Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member’s statement was regarding the housing situation in Nunakput. Mr. Speaker, is the government allocating necessary resources for Nunakput to get our fair share in housing resource dollars with regard to the upkeep and the units in the communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We try very hard to distribute the resources for housing fairly across the Northwest Territories. I think if we add up the numbers, we’ll find the smaller communities get a higher average of money than some of the larger communities. I know in the Member’s community alone, Paulatuk, the one he referenced, this year there was a $2 million investment in the community. That’s with the homeownership, the MNI work that’s being done. We recognize some of the units need some work, and we’ve been fortunate the last few years that we’ve been able to allocate a lot of funds to some of these smaller communities across the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
It’s good to see $2 million being spent in Paulatuk. But Sachs Harbour has been waiting for a unit since I started my term here three and a half years ago, almost four years ago. Is the Minister going to put in his transition document to the 17th Legislative Assembly a four-plex or something for Sachs Harbour? I hope to be here to push that through, but is the Minister going to do that?
We recognize the fact that some of our communities have gone longer without units being put in their communities than others. We are starting to recognize the fact that some of the smaller communities now are being left behind a bit, so they are going to need an investment. I can assure the Member that I will make a recommendation that the smaller communities and the one he brings up quite regularly, and rightfully so, Sachs Harbour, does need an investment in infrastructure on the housing side in their community. Thank you.
The second part of my Member’s statement is the evictions in the communities I represent, Paulatuk. Mr. Speaker, we’ve been trying to work with the government with regard to the open-handed approach on how people can pay back. There are no jobs in the community like they have here in Yellowknife. There’s not any way of finding that kind of money. I always look back to the way ECE had it. I’m not pointing fingers at ECE. There’s got to be an open-handed approach to working with the community and the people, instead of evicting people from their houses when it’s coming fall time. Winter’s coming. What is the government going to do with the people that have no house or roof over their heads? What is the government going to do?
We’ve been trying to work very hard with the tenants of Paulatuk housing. We’ve seen quite an improvement in the collection rate in Paulatuk. It’s steadily climbing. The assessments have improved dramatically in Paulatuk. The reassessments that I mentioned to the Member, I think when he asked earlier, have been completed and there’s been a substantial drop in some of the arrears for a lot of the folks in Paulatuk. I know in one particular case alone it’s almost like $100,000 has been removed from their arrears. That’s a significant improvement.
We’ve tried on many occasions to work with them. I’ve seen some notes where 17, 18 letters have gone out. People have come in, entered into repayment programs. Those who have honoured their repayment programs are still in the units. Those that didn’t honour them are the ones that are, unfortunately, being evicted.
The people that are being evicted are the ones that entered the repayment program and half of them have no jobs. So how can they repay? You’re either buying food for your kids, trying to feed them, clothe them, or pay your rent. Or pay your power bill. All these bills that I’m talking about are all too high in the smaller communities. Can the community government, can the Hamlet of Paulatuk approach the Housing Corporation to take over the Paulatuk housing under the Hamlet of Paulatuk and run it themselves? Is that possible?
To answer the first part of the Member’s question, we’re always willing to work with the tenants. If there are some hardships that tenants run into, all they need to do is go see the LHO. We’re not without a heart. They’d be willing to talk with them.
As to the second part of the Member’s question about whether or not the hamlet can take over the provision of housing, we’re always open to those types of suggestions. If the hamlet wants to seriously consider it, sit down with the Housing Corporation, then I’m sure there are arrangements that we can work out.
I’ll say it right now publicly, that they have to understand that they’ll still be expected to collect that rent, because without being able to collect that rent they will have to use a lot of their own money to look after the maintenance. So they do need a revenue. But that’s one of the things that we can discuss with them. The opportunity is there.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m really happy to hear that. The Minister says the Housing Corporation has a heart. I’m asking the Housing Corporation to stop all the evictions as of today. To try to rework and get re-agreements put back through the person that’s in that predicament and put it into workable agreements where they’re able to pay something. Is the Minister willing to do that?
Evictions are the last resort. Evictions are something that have taken maybe a year or two to get to. We’ve given folks the opportunity to honour their repayment plans that they’ve agreed to enter into and we don’t want to evict anybody.
All we’re asking people to do is honour the agreements that they’ve made. We’ve seen an improvement across the Northwest Territories in the collection rate. Some are up at 127 percent. The majority of them are 99 percent. Since we’ve taken it over, back from ECE, and the assessments are being done by the LHOs, we’ve seen the collection rate go from 82 percent to 93 percent. So that’s quite an improvement. If we could do this for the community, then we’re telling the rest of the Territories you don’t have to pay your rent and we’re not going to evict you. That’s the whole principle in this.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
