Norman Yakeleya

Thank you. I think the Minister and I are somewhat agreeing and on the same page in terms of the issue of land tenure and that whole accountability issue with the Housing Corporation. But we also have accountability to our own people, so I think we’re on the same page. I talk about the experience because of my own grandfather’s house and my mother that lived in the house, that Housing told her when they moved into a public housing unit and that house now that my grandfather has, there’s a public housing unit sitting on there right now. So why is that public housing on my grandfather’s lot? How...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The land requirements. Some of the issues that we have with land requirements in some of our communities and because it’s quite complex and sometimes we don’t get the houses we want built for that year because of the issue with the municipal or, as in our case, with the Sahtu municipal lands there are certain agreements that need to be put in place before the Housing Corporation puts houses in the communities. Sometimes when these agreements don’t come in time because of the schedule, sometimes we’re told that if you don’t get your land, it’s too bad, you can’t have a...

Thank you, and now the mortgage collection specialists. Is this going to be part of their long-term O and M or is this going to be a program where they’ll train or work with the local housing authorities to take more of a role into it and the mortgage collection specialists would ease their way out? So is this going to be a part of the ongoing O and M?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. On the increase of nine positions, could I get a little more detail on that?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly I’m prepared to lace up with the Minister of ITI and defend this claim to fame in terms of the birthplace of ice hockey in Canada. I want to ask the Minister in terms of all the good publicity we have and now with the Olympics that are going to start, I think it’s going to somewhat scale back and the focus is going to be on the athletes in that once we finish this whole event that’s happening in Vancouver we’ll be sitting down and looking at a bigger picture strategy in terms of how to go forward and continuing on the good work that this department has done on...

Mr. Chair, in light of what we’ve just been reading now, the survey of the NWT community housing components and the old 2004 survey with the acquisition for the infrastructure, I’m going to have to look at it. I’m just asking the Minister, does that match with our needs in the Nahendeh, the Sahtu and the Beaufort-Delta in terms of the dollars that we’re spending to bring down the core needs, the percentages? I haven’t done my own analysis so I want to ask the Minister that. Thank you.

I was particularly interested with respect to this reporter when he was doing the interview with us talking about the unknown Sahtu region. The German people are very avid hikers. He talked about the hiking that could be done in the Northwest Territories. He was very interested in how to get into the Sahtu. He talked about the Mackenzie Valley Highway. In terms of that type of interest out there and attracting European visitors, would the Minister, with respect to all the feedback we’ve received regarding the Northwest Territories, take this to look at a strategy that will attract...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee strongly recommends that the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation identifies the necessary funds to reinstate the community liaison positions during the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to use my Member’s statement this morning to say how much I appreciate the good work of the people down in Vancouver at the Olympics who are making the Northwest Territories known for its beauty, for its uniqueness and a place to come visit and live and invest in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I was very impressed with the ITI staff. The Minister himself -- this whole Legislative Assembly -- should be congratulated because the number of people I spoke to at the Northern House, they were truly impressed by the magnificent opportunities of wealth and...

Mr. Chair, I seek unanimous consent to go back to 5-55.