David Krutko

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was a call that went out to all agencies and different departments to see where there was a problem with regard to accommodating professionals in the different communities. The communities that were picked were Tulita, Fort Good Hope, Norman Wells, Lutselk'e, Fort Resolution, Fort Providence and Fort Liard. Those were the communities that seemed to have the most systemic problem of attracting teachers because of the problems with accommodations. Those are communities that were picked for the first round, and there were other communities identified...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that’s one of the reasons we have to complete this report, is because we did have some logistical problems by way of transportation, barging, looking at sites for these units, gravel was a problem in some communities, and power hookup. Because of the timing of this contract going out, we also weren’t able to meet the timelines that we were looking at. So it’s been moved ahead. With that, we are going to look at the overall project itself to see exactly the hiccups that we did have so we could avoid them in the future. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, until we complete our review, we can’t make that decision outright right now. We will have to do that review before we determine if we’re continuing on or not.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in case the Members don’t know, this facility was developed as a long-term care facility for the Sahtu and because the Sahtu is now in the process of establishing their own regional health board, there is still going to be a need for programs and services to be delivered in the Sahtu. So that’s sort of where the discussion is at, that that facility still has the ability to provide services for the Sahtu region. So that’s what the department or the regional health board is open to. That’s sort of the dialogue that has taken place today. We are still...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is not the only facility that we are having problems with in regard to occupancy. It has been unoccupied for some time. We still continue to pay the operational costs of this facility. This is one of the items that have been put forward to the government by way of doing an assessment of all of our capital assets that have less than 30 percent occupancy. So we are putting the word out there that we want people to be aware this facility is available. Again, the corporation is definitely looking for someone to let us know if they are interested so...

Mr. Speaker, the month of October marks the 30th anniversary of the NWT Housing Corporation. Since its inception, the corporation has made significant strides toward improving and supplying housing in the NWT.

Communities in the Northwest Territories have been visibly transformed over the last 30 years. New modern houses have replaced those lacking basic facilities, seniors are enjoying uniquely-designed facilities and public housing units have been renovated to provide safe environments for singles and families.

In 1974, we offered a total of seven programs. Today, the Housing Corporation...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in regards to the way the price came about and exactly who the client is, I would like to state again this is not staff housing on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories. This is a business decision that was made by the corporation to go into those communities where the business sector does not want to make that investment. We made the investment, but we will not go back into staff housing until that decision is made by the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Basically, the whole idea of the rates is based on an arrangement between the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I stated to the earlier question, we are going to do an evaluation of the project once the project is completed. The project has not been completed. Some of the units just arrived in Tulita just a couple of weeks ago. They were on the last barge. So until we actually have all the projects completed, the sites are being developed, the units are open for business, then we will have a better picture of how this program is working or not. Then through the reporting mechanism, we will look at what the problems were and avoid those problems from...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, right now I can’t state exactly how many units we do have occupied, but we have received some 14 applicants for leasing those units, for professions in the Northwest Territories, so we have received these applications from 14 individuals. But right now until the project is totally completed and we have the units occupied, we can’t say what it is. If the Member wants, I can get him that information.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to have an opportunity to recognize the families of the people we are going to be acknowledging at 12:00 noon with the unveiling of the quilt. Excuse me if I mispronounce your name, but I would like to recognize Jamie Clease of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Welcome, Jamie.

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I have Ruth Oyukuluk from Arctic Bay in Nunavut.

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Also with us is Walter and Florence Daniska of Vancouver, British Columbia. Welcome.

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Also from the Workers’ Compensation Board we have Marie Wilson, director of policy, planning and...