Frieda Martselos

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in October 2021, Housing NWT released a document titled Strategy for Renewal outlining various actions that Housing NWT proposed to do with housing within the 19th Assembly. That document was light on details and includes no mention of seniors or assisting seniors with their housing needs, which is concerning given the rising number of seniors we have in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, according to the 2021 census data, there are currently 2,455 seniors above the age of 70 living in the NWT. Further, according to the data from the Department of Health and Social...

Thank you, Madam Chair. You know, I'm not going to ask any more questions but, you know, it's a disgrace that we have private industry who abide by law to give they even have to give notice when they want to evict people. But the housing corporation just goes up, boards the house up, all their belongings are inside, throws them out before Christmas, and then it's okay, you know.

So when government is saying yeah, you could do this and then the other hand is doing something else. And private industry, those are their own homes. Those are their own units, whether they be apartments or single...

Madam Chair, just before Christmas there was an issue with a mother and a daughter that were told they had to leave their housing unit, and it was all boarded up. This is just a couple weeks before Christmas. And now they're couch surfing on mats and I was going I might table the whole thing before session ends. And then the place is all boarded up. The Indigenous government has agreed to go in and try and to correct the situation because they're members of one of the Indigenous groups back in Fort Smith.

We created that situation. And then we come back and say oh, we're going to fix this up...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I too want to address the homelessness initiatives and especially homeless shelters. Fort Smith doesn't have a homeless shelter at this point. There was a proposal that went forward. It was a pilot project for five tiny homes. A solution, not an ongoing expense to the homelessness initiative. And yet it never came to fruit because I don't know who decided it wasn't a good project, but I think that the Indigenous group that actually had the homeless shelter pilot project knows what they're doing. They have a proven record.

And the former Minister of housing could attest...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, does the Minister believe that a new or modified disaster assistance policy tailored specifically to seniors would benefit the people of the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker?

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us if a single flatrate rent system for seniors would work in the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its report on Bill 61, An Act to Amend the Ombud Act, and commends it to the House.

Bill 61, An Act to Amend the Ombud Act, (Bill 61) received second reading on November 2, 2022 and was referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for review.

Bill 61 is a private Member’s bill, sponsored by the Member for Yellowknife North, to amend the Ombud Act. Many of the proposed changes derive from recommendations in the Ombud’s 20192020 Annual Report and in committee’s review of that annual report...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd also like to recognize Dennis Patterson who I also know from the 1970s and consider a friend. Dennis. And I'd also like to recognize Glenna Simon, the new patient advocate for the Fort Smith Health Centre. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

So the policy of the NWT Housing Corporation is that you make people homeless, you forget about them, and hopefully that nobody complains? And, you know, these are people that would never get through the front door. And it's really makes me want to understand how people think overall and who makes the policy and how it is implemented and why are people that are disenfranchised, have addiction problems, are poor, and we throw them out of their unit just before Christmas?

They're now couch surfing, they're homeless, and where do they go? You know, it's a really unusual situation, and I'm sure it...

So we also have $30 million that was put over by the federal monies to address some of the issues with housing. Is some of that money you know, the money is really important to the people of the Northwest Territories and to the Indigenous governments. I'm wondering if that $30 million will if the Minister would consider that the $30 million go per capita to each Indigenous government so that they could run their own makework program to repair all the houses in the communities and regional centres? Thank you, Madam Chair.