Debates of October 27, 2004 (day 29)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to speak once again on the issue of housing in our communities; not about housing statistics or policies and programs, today I want to put a human face on housing. I want to tell you the story of one of my constituents and the situation she finds herself in. It is a personal story, one of an elderly person involving one household, but it is not unique. I am concerned that there are many such stories out there.

This particular woman received a house from the NWT Housing Corporation about 15 years ago. Until recently, she was very happy with the house. It was a healthy and secure place for her and her family. It was a good thing, Mr. Speaker, good on her and good for the Housing Corporation. But a few years ago, things started to go wrong; not through anyone’s fault necessarily, it was probably just due to the age of the house. Water began to seep into the basement; well, not exactly seep. Every spring, as the snow melted, the basement flooded. With so much water coming in the basement of the house, it never completely dried out. As a result, the basement walls are now covered with black mould and, in some places, even green slime.

Now, after living with the problem for several years, the people in the house have developed health problems. First the woman began to suffer from chronic headaches. Now she is making a series of visits to doctors to seek relief from a serious skin rash that has developed. The doctors say she has developed an allergy, something she never suffered from before. She has also developed asthma and is now very concerned about her health. But her primary concern is with the health of her two grandchildren who also live in the house. The youngest, a baby, is constantly ill, and the older grandchild, who is only five years old, has developed asthma too, even at that young age.

The Housing Corporation recognized a problem and, to their credit, spent $65,000 to repair the house. But here is another sad twist to the story. The house didn’t get fixed. The contractor may have done something, but no one from the Housing Corporation came to see if the work had been done properly. As it turns out, it wasn’t. The basement still floods, and the health problems of the house occupants persist.

This story isn’t over yet, so I am wondering how it will end. Will it have a happy ending? Will this woman get the help she needs and get her house fixed properly, or does this story end tragically with debilitating lifelong health problems?

Mr. Menicoche, your time for your Member’s statement has expired.

Mr. Speaker, thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Members, I would like to draw your attention once more to the visitor’s gallery with the presence of a former Member of this House, a former Minister, a former Speaker, a former Government House Leader, Mr. Richard Nerysoo.

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