Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Question here with regard to pay and benefits. A number of years ago we had quite a backlog. Staff were hired to get rid of the backlog. I’d like to just get an update as to where things sit now with our pay and benefits. Are we up to date, so to speak? I realize that there’s probably always some stuff that needs doing, but does the Minister feel that the department is on track and getting things processed in a timely manner?

Thanks to the Minister. I do agree with the fact that there are as many opinions for as there are against rent controls, but I have to disagree with the Minister that the government is taking the position that there’s no intent at this point to look at the Residential Tenancies Act.

I’d like to get a little information from the Minister on what tenants can do if there’s a huge increase or if there’s a major increase one year and then for the next three years running. Can the Minister tell me what process exists, what avenue exists for tenants to deal with what they consider as an unjustified...

Just to follow up, I can appreciate that it’s been a relatively short period of time since you’ve, sort of, started to implement the policy, but can the Minister tell me when they will do an evaluation and whether or not Members can get the results of that evaluation?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Residential Tenancies Act of the Northwest Territories was first enacted about 25 years ago, in 1987. It was modelled on legislation that was in effect across Canada at that time. It’s been amended over the years since, but only on a piecemeal basis. There are three areas of the act in particular which require some amendments: rent increases, the lack of power in the rental officer position, and coverage in the act for residents in transitional housing. Today I want to talk about rent controls.

The Residential Tenancies Act does not currently control the amount by...

I’d love to pin the Minister down to a specific time and date, but I appreciate the answer. Thank you very much. I look forward to the interim document in six months’ time. I think that’s going to be something which is needed and I think it will be much appreciated by our employees.

The other couple of questions I wanted to ask are around persons with disabilities and duty to accommodate and so on. The department has recently done a survey of persons with disabilities. I haven’t seen anything that indicates that that survey is done or that there have been any results from that survey. I wonder...

Thank you, Madam Chair. My question has been asked and answered.

I guess I’m just trying to clarify, I don’t remember where I read it but I believe I read that there is an employee working in DAAIR who is doing nothing but human resources work. I wondered if that is somebody who has been seconded from Human Resources to DAAIR to do that work. Maybe the Minister could speak to that for me.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. It wasn’t so much that we wouldn’t do it, but I’m sure there are times when, for whatever reason, we don’t necessarily do an inspection. Then I’m not calling anybody’s credibility into ill repute here, but my concern was that if we miss doing an inspection, what are we on the hook for as a government?

Secondly to that, the line here states these tasks protect the public by ensuring all installations are constructed dah, dah, dah, dah, dah. So in reference to all installations, are we talking just GNWT installations or are we talking private installations?

I go back to my...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’m not sure if I’m in the right place but I would like to ask a question with regard to service level agreements. The Auditor General recommended that Health and Social Services and Education, I believe, develop service-level agreements. They were to be developed in conjunction with the Department of Human Resources. I would like to ask the Minister where things are at in terms of the service-level agreements for both health and social services and education authorities.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Thanks for the information to the department. So I guess I’m just trying to understand whether or not the department covers every construction in every community in the NWT. So if somebody in Colville Lake is doing some addition to their house and they’re adding on electrical, do we send an inspector there to look at that addition and to make sure that the electrical has been properly installed?

The other question I have relative to this is if we do not, what kind of liability are we taking on? Thank you.