Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just hearing that debate, you have to remember we work for the people of the Northwest Territories, and we have to respect everybody in the House in regard to working together. Today, Mr. Speaker, I have questions for the Minister of housing. We have seasonal workers in the communities who are coming home from work. When are they eligible to get the reassessment done on their rent? How quickly can we get that done? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister of Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The local housing authorities have been given the direction to follow through with the rent assessments, moving month-to-month. I have recognized the seasonal workers, as well, and looked at the increased rent that they could be paying over the duration of their current employment at that time. We have also looked at the rent assessments and the CRA reports to try to work on lowering our rent requirements throughout the year. I just instructed the LHOs and LHAs throughout the Northwest Territories to make sure that they fulfil those requirements for our tenants in the public housing units and make sure that they look at the rent assessments and make sure that we consider the tenants who are not permanent employees, indeterminate employees, who have been working seasonally, make sure that their rents are calculated month by month. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for that. When the seasonal worker goes in to get a reassessment in the LHOs, local housing authorities, are they able to do that right then and there when they are asked, or do they get told to come back another day? That's the problem we've been having. Is the LHO able to do that assessment that day?
I'm not too sure about the paperwork and the details that have to be submitted when completing a rent assessment, but the current information that I do have is that these assessments can be done at the local community level, with the support of the district offices and with the support of headquarters.
Could the Minister commit to me today that she will talk to the LHOs in the Delta, in my riding, to make sure, when somebody is going in to get an assessment, that they work together with them to get that assessment done? Because the cost of living is a lot more than it is here in Yellowknife, and anything helps, like I always say, for the constituents that we represent. If the Minister could just commit to working with our local LHOs in the Delta for that?
Yes, I will commit to that. I will have the district office just remind the LHO offices in the Beaufort-Delta, in Nunakput, and throughout the Northwest Territories that rent assessment should be done month-to-month, if we have seasonal workers occupying our public housing units, and they should be done without any complications.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
