Jackie Jacobson

I don’t think it was Housing’s problem; I think it was ECE’s problem. The gap between market rent and the subsidized rent is too much for some clients. When the Public Housing Rental Subsidy is returned to the Housing Corporation, will the Minister ensure that the rents are not too high so clients could be able to manage?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Housing. Does the report recommending the return to the Public Housing Rental Subsidy to the Housing Corporation identify development of the arrears as a problem?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some families in the communities that I represent, since 2007 they’re telling me they had no arrears prior to that 2007 changeover from the Housing Corporation to ECE. We’ve got people that have been evicted already. You have 20 people in some houses in the communities. That’s not right. Will the Minister consider bringing forward a bill to forgive the arrears that have developed because of this gap that was created in the system since 2007? Thank you.

Does the Minister acknowledge that some of the problems with the arrears were created by the system and not necessarily the tenants themselves?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week, Cabinet announced the transfer of public housing and rental subsidy from Education, Culture and Employment back to the NWT Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with the decision.

I know many of my colleagues support this transfer. Since public rental subsidy moved to Income Support, there has been a disconnect between the rental subsidy and the local housing organizations. A gap was caused when subsidized rent changed to market rent. The market rent and the gap wasn’t something the client did, but was caused by the lack of communication between...

Again, I thank the Minister for the report that was done on Mangilaluk School. The situation in the Mangilaluk School, I’m happy to hear the Minister on a go forward basis on the funding for next year, but I still feel strongly enough that I do want to put a motion into the House. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That’s all good news to hear from the Minister. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister if we could do a joint letter to that fire marshal from myself and from him to get him into the communities to get this issue sorted out before a fire does occur. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In the community of Tuk -- I’ve been a firefighter there for over 20 years, Mr. Speaker -- we have no breathing apparatuses. We have six units that were there from the 1980s. The bunker gear is outdated, Mr. Speaker. We were at a fire about a month and a half ago. I’m asking the Minister if he could commit to find the funding and the financing to address these issues in all of Nunakput. Thank you.

Oh, no.

Yes, I do, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that the committee strongly recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment work in close cooperation with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council to take all the steps necessary to establish a full-time high school teacher position in Sachs Harbour for 2010-11…

Wrong motion, Mr. Speaker. That’s my second one. I’m speaking on the Mangilaluk School extension.