Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During my recent constituency meetings within my riding, the concern of rent scales has come to my attention by many of the attendees. They are frustrated because it does not work for everyone living in the public housing units.
Mr. Speaker, there are many factors that are related to the cause of this failure in the way that the rent is calculated. The current rent scale is calculated based on the previous year's income. Once your income tax is submitted, the local housing authorities calculate your rent for the whole year. We are experiencing high unemployment rate as with other regions, and most of the residents of my riding are employed seasonally. Some of these people do not even qualify for employment insurance yet their rent is based on the previous year's income.
Mr. Speaker, the current rent scale is landing many of the tenants with huge arrears with the housing authority. The residents are willing to work but due to the lack of employment, these individuals are still required to pay the set amount that was based on the previous year. The residents also require homeownership options for the families who have permanent employment but are paying high rent each month. There's a lady in Tsiigehtchic who informed me that she has been employed for three and a half years and pays $1,450 per month in rent. In the three years of paying rent, the total amount is in the excess of $77,000 for this one person. Meanwhile, there are other tenants who pay $70 a month, and these individuals have paid around $3,000 in the same timeframe.
Mr. Speaker, we as a government must be reasonable and try to make the living arrangements more equal for all the tenants of the Northwest Territories, whether it is restructuring the rent scale or reintroducing homeownership options for the select few who are taking it upon themselves to work for the betterment of themselves and their families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
