Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement on the Housing Appeal Committee. Like I said, I’m glad to see that in operation. I just wanted to ask a couple questions on the operations and its mandate. I know that the Minister had announced it in the House. When exactly was the start date for the committee? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. The target date for getting the committee up and running is June 1st of 2012. Thank you.
Madam Speaker, what was the mandate of the Housing Appeal Committee? Would it include taking into consideration those really long, outstanding appeals that half the constituents that come to me about housing issues are about these long-standing issues? Can those be addressed in this appeal system? Thank you.
Madam Speaker, the Housing Appeal Committee was designed to hear appeals from public housing tenants after they have gone through their local board and the district office. There are a number of issues that they would be able to discuss. Also home ownership clients would hear some of the appeals as far as eligibility and decline.
As far as going back to grievances in the past, that was not the mandate of the committee. However, if it gets to be a real concern, it is something that we would probably have to explore. As of right now, it is not in their mandate. Thank you.
Madam Speaker, I believe that we should go down this path. I think that the old grievances should be addressed. Half of the issues of housing for my riding are about that. The way houses were constructed, people weren’t paid because the houses weren’t constructed properly, hence they have lots of outstanding arrears. It would be nice to use this mechanism to address those concerns at least and come to some terms and deliberate them and examine them. I believe there is real reasoning there by constituents that raise them. Thank you.
Madam Speaker, that is going to be an awfully difficult one to look at to say that my house wasn’t constructed properly, therefore, I am not paying, because that could be a reason that everybody uses that is in arrears.
All the houses were built to the residential standards of the day. A lot of improvements have been made on these. That would be a very difficult one to look at and try and justify bringing that to an appeals committee, because I can see if we did that on one occasion, then we would open up a whole can of worms and everybody across the Northwest Territories that are in arrears will come back and say my house wasn’t constructed properly; therefore, I am not paying. It is one that we would have to explore. However, I don’t see too much merit in that right now. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I like Minister Beaulieu’s response. He said yes. The Minister here says no.
I am asking the Minister if they can examine it, because there is merit in it. I am not looking for new people to start questioning housing standard construction, but in the past, serious issues and arrears are serious concerns for my constituents and in all ridings. I really believe that this must be examined. I think that was one of the real reasons I really championed the appeal system, because someone has to look at this. Someone has to address them. I believe that this appeal board can do it if the Minister is willing to explore that avenue. Thank you.
Yes, Madam Speaker. We will examine it. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
