Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Housing advised the Members that he is undertaking a review of the maximum rent charged to tenants in public housing across the Northwest Territories. I think that it is a good start, but I urge the Minister to be careful about the purpose of the review and to get it done quickly. I also think that the Members should be given an opportunity to provide their views and concerns well before a report is prepared.
Personally, I don’t think the maximum rent charged to a public housing tenant has to be full cost recovery amount. I think when the local housing authorities had to charge full cost recovery, the rents become too high for the community people and they quickly fall behind and get discouraged with large arrears.
We all have heard that these high rents discourage people from becoming employed. The Minister told us yesterday that only 19 people across the Northwest Territories pays a maximum rent. That should be telling the Minister loud and clear that these high rents have made working employment very unattractive to the public housing tenants.
I am advised that the rent review is being undertaken as part of the Cost of Living Strategic Initiative. I hope that the Housing Corporation remembers that most Northerners would think that the high cost of living initiative means that the cost for ordinary people would be reduced. I don’t want to see the cost of living initiative that results in increased costs to the Sahtu tenants. I hope that their purpose is to determine a fair rent for public housing units, not to figure out how to become a private sector landlord who has no understanding of the tenant situations and circumstances.
I don’t know if this is an internal study by the corporation or if they are seeking consultants to prepare the review. I hope that someone will remember to include the views of the LHOs and the tenants, community meaningful consultation process. I think you need to allow for gradual transition and slow adjustments to employment income for your working tenants.
I certainly look forward to additional discussions. I urge the government to complete this work much sooner than March 2011. By March 2011, government will be or may be reluctant to make very many big decisions until after the next election. Sahtu residents want these decisions to be made sooner. Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Housing, unlock the doors of maximum rent charges and set my people free, free to live without being evicted. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
