Mr. Speaker, under the 1997 social housing agreement with the federal government, Housing NWT assumed responsibility for the ongoing operations and maintenance of the territory's public housing units. Many of these units remain in service and need significant renovation or replacement. Housing NWT continues to invest in maintenance and renovation on an annual basis to keep assets in good working condition. I would like to speak today on how Housing NWT manages its assets and the ways we are finding efficiencies and partnerships to improve the state of our units.
Housing NWT plans to invest over $12 million in major repairs and upgrades on over 245 units this year. Plans also include various minor unit repairs, such as repairs to heating and plumbing systems, across the Northwest Territories. Through partnership agreements with local housing organizations, an additional $13 million is invested annually in maintenance activities for both general repairs and preventative maintenance.
Housing NWT is committed to the health and safety of our tenants through completing preventative and on-demand maintenance activities. Preventative maintenance is scheduled and performed to prevent unexpected failure of building systems, such as servicing a heating system. Simply put, Mr. Speaker, it is about fixing things before they break.
On-demand maintenance involves repairing something that has already been broken, such as repairing a leaky tap. Both preventative and on-demand maintenance ensures that housing remains healthy and safe for tenants and plays a key role in extending the life of housing in our harsh climate.
Housing NWT, through its local housing organizations, regularly conducts maintenance on all its housing and facilities. To illustrate the scope of this annual activity, in 2023-2024 our 23 local housing organizations completed approximately 30,000 work orders. Approximately one-third of those involved health and safety preventative maintenance work orders.
Housing NWT regularly completes assessments on housing units with a unit condition rating system, commonly referred to as a UCR. A unit condition rating assesses the condition, repair priority, and planned replacement activity for the building components and systems for each housing unit. These assessments report on the overall condition of the unit and provide the basis for capital investment and maintenance programming. Housing NWT considers a housing unit with a rating of 70 percent, or higher, is in fair condition, and does not typically require major investment. Units under 70 percent are a priority for renovations. 92 percent of public housing units, owned and operated by Housing NWT, have a unit condition rating above 70 percent. Assessment training is provided by Housing NWT to all local housing organization maintenance staff and district staff.
Following the Residential Tenancies Act, Housing NWT is responsible for maintenance and repairs on our buildings. Tenants are responsible for paying for damages that they, or their visitors, cause. Housing NWT encourages public housing tenants to contact their local housing organization if there are any maintenance issues in their public housing unit. The local housing organizations have staff available to respond to maintenance issues and if required, they can hire contractors to assist in repairs.
Housing NWT is in the process of upgrading our asset management program to document and guide the process to improve assessments for capital planning and maintenance. Repairs are prioritized with a health and safety focus, considering the available budget. A fuel leak or lack of heat are priority work orders that receive a response as quickly as possible, not only for the health and safety of the tenant but also to protect the asset from damage. Housing NWT works with local contractors to deliver services as quickly as possible in emergencies but can sometimes experience delays due to contractor availability.
Typically, contracted repair and renovation work on public housing units is completed by local or northern companies. This renovation and repair work provides opportunities for smaller companies in the North to gain and build experience and capacity in the residential construction sector. This is why Housing NWT is committed to building capacity in communities and continues to support local housing organizations in their role of delivering suitable, affordable housing. Supply-chain disruptions and labour shortages have impacted contractor capacity in the Northwest Territories. Despite this, Housing NWT continues to plan to maximize and build capacity.
Housing NWT also provides support for residents who own their own homes and who meet some of the basic program eligibility requirements. Funding up to $10,000 is available to support emergency repairs, like freeze-ups and furnace failures, and $5,000 a year is available for preventative maintenance activities. Last year, Housing NWT supported 441 homeowners across the NWT through the preventative maintenance program with the aim of reducing core housing need indicators. Homeowners can contact their local district office to apply for this program.
Housing NWT will continue to support maintenance and repairs on its units across the NWT to improve the suitability and extend the life of housing units. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Ministers' statements. Minister for Education, Culture and Employment.
