Debates of October 23, 2006 (day 13)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are to the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation in regards to the affordable housing initiative. I know we're in the eighth month of the first year of this initiative and I just wanted to ask the Minister about the economic sustainability to our communities with the whole affordable housing initiative and how vital it is to the economic sustainability. Out of the $33 million that's going to go into the year one for the 170 homeownership and public housing dwellings that the Housing Corp is intending to put on the ground in the next six months I hope, what process has been put out there so far with respect to getting as much of that $100 million or the initial $33 million put back into the northern economy? Is there any priority to ensure that northern suppliers of materials and construction outfits are given the highest priority when it comes to actually putting these units on the ground? Is it northern-based, or is this going to be all going south? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Honourable Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Krutko.

Return To Question 166-15(5): Affordable Housing Initiative

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do use existing contracting guidelines. We follow the BIP process. We also follow the manufacturing directive that is in place for purchasing. I mentioned in my statement that we are working with communities to build capacity. The one thing I have been doing is trying to formulate that if they have capacity or need assistance to build capacity, through the contracting process we have, we have negotiated contracts in place, we have sole source contracts, we have means that people can build that capacity and I think it’s working with communities, working with municipalities and identifying the amount of land we’re going to need, land development. So we are looking at all aspects, but we do follow our directives and our policies that are in place in the government and also through the manufacturing directive. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 166-15(5): Affordable Housing Initiative

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let’s just move away from the land issue now. I know that’s a vital component of this whole initiative. I want to just talk about the housing packages themselves. How much northern input did we actually have into the functionality, the quality of materials that are required and the floor plans? Are these just old housing blueprints that we’re pulling out and throwing on the table and saying that we need supply of this many units of this type of house? Because as far as I know, the only housing units that have been built in the past, you know, they’re just shoddy materials, shoddy workmanship, shoddy floor plans. Are they up to date and actually have some northern input into them? Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Minister Krutko.

Further Return To Question 166-15(5): Affordable Housing Initiative

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have seriously thought this through in regards to the type of construction we are going to use. We are looking at multi-dwelling facilities, getting away from the stick-built single housing construction, because we are looking at the energy efficiency of these units versus the old units, but also looking at new building methods and materials that we use, which will basically give you better R value. We’re able to heat the homes at less costs, but also ensuring that we do allow homes to be built for senior people with disabilities and also try to meet the needs of people in the different areas. So from the designs and the types of material that we’re using, we’re realizing that we are building houses differently than we did in the past. But one of the things that we really focus on is looking at the energy efficiency and also looking at multi construction of those facilities than simply going back to stick-built. We realize that we do have to replace a lot of public housing units and in order to do that we also have to look at the energy efficiency of those units. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 166-15(5): Affordable Housing Initiative

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess one of the main reasons I was asking this question is because I was looking at some of the floor plans in some of these units, and, Mr. Speaker, in some of these units you’ve got bedrooms in these units that are 8 by 10. You know, like how functional is that? You can maybe squeeze a bed in there, Mr. Speaker. That’s the point I’m getting at.

---Laughter

You know, and anything else, if you want a dresser or anything, you’ll never have any room for it. You don’t even have any closet space in there. That’s the functionality I’m talking about. People are trying to be affordable, but functional; they have to be functional. You can’t have a 16-year-old kid moving into an 8 by 10 room and being happy with it, Mr. Speaker, affordable or not. This is why I’m asking the Minister, has there been any review of what he’s actually putting on the table there to make sure that it is ensured that it is functional for people and they will want to move in there? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Krutko.

Further Return To Question 166-15(5): Affordable Housing Initiative

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do look in regards to the type of housing that the community would like. We also look at our statistics of where the needs are. There’s the family dwellings, one bungalow or two-bedroom, three-bedroom or four-bedroom. What we’re finding in a lot of communities is that people are asking for three or four-bedroom units because there are no units for families with more than three or four kids. I think we have to realize that we have to sit down with communities and see exactly which type of housing they need in the communities, but also look at our surveys that we do to make sure that we are meeting the areas where the need is. Lately the need was with seniors and single families. I think that was where a lot of our housing was built. So we do look at it in the context of the surveys we do, we talk to communities on exactly what type of housing they want and also work with the community to see exactly who do they want to serve, the singles, the seniors or the families in those communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 166-15(5): Affordable Housing Initiative

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t know where to really go with this anymore because basically my point is to the Minister, okay, a one, two, three, four-bedroom unit, I can understand the differences and the need. The point I’m trying to make is you’re making a four-bedroom out of the same two-bedroom size of a dwelling. Basically you’re just making every room small and it becomes less functional and becomes hard for people to actually live in. All I’m saying is when they are considering a four-bedroom house, make it a functional four-bedroom house. People are going to use them for two-bedrooms, bust out a few walls and maybe make a storage room out of one of them because basically that’s the size of them, Mr. Speaker. All I’m saying is that people want a house that is going to be functional that they’re going to want to be able to pay and afford. Can the Minister ensure NWTers, all residents who are looking at those affordable housing initiatives that, yes, they are going to get a house that is really going to work for them and meet their needs? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Krutko.

Further Return To Question 166-15(5): Affordable Housing Initiative

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the program is broken down into two areas. We are looking at replacing about 50 percent of those units with the public housing stock we have. But also we are looking at a homeownership component, which is the Supported Lease Program, which is for eligible clients in those communities to get to be homeowners. But again it's application-based for those families in those communities that would like to get into homeownership. Again, it’s for those people that we feel can sustain themselves in that type of a housing setting. Again, it is through an application process that you determine the size of the house, the size of the family and pit the needs of that person that is applying for that unit by way of the Supported Lease Program. So again, it’s not only we administer it, but also exactly who is going to acquire or basically occupy these units. Thank you.