Bob Bromley

We may be able to build the Inuvik-Tuk highway and Mackenzie Valley Highway but can we maintain them? Just ask my colleague Mr. Menicoche about Highway No. 7.

So what would be an appropriate response, Mr. Speaker? We clearly need to recognize our situation and provide the leadership so needed on this pervasive issue. Let’s put in place the policies that lead aggressively to a low-carbon economy in ways that build new industries, provide new jobs, strengthen our local economies and generate the environmental benefits we all want so much.

Such action would attract the people we want to come north...

Thanks for the Minister’s remarks. It sounds reasonable to me. I would also urge the Minister to in fact consult with businesses, who I suspect would be wildly enthusiastic for the display of local art in government space, especially public space that might be frequented by the public. I would ask the Minister to make that commitment to also consult with businesses about the display of local art.

Thanks again for the Minister’s response there. I do have other questions but I see I’m running out of time, so rather than get onto my next set of questions, maybe I’ll see if somebody else wants to go next and you can put my name back on the list.

Madam Chair, those all sound great. It is good to hear we are putting some intention to that sort of detail.

The other part, I know the Minister is a big supporter of the arts. I am sure he recognizes the opportunity here to support the arts community. Especially in light of the lack of an arts facility other than NACC community structure, what is the Minister putting in place for the display of art from Yellowknife and the NWT? Is there a policy in place to assure 1 percent of the wall space or something is available for display of arts products, activities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation. In my statement I outlined the desperate housing situation people are facing going into winter. There are 137 names on the Yellowknife Housing Authority waiting list, 500 across the territory, and several service organizations say that the situation is so bad it’s scaring them. There have been some good changes in our approach to housing, but the facts, unfortunately, show that things are just getting worse. The statistics essentially reflect an emergency.

I’m wondering what the Minister is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s commitment there. I know the Minister realizes that housing is really the fundamental first step of getting people out of poverty. They need a basis to live and carry on their lives. This is so important.

I mentioned in my statement the new Transitional Rent Supplement Program and the current refusal to develop policy for people renting in boarding houses to access the program. With Yellowknife at less than a 1 percent vacancy rate in the residential market, will the Minister stop penalizing these people for the lack of housing choices and...

We have heard that answer before, yet here we have this situation where we have a huge waiting list that is building rapidly.

At my constituency meeting a couple of nights ago in Ndilo/Detah, I was told there are up to 10 vacant home ownership units in the community. Most are all still empty while un-housed people sit on these waiting lists, often because household income thresholds do not match reality. There are about 30 empty units in Behchoko for want of money to do repairs. We’ve been hearing about that for over a year now. Again, this is an emergency.

What steps will the Minister take now...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday was the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and today I want to focus on the need for housing to help people get out of poverty.

Housing provides the basis for productive, dignified lives. The ability to cook, wash, get adequate rest, be called for a job, having a place for children to study and families to enjoy leisure are huge challenges when there’s no place to call home.

Research proves that lack of housing can double or even triple the cost of government services from reliance on emergency room medicines and overnight shelters to income...

Thank you, Madam Chair. My first question, really, if you don’t mind, Madam Chair, I’ll throw that out for the Minister’s wrap-up comments, but I’ve heard a couple of comments about carry-over and we haven’t actually read anything about carry-over. So if I could get clarification on what the carry-over was last year. I’m just looking at the numbers provided today and I see that our main estimates were $124 million last year, actuals or revised are almost double that: $240 million. I’m wondering if much of that – obviously Housing Corp might have 10 or 15 million dollars in there – but it seems...

I was told at my constituency meeting – the Minister talked about the vacant home ownership units – that people are being turned down for home ownership units because the income ceilings are unrealistic. Obviously, with up to 10 vacant units in a community as small as Ndilo/Detah, there’s something wrong with the program practicality. The Minister knows that. He just told us. Knowing that, let’s do something about it.

Will the Minister commit to review those guidelines again and consider means to place home ownership units or transfer them into the public housing stock, which I know he said he...