Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We all know there’s a high cost of living here in the Northwest Territories, and the further north you get and the more isolated you get in the communities, those prices go up. The high cost of living in Inuvik is causing many hardships that I have never seen before or that residents of Inuvik have never seen before.
Last week we heard in the House that even though the price of oil has dropped throughout the world, we don’t see that reflected here in the Northwest Territories, specifically for home heating fuel. Why isn’t this regulated? Why don’t we get people bringing the fuel up to the Northwest Territories, buying it at a cheaper cost? We know that they have to pay to get the fuel up here, but yet we don’t regulate at what cost they’re buying it at.
This government also subsidizes the heating fuel for public housing, and from 2010-11, when this government subsidized heating fuel in public housing at the cost of about $6.5 million, and then just recently in this fiscal year, just over $9 million. More recently, we just heard an announcement from this government that we’re subsidizing the Northwest Territories Power Corporation to the tune of $20 million. I ask this government, what about the homeowner? What about the small business operator? What about those people trying to make a living who are contributing to the economy?
From 2011 when the cost of fuel was $1.24 to $1.70 just recently in Inuvik that the homeowner has to pay, this is causing hardships on our people, on our residents and people who have made Inuvik home their whole lives. With the high cost of heating oil, then you add in the high cost of power, you add in there the most recent increase to property tax to residents of Inuvik, and it’s causing many hardships, as I’ve said, in the community of Inuvik. It’s causing some people to go on income assistance. Not only that, we’re seeing a lot of foreclosures on homes in Inuvik. We’re also seeing a lot of homes that are going up for sale. This high cost of fuel and high cost of living in Inuvik is putting even double-income families at risk.
I will have questions today. We’re subsidizing the Power Corp, we’re subsidizing public housing units, why not the homeowner? Why not the people that do contribute to the community and the people that have called Inuvik home their whole lives?
I’ll have questions for the Minister of Finance later today. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
