Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I’d like to take this opportunity to just make a very short comment about the motion and in support of the motion, but also to say something about how…I can’t think of a word, but I guess "good" is a good word; how good it feels to have this Human Rights Commission up and running. I feel like I’ve watched there from its inception and for the longest time we were the only jurisdiction, or one of the very few jurisdictions in Canada without our own Human Rights Commission and it’s really rewarding, I guess that’s the word, to see the project start from the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Maybe the Premier has information that none of us have, because as far as I know, maybe the Premier can share with us on this because as far as I know the company made a final offer and the union does not feel that they can accept the offer. Not because of the details of the package, but because of some of the things that the company's asking for that the company cannot accommodate. I don't see any other extra sources, anything changing that could bring the two parties back together. So maybe the Premier has something to share with us that I'm not aware of. I don't...

Mr. Speaker, I believe the difference is that we are paying for the premium to buy the cleanup of the yard for $28 million. We are paying project management costs in $20 million that we are not under the Affordable Housing Strategy. We are spending $21 million on financing and contingency. We are paying way extra under Novel than buying brand new manufactured homes or any other home. I would suggest to the Minister that he does his homework over again and this project is way far away from being done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me just get really simple on this. What I am hearing from the Minister is that instead of this government getting advantage and getting a better deal by buying these used workforce housing, we are actually paying more. The Minister is saying that we have to do what Novel wants, which is that they want individual lots instead of its restricting our options of going multi lots which could reduce costs. I would like to know why it is that we have to pay $28 million in premium for buying this Novel trailer and paying $71 million to convert, and yet we end up with...

Mr. Speaker, I believe the difference is that we are paying for the premium to buy the cleanup of the yard for $28 million. We are paying project management costs in $20 million that we are not under the Affordable Housing Strategy. We are spending $21 million on financing and contingency. We are paying way extra under Novel than buying brand new manufactured homes or any other home. I would suggest to the Minister that he does his homework over again and this project is way far away from being done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to speak about my latest thoughts on the work of the Housing Corporation. First of all, let me, Mr. Speaker, commend the Minister of Housing on the latest affordable housing initiative in which we’ll see a $100 million investment and 50/50 percent cost share arrangement with the federal government that will see 530 new homes in the Territories, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

It’s also very good to see that the Housing Corporation is working with MACA and I can assure both Ministers that they will have my full support in this regard. Mr. Speaker, I also...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me just get really simple on this. What I am hearing from the Minister is that instead of this government getting advantage and getting a better deal by buying these used workforce housing, we are actually paying more. The Minister is saying that we have to do what Novel wants, which is that they want individual lots instead of its restricting our options of going multi lots which could reduce costs. I would like to know why it is that we have to pay $28 million in premium for buying this Novel trailer and paying $71 million to convert, and yet we end up with...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to speak about my latest thoughts on the work of the Housing Corporation. First of all, let me, Mr. Speaker, commend the Minister of Housing on the latest affordable housing initiative in which we’ll see a $100 million investment and 50/50 percent cost share arrangement with the federal government that will see 530 new homes in the Territories, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

It’s also very good to see that the Housing Corporation is working with MACA and I can assure both Ministers that they will have my full support in this regard. Mr. Speaker, I also...

Once again, Mr. Speaker, I am really trying to shorten my question. I have not heard an advantage. I think my question is very clear, Mr. Speaker. Under Affordable Housing Strategy, we are spending $100 million and it will get us 530 units. Under the Novel housing strategy, we are going to spend $220 million plus to buy used units, clean up the yard for Imperial Oil, and we are going to end up with 830. Where is the math? Mr. Minister has not answered that question. It is pretty straightforward, especially when he has a whole person working in his office doing nothing but answering...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of the Housing Corporation in regards to the latest update on the ATCO Novel housing product. Mr. Speaker, we have just got the information that the size of this project has reduced quite a bit, from 1,400 housing units to about 830.

Mr. Speaker, let me just start by saying once again that I believe that ATCO Novel is a good product. It is a clever idea. It is a company that could stand on its own. The issue here is whether or not this government and this territory and people of the Territories are getting enough...