Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.] Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about the NWT Housing Corporation and how it must change its policies to allow them to address the issue of the public housing rent scale and the issue of providing support for homeowners in small, rural and remote communities.
Mr. Speaker, many times over the past four years the Legislative Assembly has passed motions asking the Housing Corporation to change the rent scale in order to improve incentive for people that want to work in the smaller communities.
In addition, I have made many requests asking the Housing Corporation to develop policies to support the development of a housing market in rural and remote communities to prevent home ownership units from dilapidating to a point where the houses are falling beyond economical repair.
Along with the high cost of rent in small communities for families that go to work and have children out of school, the monthly expenses for maintaining a household along with daycare costs easily add up, and the deductions made from your gross pay of a person’s income. At the end of the day there is very little incentive for a person to work in the small communities where there is no private market to ease you into homeownership.
The NWT Housing Corporation has been asked many times to change its current policies. When is that policy going to change? Will the NWT Housing Corporation continue to work on this policy change into the next Assembly and ensure that those changes are made? Will these items be an essential part of the transition document for the NWT Housing Corporation?
Many MLAs have complained to the Minister about housing, about the various issues their constituents are facing when they’re dealing with housing. I am making my 30th Member’s statement today on housing, and yet I have not seen changes in the policy that will allow people in public housing to go to work and retain some of their income for themselves, thus providing incentive to work. I have not seen people in homeownership get their units repaired or renovated so they can live in comfort in their homes and their homes are now deteriorating beyond a point where they are frustrated and don’t know where to turn.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
As MLAs, we have the power of suggestion for the government, however, our suggestions are supported by the people that have elected us. Our suggestions must be taken seriously; they cannot be ignored.
Today I will have questions for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation on the policies that are affecting the people in Tu Nedhe.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
