Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have lots of conversations, and that is kind of part of the problem. What we need is more action. To address the housing deficit in the NWT, it always comes down to money. What action has the Minister taken to address the issue of lack of funding to substantially address our housing shortage here in the NWT? Is the Minister applying any pressure on the federal government to access additional funds for housing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's not only a housing deficit that we are facing in Hay River. It is access to land, as well. Can the Minister commit to working collaboratively with MACA, Lands, and the Town of Hay River to ensure that land for public housing will be made available, with a quick turnaround?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to congratulate each of those students who are graduating from Ecole Boreal, Diamond Jenness Secondary School, and Aurora College. I know that these graduates will not forget the year they graduated, nor will they forget the unique events of COVID-19 surrounding their graduation.

We all appreciate and acknowledge the commitment, sacrifice, and hard work that these students put in to achieve their status as graduates. These students started their educational journey as young children and have now finished as young adults. That chapter has now closed, and it...

Over the years, communities and government have been talking about smaller homes for people, so I will ask the Minister: will she commit her department to seriously look at the construction of smaller homes for those who are homeless or hard to house?

Thank you, Madam Chair. What can I say? Being from Hay River I continually get emails. I know that the Minister had said that Protect NWT gets 10,000, or they had over 10,000. Well, I've had probably half of those as well. I think it is important that they take a look at communication all the way from the top right down like to the border and vice versa. There seems to be a real gap in communication. The other thing that I think the issue, like in community of Hay River anyways, was the monitoring. Who is in charge of monitoring? That was a big thing. Then we were told that it's up to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I'd be hoping that the Housing Corporation, knowing that there is a shortage in Hay River, would be kind of proactive, so I'm just wondering: when was the last time that anybody from the department has actually talked to the owner of the high-rise? I talk to him probably weekly, so I'm just wondering if your department has talked to him, or when was the last time anybody talked to him. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think that the people appreciate the beds that are made available to the homeless right now. Problem is that some of them are removed every once in a while, and they have nowhere to go. They had a shelter in the old part of Hay River, and it was closed. This morning there was somebody peeking out the window, so they moved back in. I told the guy, "Just keep the door open. Let them use it until something else comes up."

The next question I have for the Minister: it's not only the homeless that we need shelter for in Hay River. We need living accommodation for singles, couples, and families...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The United Nations General Assembly designated June 15th as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. It is to bring attention to the world that abuse of elders is a public health and human rights issue that must be addressed.

The issue of COVID-19 has brought the treatment of elders to the forefront as we hear of the appalling treatment that some are being subjected to in both public and private care homes. It is not only care homes. We know of elders being abused by government through outdated policies and lack of support by family and friends. I am not saying this is an...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I support this recommendation. What we have to do is we've got to look to working with Indigenous groups. We need to look at Indigenous ownership on some of these major projects. The other thing is we do need access to green energy and, in the South Slave, or even in the North, if we're going to promote manufacturing, we need access to cheap power, and right now we don't have that. This would provide opportunities in training, capacity building, business opportunities, contracting, a number of areas, so I think that it is okay to dream big. It's moving ahead, slowly...

The Hay River high-rise has been a sore point for many, but it has 122 apartments sitting empty right now. It is time to put our differences aside and seriously look at it as a viable place to reduce housing requirements in Hay River. This government did it with the Arnica Inn project here in Yellowknife. Why not the Hay River high-rise?