Thank you, Madam Speaker. I recently saw that the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation purchased the 24unit Nordic Arms from Yellowknife School District 1. I was just hoping the Minister could update the House on what the plan for Nordic Arms is both in regards to its existing tenants and likely the transfer of it to public housing. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you. Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. And I just wanted to talk about the Nordic Arms, that that was a huge opportunity for the corporation and also to try to relieve the leases that we do hold with Northview and trying to address that. And I've heard the conversation and the statements coming from the MLAs. So looking at this opportunity was something that we had applied for. There was, yeah, I think ten other submissions besides the corporation. So I was happy that we were able to win that contract bid.
But looking at the programs and services that would be offered through that initiative, right now we're looking at the transfer, looking at the waitlist that we do have, looking at the waitlist, the transfer list, and also we do have tenants that are wanting to get out of their current leases right now and their current location. So we're just working with the tenants. We're coming up with a plan. But, you know, I could follow up with the Members on what that transition is going to be looking like because the other is that I want to address seniors housing as well too. I know I'm taking a little bit of time, but I just it's such important information that I would need time to put this together and being able to provide that information to the MLAs. But, and also addressing the programming and the seniors as well too in Yellowknife. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I believe the Minister has somewhat alluded to it there. You know, I know the housing waitlist in Yellowknife is hundreds of people long. But I'm just curious whether the plan is we since we brought 24 new units into the portfolio, is this in addition to the Yellowknife housing total amount of units or will we then correspondingly lower the number of units we lease by 24? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Like I had said, I have to bring this back to the department in looking at our plan going forward because we do have to work with the waitlist that's there as well, too, but also addressing the trying to get out of those 24 Northview leases as well. So like I had said, I have to come back to the Member as well but there's a lot of planning that the corporation is doing right now for the transfer going forward. But I would like to see the leases with Northview cancelled. If I'm able to look at the 24 leases, at least that is a start. And I think to date we have 164 leases, if I'm correct, with Northview, and I did ask the corporation if they can price out what would it cost this government to construct 164 apartment building complex, and I haven't received that number yet. But I would like to have the opportunity to provide that information to the Member. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I appreciate the Minister having that conversation because, as I've mentioned many times, there's about $20 million in office space leasing that the GNWT has. There's another 700 or so units that income assistance essentially pays the lease for people. And then there's the other $3 million that the Housing Corp then leases. And I'm wondering if the Housing Corp has ever looked into offering a longterm lease to either a nonprofit or a dev corp so that they could use that money to probably leverage some more federal funding or, you know, leverage a mortgage or go build something or use it as O and M. I really believe that there is a potential to be using this over $30 million in leasing money much more effectively with the help of our dev corps and nonprofits. Is that something the Housing Corp has ever done or is willing to do? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I just want to inform the Member as well, too, that the Housing Corporation has been approached by private industry as well too and looking at possible leases, how does this work, what type of clients do we have, and also the operation and maintenance of what it is like to hold these contracts with us. So I am open to meeting with the development corporations if this is something that they would like that they are interested in. And if we are able to look at entering into a separate lease agreement with another with private industry and alleviate more leases out of Northview, I'm willing to take a look at that and I'm willing to understand and see what else is out there here in Yellowknife. But just too, for the Member, I have had conversations with those with private industry as well too but they haven't really gotten anywhere. It is quite a huge responsibility to be delivering public housing and with a lot of situations that come with it as well too. So I just open that conversation with the Member as well too, if you'd like to follow up. And if there is interested Members, that I would like to at least have that conversation with whoever he's referring to. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I guess, you know, I find the leasing conversation interesting but, really, at the end of the day I think the solution is we simply need to build more public housing. Every time we build public housing, we actually free up units that we are currently renting. And there's just no doubt the GNWT is the single biggest driver of rent in Yellowknife, both through the number of workers it locates in Yellowknife and the amount it actually pays these companies. So every time we build more public housing, we fix and increase the vacancy rate, which is getting more and more pressure these days in the rental market. So my question for the Minister of the NWT Housing Corp is, considering those hundreds of people on the waitlist, is there any plans in the Housing Corp's capital budget to build more public housing in Yellowknife? Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you, Madam Speaker. With the significant levels of affordable housing projects occurring under the federal government programs, the coinvestment fund program for one, the Housing Corporation's current public housing delivery is focused on smaller communities. The corporation is currently updating its analysis in core need investment need for new existing stock and the intent to share the information with all of the Members as soon as it is available in late March.
And also I just want to express that, you know, we do we haven't scheduled to be building any new complexes here in Yellowknife but we do have the Canada housing benefit that is available to the larger areas as well that does subsidize the market rental that is out there. So there is a bit more programming that is available to Yellowknife to alleviate those high costs of living here. And that's just one area of how we're addressing that. But the corporation is continuing it is continuing to closely monitor the status of its own properties in the city, and we'll certainly be looking at replace aging assets when they reach the end of life of service. These future public housing replacements could take a form of new buildings as possible, of existing buildings where appropriate. But I also do want to recognize that I have been asked the question of the new builds in Hay River and also in and looking at what we do have in the smaller communities and in the larger communities that do need to be replaced, and I do understand where the Member's coming from, but we do have significant programming to address those needs. And as of right now, we don't have any scheduled new builds for Yellowknife. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
