Kevin A. Menicoche

Does the Minister or does the NWT Housing Corporation have the ability to convert these homeownership houses over to public housing if there is an opportunity? Thank you.

As I said in my Member’s statement, the concern in Fort Liard is actually we would like to see more public housing units. I know that we are not building those, but as a suggestion and perhaps as part of the strategy for delivering homes in Fort Liard, do we have the ability to convert these homeownership homes should they continue to remain vacant? There are already three of them boarded up there, Mr. Speaker, due to the lack of clients. Can we convert these to public housing units? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to speak about housing in Fort Liard today. When I am talking with my constituents in Fort Liard, I hear that there are few available public housing units. With few homes to rent, there tends to be overcrowding. This has been an ongoing issue.

The community housing needs study completed in 2004 identified that 29 houses, or 16 percent, were overcrowded or did not have enough bedrooms appropriate for the number of people. I don’t think that these statistics have improved very much. Residents of Fort Liard require adequate and affordable housing...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to see some investment in our smaller communities in terms of three community learning centres. Costs are partially offset it says by the federal Knowledge Infrastructure Fund. Perhaps the Minister can correct me if I am wrong, but when they came up with these three projects, they had to kind of be spur of the moment. I think this is part of the Stimulus Fund from the federal government.

In terms of lack of facilities in the smaller communities, I have been speaking at length with regard to the library in Fort Simpson. I am just wondering if they are looking...

That is the kind of flexibility that we need with the NWT Housing Program. Fort Liard is a community of about 500 people. There is overcrowding. There are homes with about two or three families. They are waiting for these units. My issue is that a lot of people do have arrears, Mr. Speaker. Some of them are decades old, from some old programming, but it still remains on the books. I would like to ask the Minister, when they come across this issue, can they develop a strategy to address this so that we get people into houses and not let an old arrear bill be a hindrance to access our affordable...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is the conclusion of a process that began about a year ago with the Premier acknowledging that there certainly was an affair, and many Members...My colleagues were extremely concerned that there was an absolute appearance of conflict that launched this inquiry.

I am a strong believer in our institution. We went down that road there, Mr. Speaker. I think, for my constituents and my leadership, they have told me over the years and they, in fact, coming into this fall session, is that we’re not interested in the drama that’s happening there, we’re interested in...

Certainly there’s a whole range of different family living arrangements. Certainly those that can afford it, should afford it, Mr. Speaker, but I’m talking about cases where the elder or senior needs that caretaking ability and often it’s a son or a daughter. I’m asking, can we look at the Seniors’ Home Fuel Subsidy Program, can we re-evaluate some of the parameters and guidelines and look at an exemption for caretaker? I don’t know; government has to design it. So that’s what I’d like to see there. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement on the Seniors’ Home Fuel Subsidy Program to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

At this time of year we’ve got our elders that want to access this program. Maybe the Minister can just tell me a little bit about the program and some of the guidelines around it, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Minister did indicate they just reviewed it in 2008. Do they have plans to review the income thresholds of this program any time soon? Perhaps this year? Thank you.

I’d like to thank the Minister for that answer there. It kind of details it a bit for myself and the public out there. I had raised this issue because there’s an elder in my community of Fort Simpson, as well as the other communities that I represent, Wrigley, Nahanni Butte, and I’m sure in other ridings as well, we have the issue where the elder or the senior is living at home and through no fault of their own they want their son or their daughter to live with them, but it’s household income that is, I believe, one of the determining factors.

So I’d like to ask the Minister, here we’ve got a...