Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the housing Minister today. The federal monies for those new units across the territory, for the 17 units in Inuvik, is that federal monies, or are they taken out of our housing authority funding? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Member, for your question. Yes, that will be federal money that will be spent on the RCMP units. Thank you.
The federal government, I guess they are really lucky to have that kind of funding to put 17 new units in one community. I support the RCMP 150 percent. I know that their units in Inuvik are in bad shape. For local businesses in Inuvik that are providing that service, for plumbing, all the necessities to fix the unit, now under the local housing authority are they going to be taking over their jobs and putting more out there to give them more units to watch over, those extra 17 units? Are they going to keep the local contractors, the plumbers, and everybody at work? Because if you are taking 17 units, that is a lot of money that could be in local businesses and not into the government coffers.
Thank you, Member, for your comment. The federal government was interested in working with the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation in order to deliver their units. In looking at the maintenance, as well, we will be going forward and looking at the amount of workload that this is going to burden the local housing authorities and looking at opportunities going forward. Thank you, Member, for your question.
I guess that wouldn't affect our local housing stock in our communities? For Inuvik, are they going to be taking down 17 units in the community, or is that just federal monies and they will have new units?
Thank you, Member, for your question. This will not burden our current budget that we are forecasting going forward. The units are federally funded units, and they are not funded by the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Member.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is not what I asked, but okay. Today, I would like to say in my riding I have 30-year-old Webber units. You see people taking pictures in their units of snow coming in in the doors and the windows and stuff like that and just outdated. We need new funding to repair those units, to local LHOs. I think that next time she is meeting with the housing Minister, I guess, Mr. Speaker, she needs to bring up local communities that are affected up North. If they are so quick to give money, the federal government, they should be giving us more money to fix our units in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member, for your comments. I am mindful that there are drastic housing scenarios within your region, and I am committed to going into your region in the summer. I do want to look at these units. However, going forward, there are housing programs that we have to offer to the clients who are living in these conditions. I am willing to work with them going forward and also contacting our local housing authorities, working with our district offices to make sure that they outreach to the clients who are in need of home repair. Thank you, Member, and thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
