Robert C. McLeod

As we speak we’re doing a review of the rent scale right now and this is a discussion I’ve had with senior management over at the Housing Corporation. As for an exact time frame of this particular one, I know we’re hoping to have the rent scale review completed and implemented by April 1st. But as far as the actual questions the Member is asking, I’m not sure of an exact time frame. I will confirm that and I will pass it on to committee. Thank you.

The delivery of public housing in Yellowknife is one that goes hand in hand with the delivery of public housing across the Northwest Territories. As far as the affordability in Yellowknife, they have a very vibrant housing market here and there’s an ability that’s not available in a lot of the smaller communities to access some of the market housing in Yellowknife.

Mr. Chairman, through our district offices, we try to get the information out there as quickly as possible and, again, having a pretty good idea of the potential projects for the next building season will give us an opportunity to get some of the information out there quicker so we can, if there are any expressions of interest out there, we would obviously hear about those a lot sooner.

The infrastructure budget is obviously a tabled item, so the information is available and will be available, so they would be able to realize the number of projects that might be coming out in their particular...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me, to my left, Mr. Jeff Polakoff, president and CEO of the NWT Housing Corporation; to my right I have Mr. Jeff Anderson, vice-president of finance with the NWT Housing Corporation.

With this budget and information that we’re putting before you, a lot of these ones, when the construction comes out or the tenders come out this next building season, which is this summer, you’ll see a lot of them where it’s just labour only.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is an argument that we’ve heard a lot of across the Northwest Territories and all my visits to the communities saying that the rent is a disincentive to work. We hear stories where folks have been paying $32 a month, they get a seasonal job, their rents increase for the time they’re working and that is a policy that the LHOs are following. I’ve had some discussions with senior officials, but we have to understand, though, that for the amount of time they’re not working and they’re paying $32 a month, we’re subsidizing them a huge amount and during the time that their...

One thing we hear across the Northwest Territories and probably one of the biggest employers and sources of funding that goes into each community is through housing, whether it be building new units or working for the local housing authorities. I have to disagree. I think there is a bit of a positive impact on the communities. I have seen communities where the LHOs have done all their own modernization and improvement instead of bringing contractors in. They keep people employed for the summer, six months, then they can qualify for other benefits. There is some positive impact. There are...

Mr. Chairman, the Member raises a very good point. It is a concern that we have heard from Mr. Chairman himself on the process. We feel that with presenting our budget now, or as an information item for next year, will give us a head start on the planning. Members will have a fairly good idea of the project that we are planning, because you used to not be able to see this until the actual budget in budget session and then you approved it then, and then the planning started. That is the reason we have had so many delays and carryovers. Now, as part of this process, we can start the planning...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We appreciate all the comments the Members made on the motion that’s before us. Recognizing that there is a concern, this obviously is something that we will be considering during our review of the rent scale.

One thing we have to realize, though, is that lowering it may be a disincentive to some of the higher income earners moving out of public housing and into homeownership. Using the gross at 30 percent, it affects a lot of the lower income earners more than the higher income earners, because the higher income earners have opportunities to put their money into...

Unfortunately we don’t have that. I will follow up with the Member. Part of the 12 units, once we find out where those units actually are, some of them could be amongst the units that the Member is speaking about. I will get the proper information and I will share it with the Member.