, when can this side of the House expect to see this kind of a framework and policy change? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Housing NWT has went through an extensive review of their policies. We have went out and completed consultation amongst our employees throughout the Northwest Territories, Indigenous governments, the stakeholders. I'm looking at the date to have those policies available April 1st of this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, to confirm, the changes to allowing homebased businesses in public housing will follow and be included in the suite of policy changes to come out April 1st? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are working with Education, Culture and Employment and looking at child care to be offered in child care businesses to be offered in public housing. We are going through establishing that policy right now. We will be working towards policies to acknowledge the businesses as well too. That would be forthcoming. But it's something that I'm very much supportive of. I do understand that in smaller communities that we need to start doing things differently. We need to start working with our tenants and our clients differently as well too and looking at those homebased businesses. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also want to confirm that these policies will enable tenants to be able to adjust their rent. A lot of places in the territory, including in small communities, use seasonal work that might be part of this homebased business, and I want to make sure that people can adjust their rent even through a homebased business so that their income or sorry, their rent is properly reflective of their income as they move throughout the year and throughout the seasons. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once this criteria is established, I would like to it to identify how are we going to be charging rent within public housing as well too. Currently we do have an income threshold. And I'm looking at the fairness throughout the Northwest Territories. If we have businesses that are established in the public housing units I'm just trying to slow down. I kind of feel for the interpreters as well, my apologies. And how we could fairly look at the calculation of rent compared to what those businesses and those operations are like. But then also considering that we do have an income threshold. But I would like to work with our tenants. I would like to see success in our smaller communities and to be more innovative and be working with our people throughout the territory. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
