Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, with over 2,800 units, is by far the Northwest Territories' landlords. My concern is: should the COVID virus become a full-on pandemic with outbreaks across the Northwest Territories, I do not want to see people getting eviction orders when they have been told to self-isolate. I think, if this should become a pandemic, we are going to see increasingly people struggling to pay their rent. My question is to the Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation: should we have a pandemic with cases across the Northwest Territories, is the Housing Corporation prepared to stop evicting people?
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Housing Corporation has taken an approach as an emergency effect right now to deal with the COVID-19 virus. We are working as a government, together as one. We will find solutions for these situations going forward. We will be looking at the eviction notices, as well. In case we need to find alternative units, we will have to end up looking at hotels for our applicants going forward. Right now, we won't be evicting anybody. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I am very happy to hear that. I do hope that we do not get to that point where this is a pandemic across the Northwest Territories. I leave that up to the facts. My next question is: I am also concerned there is an issue with homelessness across the Northwest Territories, and our most vulnerable may also be our most immunocompromised who may not be able to find a place to self-isolate. Can the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation speak to the plans to address our homeless population should a full pandemic occur?
Thank you, Member, for bringing up your concern, because we have to think of something very quickly in emergency plans going forward. It's something that we are working strategically at and within our approach. We are looking at the homeless population, as well, and we are going to try our best in what solutions we come up with, and how we could possibly be able to accommodate our homeless population. We are paying very strong attention to this concern, and we will be taking it to the next level.
I guess my question is: should a pandemic occur across the Northwest Territories, has the Housing Corporation and the Minister reached out to shelters? If possible, is it possible to secure hotel rooms for the homeless population?
We are looking at solutions throughout the Northwest Territories, and we are looking at the smaller communities, as well, where we have limited accommodations and actually nowhere where we can actually put the clients in right now. Looking at the hotel rooms that are available, we need to start gathering and getting those numbers together, because I am not sure right now at the moment at what the availability is. I will follow up with the Member with those numbers.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
