Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question's for the Minister of Housing. Will the Minister of Housing confirm how many units are being leased currently in the Nova Apartments in Inuvik of the 45? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I also just want to acknowledge the questions coming forward to the Housing Corporation because it really engages and really gives us a strong argument and statement with the federal government of how much housing is needed in the Northwest Territories. I just wanted to acknowledge and say thank you to my colleagues for the questions coming forward.
Right now in Inuvik we currently lease 38 out of the 45 at the apartment building located in Inuvik. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Wow. Wow, Mr. Speaker. 38 of the 45, that's that's $950,000 a year according to our O and M that we currently pay per unit. You know, will the Minister commit to looking into purchasing, if possible, because this could potentially house an additional seven families off the waiting list in Inuvik. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Housing Corporation tries to find, and the partnerships in the smaller communities as well and outside and inside of Yellowknife and looking for housing opportunities. And I know that this number is quite like, 38 out of the 45. But we don't have that amount of money right now in this government to be purchasing buildings such as this. I know that we did just purchase one here in Yellowknife for $2 million, and that was an opportunity that we were one of the bidders among ten of them here in Yellowknife as well too, and we were successfully able to purchase that. But unlikely when we're looking at other opportunities through the Northwest Territories, I don't know if we would be able to find another opportunity such as that. We don't have an additional $10 million set aside to be purchasing these buildings. And I understand throughout the Northwest Territories that this is a significant amount, but it's the least amount that we do have, and we did jump at the opportunity when this building was being built to try to alleviate our waitlist in the community.
The other thing that I also pursue as a Minister is our federal funding that is out there with the federal government. We've been quite successful with the rapid housing program and also the coinvestment, and also just with the conversations with the Indigenous groups as well.
As those conversations continue, we are talking with the Indigenous groups in Inuvik as well and looking at their possibilities to submit for coinvestment application to work with the corporation and working with those with the waitlist and those existing leases in Inuvik. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's been a long time since we've had college family units as well. I know, and you know, in Inuvik there's a huge vacant lot known as the Blueberry Patch. Will the Minister look at working with the Minister of Education on utilizing this vacant land formerly known, like I said, as the Blueberry Patch in the collaboration possibly with an Indigenous government to build family college units, housing units for our community as they both lease units privately off the market as it stands in Inuvik. And this you know, with all the federal money coming in and the focus on housing, I think right now it might be a great opportunity for the two to work together to actually put some units in that Blueberry Patch. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member for that question as well too because we do have vacant land throughout the Northwest Territories that we do not have the funding to construct and to start building on those properties as well too. I want to highlight the property as well in Hay River that we're trying to work and look at opportunities that we possibly can have to rebuild the seniors complex.
I am familiar with the Member's area as well too as the Blueberry Patch where the college housing was once built and now has been demolished.
I would like to inform the Member as well that we continue those conversations with the Indigenous groups, and if there's an opportunity that we are able to successfully see a coinvestment application going forward, I would like to speak with the Indigenous groups as well if there is a possibility that they may require this property to be built on. I think partnership is a great opportunity in the Northwest Territories, and the Housing Corporation can compromise with those opportunities going forward. But presently right now, we do not have additional money in our budget to be constructing a whole apartment complex.
The other I want to just highlight is that I did ask the department to provide a 160unit I guess putting their numbers together, what would it cost for us to acknowledge the same situation here in Yellowknife, with the 162 leases that we do have here in Yellowknife with Northview, what would it cost the Housing Corporation to build on our own the same thing in Inuvik. We just don't have the money in our budget but it's something we are speaking about. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know what, all I have to say is my colleagues in this House have been saying over and over and over again to the housing minister ask us for the money, and we'll we'll we'll we'll say yes, if you put it in the budget. So, you know, we have one more cycle in this House, and you know, I know that there's money that's been awarded, announced for Indigenous governments and for this government and, like, I'm not sure with the new announcement in the news if that money's going to come to us in the territory but, you know, I hope that this Minister focuses the next year on actually getting more houses and our waitlist cut short. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And absolutely, like, you know, if I were to put forward and forecast the additional money for the department, in respect that we do have other programs and services that do suffer when we are reallocating money to the corporation as well, and I respect my colleagues on this side as well as trying to find a common balance of what it is that we can provide.
And I also want to highlight that the that the progress that I've made with the federal government in receiving the 90 units throughout the Northwest Territories and also wanting to provide a second submission to the federal government to acknowledge our shortage in seniors housing as well too.
And I also want to acknowledge the announcement of the $80 million that was provided by the federal government. I don't have information on that. I would have to follow up with the department. But in response to those vital programming, the Housing Corporation did invest into a position that does work with the Indigenous groups to provide further information on completing applications and what further housing opportunities are out there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
