Caroline Cochrane

I do believe that we are working with the Hay River Reserve as best as possible. These units that we're talking about, the 16 units, actually belong to them. Because they did not want to deal with the provision of community housing we did an agreement that we would take them on as NWT Housing Corporation.

We are more than open to meeting with them if they wanted to look at other options and other suggestions that they have to address the housing needs within their community.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Our aim is to try to spread out the apprenticeship programs throughout the whole of the NWT as best as possible. However, in saying that, though, we do take a more of a community focused needs. If, for example, in one community, we already have two or three oil burner mechanics, we might not look at that community for an apprenticeship program at that time. We might focus it more on a community that has no oil burning mechanics at the moment. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. People who currently owe arrears to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, we try not to penalize anyone. Although at the same time, we do have to be fair to all residents in the Northwest Territories, so we cannot allow people not to pay their rent and then expect their neighbour to be paying their rent, and we have people waiting to get into units. People do need to know that if they come in and they make a repayment plan, and they pay for six months consecutively, they get back on the waiting list, so nobody actually should be penalized for longer than a six...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issue of arrears was a serious concern for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation for many years and, during the last Legislative Assembly, in order to try to assist communities and the local housing organizations with the collection of arrears, the decision was made by a past Minister to actually bring the collections internally into headquarters, which was, in my opinion, a very good move. It meant that the community people did not have to address their own neighbours with that, so a great move that I support 100 per cent.

Currently, what we do is, because...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The direction that we have given to the local housing organizations is that they need to use their surpluses, provide us with a plan on how they are going to use those surpluses to reinvest in housing stock and/or to do renovations to existing. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So currently right now and we at the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation are subsidizing all of public housing tenants, utility costs. Once the utility costs are transferred over after the three years, yes, we will definitely look at it an incentive program and training program so that people can actually be rewarded for conservation. It is important. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The costs for the local housing organizations is on page 354, administration and maintenance. Currently we do not have them broken down by riding, but if the MLA would like we can provide that to him tomorrow as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, like I said, that would be, in my opinion, disrespectful if I make commitments before the results of the surveys were in, so the answer is no.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The areas of apprenticeship that we are working with are carpenters, oil burner mechanics, and housing maintenance serviceperson. I should also state that many apprenticeships actually take a four-year period, so even though you have only 12 over the term, it does take four years for people to finish their apprenticeship. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The monies that actually support homelessness are more than that. They are Housing First, the 150, then 125, 280 for Pathways, and 200 for Small Community Homelessness Fund. That is actually the operating and the provision of services that the funding is for. The rest is coming out of capital and other departments for the renovations. Thank you, Mr. Chair.