Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have questions for the Minister of Housing. Given the constituents of mine are now paying over $1,000 for a bedroom in the respective communities, will the government finally conduct a thorough, comprehensive evaluation of how rent is calculated in our small, remote communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Minister of Housing, Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, we’ve already begun the process of reviewing the rent scale and how rents are calculated. We’re hoping to have that work… It’s always an ongoing process. We’re reviewing the policies and the rent scales to see how we can best serve the tenants of the NWT Housing Corp. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Will the government recognize the enormous challenges of living in our small, remote communities and provide the policy and evaluate various programs and services, such as the Public Housing Rental Subsidy, accordingly? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the challenge that is faced by tenants is one that’s also faced by the LHOs in the cost of delivering some of the programs and the maintenance and that to the communities. As we heard yesterday, some of our responses were we recognize the fact that our money is declining from CMHC, so we’re taking steps to try and address a lot of the challenges we face. So we’re aware of the ongoing challenges faced by the tenants and the LHOs, and we’re doing what we can to try and alleviate some of the challenges so our programs can be delivered a lot smoother and there won’t be such a burden on the LHOs and the tenants. Thank you.
Will the government review all policies when calculating the tenants’ income with the monthly rental assessment for the NWT Housing unit, and ensure fairness and consistency regardless of who is the employer or the situation?
Mr. Speaker, as I said, reviewing of the policies is an ongoing process and it’s something that we’re always very aware of, some of the changes that need to be made and situations change. So we are always looking at ways that we can improve our policies to best suit the tenants and the local housing organizations. Thank you.
Final supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the government review all northern and settlement allowance implications of tenants living in small, remote communities with the high cost of living? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That would be part of the review of the policy is to review all of what’s calculated into the rent and see if there are ways that we can improve. However, we have to recognize that our LHOs have a job to do and we’re trying to do what we can; a good balance for the LHOs and the tenants. But it is an ongoing process and we are reviewing the rent scale and how rent is calculated. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
