George Nerysoo

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister, for that response; I await the numbers. What is being done to get more public housing units available and accessible on the ground in the communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Member's statement last week, the Minister of housing stated that the waitlist across the Northwest Territories is 897 applications. I was just wondering how much authority does the board level -- the board at the local housing authority have, and my question is what is being done to clear the waitlist of nearly 900 applications for public housing programs? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about a critical issue in our territory and especially in our small communities. It's housing. We know there is a housing crisis in this territory. Shortages of housing, inadequate housing, and a great need for public housing. Last week, the Minister of Housing NWT stated that the waitlist for housing across the North is 897 applications. I've asked myself, Mr. Speaker, in this House, how can this be the case if suitability, accessibility, and affordability of housing is a priority of this government.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. In Fort McPherson, you have nine units. When we were in McPherson this spring, you took a tour of one of the units that are over 50 years old and there are more units in that category. Do you know if these are the similar ones that are being renovated in Fort McPherson? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How is Housing NWT addressing the issue of suitability of housing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my riding, especially in that community, you see a lot of people that are approaching me and asking me like what is the government doing. Where are all these -- where's the money to allocate housing. How many of those 897 applications include residents in the Mackenzie Delta communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for the answer. The other question I have is in regards to capital assets on the retrofit fund. For the Aklavik, they were working on the septic tank in Aklavik and they came into some problems. Can you give me some update on what's been done so far? Like, is it safe? You always talk about safety of human lives, and is this project safe for the students and the staff within the school? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This will be my final question. Will the department be looking at alternative locations to send dental patients in order to take the stress off the Yellowknife dentists and to better accommodate patients when they're travelling? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although the chief public health officer stated that the possibility of contracting HEP C, HEP B, and HIV is very low, to date have there been any confirmed cases within the Beaufort Delta? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's more of a comment. I've seen people work with asbetos in the Mackenzie Delta and when they work in those areas, they confine -- they seal the whole area right off before they even work on it and they use special equipment and ventilation and all that precautions before they even start work or -- in that area. So it's pretty well contained. And so hopefully there's no contaminants that will place the students and the staff in danger because they're still using the facility at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.