Robert Villeneuve

Thank you, Madam Chair. That makes sense now. Actually, I would say we are lowering the limit for anybody who is making over 30 percent, $1,000 a month. The limit is going to be coming down for what is allowable to be deducted off your cheque. Am I correct? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A quick question on the 30 percent limit, raising the limit to 30 percent of net income. What were we at before we raised it to 30 percent? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess one of the main reasons I was asking this question is because I was looking at some of the floor plans in some of these units, and, Mr. Speaker, in some of these units you’ve got bedrooms in these units that are 8 by 10. You know, like how functional is that? You can maybe squeeze a bed in there, Mr. Speaker. That’s the point I’m getting at.

---Laughter

You know, and anything else, if you want a dresser or anything, you’ll never have any room for it. You don’t even have any closet space in there. That’s the functionality I’m talking about. People are trying...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are to the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation in regards to the affordable housing initiative. I know we're in the eighth month of the first year of this initiative and I just wanted to ask the Minister about the economic sustainability to our communities with the whole affordable housing initiative and how vital it is to the economic sustainability. Out of the $33 million that's going to go into the year one for the 170 homeownership and public housing dwellings that the Housing Corp is intending to put on the ground in the next six...

That’s all. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a quick question on the debt on the workers’ compensation assessment for Northern American Tungsten Corporation for $101,871.80. Could the Minister provide some clarification on what that debt was for and why it’s being written off? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a quick question with regard to the total amount of debts that the government wants forgiven in this act. After these debts are forgiven, does the government continue to pursue payment of these debts? I think we just write them off here in the House for government accounting procedures. I know other government organizations that do forgive debts, like LHOs, for instance, after they are forgiven and taken off the books, they still continue to pursue payment of some of these debts. Is that what the government does today? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s good to know that they are reviewing other jurisdictions, because I myself have done some reviews of other jurisdictions and they seem to have kind of tossed this whole rent policy out the door and went on something like their taxable income for people, which would alleviate their level of anxiety of how much their rent is going to be from one month to the next. At least they don’t have to file their monthly rental claims every month and people are more in tune to seek meaningful employment for a given year given the fact that they know what they’re rent is going...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’m just going to ask some of the same questions that I was asking the Minister of Education yesterday, but my questions are going to be directed to the Minister of Housing. The rent scale policy that we have in place, the old rent scale policy, I just want to ask the Minister, can he put something on the record to indicate that the Housing Corporation is going to possibly review the rent scale policy that touches a lot of people here in the NWT; a policy which creates a disincentive to seek employment for public housing clients, creates dissention towards the LHOs, the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess the government lost the court settlement. I just wanted more clarification of why we are writing off $100,000 for a company that seems to me is still in operation here in the NWT. Thank you.