Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
Today I’d like to talk about housing policies, the changes needed to housing policies and how the window for accessing housing policies is too narrow for non-market communities.
All too often my constituents fail to meet criteria for housing programs. The NWT Housing Corporation is trying to make people eligible for programs as opposed to making programs that fit the people. We have empty units now that are being sold on the open market. The NWT Housing Corporation has failed my constituents by putting houses in place for people in need, but nobody fits that program. Is it not incumbent upon the NWT Housing Corporation to use the sale proceeds to help people in need in communities such as Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e?
From what I understand, the federal affordable housing program is designed to remove the people from core need and to lower the overall need in the communities. I would guess that it’s not to build new houses in communities and then to sell the units on the private market. I don’t think it’s designed to circulate the money back into the system to address areas that are easy to resolve. This needs further exploration.
Mr. Speaker, the NWT Housing Corporation has not completed a needs survey since late 2003. It is vitally important the needs survey be current and that spending be put where the needs are highest. It should not be based on population.
I see houses being built in market communities, and people in need are moving into their units. They do not sit vacant for very long. The new homeowners get a unit that is worth more on the market than what they owe for their home. The system works well for those communities.
Mr. Speaker, I’ve said over and over to open up the program. Understand the difference between communities. Understand that one size does not fit all when it comes to delivering social programs. The NWT Housing Corporation must understand the difference between the communities with a market that is as strong as anywhere else in Canada and communities with a few hundred people, low incomes and no market in sight.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll have questions for the Minister on this later on.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
