David Krutko

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a care facility in Deline that has been unoccupied for some time. We have put a proposal to the community to come back with something in writing, if they can find another use for it. We are talking to people within the department, from the Department of Health and also if there are any non-government organizations interested in making use of that facility, we are open to offers. So we have put an offer out there, we haven’t heard anything back to date, so the offer is still there. So that is where it sits today.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Community Driven Solutions: NWT Housing Corporation 2003-2004 Annual Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think that we have to clarify the notion. This is not subsidised housing like the government housing program in the past. This is market housing that was put forth as a business venture from the Housing Corporation. We are there to recoup the investment that we made by way of the rents that we would be charging. Also, another point I would like to make is that the rates that we are setting for these units are less than what we are charging to clients in social housing. So on one hand you are saying that we are charging too much, but on the other...

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, I rise today to speak to all Members about the Canadian Young Worker Memorial Life Quilt that will be unveiled today at 12:00 noon in the Great Hall.

The memorial life quilt, Mr. Speaker, pays tribute to those young workers involved in a workplace injury.

The quilt was created in 2003 for the Day of Mourning and was sewn together by volunteer quilters from across Canada. The quilt is a lasting memorial to 100 young workers aged 15 to 24, who were killed at work. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, it spreads a powerful message about the importance of accident...