Debates of October 31, 2024 (day 36)

Date
October
31
2024
Session
20th Assembly, 1st Session
Day
36
Speaker
Members Present
Hon. Caitlin Cleveland, Mr. Edjericon, Mr. Hawkins, Hon. Lucy Kuptana, Hon. Jay Macdonald, Hon. Vince McKay, Mr. McNeely, Ms. Morgan, Mr. Morse, Mr. Nerysoo, Ms. Reid, Mr. Rodgers, Hon. Lesa Semmler, Hon R.J. Simpson, Mr. Testart, Hon. Shane Thompson, Hon. Caroline Wawzonek, Mrs. Weyallon Armstrong
Topics
Statements

Question 408-20(1): Housing Arrears Forgiveness and Repairs for Indigenous Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Housing NWT Minister.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister for Housing NWT has made it clear that she will work with me for the next year on arrears forgiveness. This is a great opportunity to help my community members, especially elders, stay put and age comfortably in their own homes. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister shed some light on this new process for arrears forgiveness that she is promising next year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this forgiveness arrangement has been an ongoing issue for a number of years. Housing NWT and this government's forgive hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in housing arrears over the last 20, 30 years. We have to work with the clients at this moment. And we're working with a housing forum, which includes Indigenous governments, to review our policies to make these policies workable for the people of the Northwest Territories. Right now many of these policies are almost impossible for many to accomplish, so this is work that we're doing with Housing NWT, and I hope to report this back to this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Minister. If the Minister is willing to review the arrears for some of my constituents next year once the new policies are sorted out, right now, Mr. Speaker, the Housing NWT is still evicting members from my community in public housing. Is there a way we could get this sorted out or put a pause on this for now? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member's asking some tough questions on the floor of the House. But, you know, commitments have to be made, but I -- at this point, I can't make commitments in terms of pausing evictions. Many of the evictions that are happening today are those from illegal activities in public housing units. And that will be my ministerial statement tomorrow. It'll describe some of the work that Housing NWT is doing towards illegal activities.

Much of the evictions that are slated towards rental arrears are slowed down, some are paused. I'm pressing Housing NWT to work with the clients more and have these discussions at a local level. But in terms of illegal activities, that will be a ministerial statement for tomorrow. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Minister. We have a single mother and cancer survivor who has to carry out 16 buckets of 5-gallon pail of raw sewage out of her bathtub daily. Her family showers at a neighbour's house during the winter months. Housing NWT has a budget of $193 million and $32 million in surplus this year. My question to the Minister is why can't Housing NWT provide this family with the full amount needed to repair her sewage system? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, another tough question. Thank you to the Member for that. I appreciate it, Rick. But these are some of the things that we have to do, the policies that we have to amend. Talking about this situation in one of the communities, these are tough discussions we have as Housing NWT. And sometimes policies don't fit but policies are rules and guidelines, and we have to look at those and see how we could make things fit for the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Thank you, Minister. Colleagues, please refer to titles and communities and not names in the House. Final supplementary. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

She can call me cousin. If the Minister cannot make exception to policies, can she at least recognize that funding provided for a home -- senior home repair programs is totally inadequate and needs to keep up with the reality of these materials and their transportation to these small communities, essentially rise year by year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I apologize, Mr. Speaker. I won't do that again. But, again, I commit to the work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.