Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to join my colleagues in speaking to the theme of the day which is housing. I intend to put a bit of a different spin on it.
Mr. Speaker, housing is a priority of this Assembly and also one of the most pressing concerns of our residents, which many of us have been speaking to over the past few weeks. Some may not realize it, but the GNWT is actually one of the largest landlords in the territory. The government owns the land on which many of our residents' homes sit, especially in our smaller communities, Mr. Speaker. About one in three privatelyowned households outside of the five largest communities in the NWT sits on a GNWT land lease. This is in comparison to just .4 percent of homeowner households within the five largest communities.
Mr. Speaker, Chris van Dyke is a resident of Yellowknife, and last month he handed in his thesis for his master of planning that he completed at the University of Guelph. His research explores this uniquely northern situation. The researcher found that more than $450,000 annually is charged for residential land lease fees throughout the NWT. Communities with a higher percentage of homes sitting on land leases also have a higher number of homes in need of major repairs. The researcher suggests that there is a need for more interdepartmental collaboration to address housing barriers and that land policies have to be a part of this consideration. The researcher advises that policy amendments are needed to facilitate Indigenous organizations' access to land and that the elimination of residential land lease fees in our smaller communities must be considered.
Mr. Speaker, the takeaway here is that since the GNWT owns the land on which resident homes sit, GNWT land policies have a direct impact on our residents' access to and quality of housing. Mr. Speaker, let's keep housing in mind when we consider land management and the policies around it. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
