Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is such a big issue we have in our small communities, because there is no job employment. Everything is seasonal. Can the Minister provide a time estimate on what time we could look at having something before the House for approval for arrears write-offs? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That sounds really good. It could be the Minister Paulie Chinna Arrears Program. We're thankful for that. This work will involve assessing the total amount of arrears owed by an annual income for those who owe arrears. Will the Minister provide an assessment to the appropriate standing committee when this is completed?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. It would also demonstrate that the GNWT is not using arrears as a means to punish the ones who have not paid their rent, but rather that the GNWT is doing everything in its power to encourage responsible tenancy.

Mr. Speaker, I am encouraging the Minister to seriously consider this proposal. It will give people in public housing a way to move forward and maybe even towards the goal of eventual home ownership. I have been encouraged by this Minister's willingness to work with Members on this side of the House. I'm sure she will recognize the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have talked about the challenges in Nunakput and the small communities across the territory for rental arrears. The housing clients who live in our communities, so many of them are struggling with rental arrears. Arrears can accumulate for reasons beyond the tenant's control. Illness, unemployment, seasonal employment, and rental charges that are too high based on the former T4 system; now the Minister fixed that for us last week. These things, or a combination of them, can put a person into arrears.

Once someone is in arrears, it is really hard to climb out of that...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just in regard to that, when we build these units, the detached units that are sold to the clients in the communities who can buy the fuel, pay the power, and stuff like that, are these units taken out of our system, and then does CMHC give you the opportunity to get another unit to replace that unit in that community? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just in regard to that, I wonder if there is any thought given to putting like a four-plex of single-dwelling units or one-bedroom apartments, because we have young families in my ridings, and they're just staying with families. It's pretty tough on everybody. So, to try to alleviate the pressure in regard to that, I'm just wondering if, instead of building a house in Tuktoyaktuk, could we put another four-plex in the community, if it's possible? Same thing for Ulukhaktok, Paulatuk; we're really needing not single-dwelling houses. We need multiplexes, because the young...

Thank you, Madam Chair, just in regards to picking up off of the RCMP housing units in the communities. Do you want me to go ahead, Madam Chair? I see your hand up.

One more thing: today, they started back home for spring break. All the people who are travelling now, our teachers, anybody who is able to get of the community because it is spring break, I think: how is that going to work in our communities? Is the Minister or other Ministers putting that in effect into email to the principals, to the hamlet offices, all the people who need to be notified in case somebody does come back, does show symptoms of the sickness, and to be self-quarantined or quarantined? The staff that we have in our remote communities for health centres, they are going to send...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I got an email from one of my constituents regarding coronavirus. Every hamlet community has a hamlet office. Every hamlet office has an emergency plan. Is the MACA Minister willing to get, on the community level, making sure that they are starting to enact that plan in case somebody has the coronavirus? I am not trying to cause panic, but I am trying to give a heads-up to the communities to start looking at the community emergency plan and how they are going to act on it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. That's cost savings, I guess, for the department if somebody's not spending that money, then. The monies that are not being spent, what's the timeline on the contribution agreement deadline? Do they have enough time to resubscribe, for some communities to resubscribe to that funding for that year to do the expenditures, instead of having to, basically, give it back to the GNWT, and then, not able to spend it? Thank you, Madam Chair.