Lucy Kuptana

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand the needs for housing in the Northwest Territories is difficult and that 897 families on the waitlist is an almost insurmountable task for the Northwest Territories and for this government. And the Legislative Assembly has made housing its number one priority. Housing NWT is up to the task along with this government, but that requires both federal funding, territorial funding, working with partners like our Indigenous governments, working with NGOs. So, again, it's not insurmountable but we have to make headway. We have been making some headway over the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. If there was a contract with Housing NWT to retrofit the unit, Housing NWT will pay the contract. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yes, Mr. Chair, there is funds. It's outlined in the capital plan. There's two houses currently being retrofitted and three planned for next fiscal year. So just to confirm, three for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was just getting some information from the vice-president. Currently, Behchoko, there is two units being repaired, and 15 units still to be repaired. The plan is that we repair three in Behchoko which would leave 12 units to be repaired once this capital budget is approved. The reason we're not repairing more units is this budget is based on what we have as Housing NWT for capital planning purposes. We look at our budget, we look at -- we provide an analysis of our operating costs, and at the end of the day we're left with $11 million for capital planning. So that's...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. The four-plex in Tulita has been transferred over to health for use for the nursing staff in Tulita. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about an issue that is important to the maintenance of the public housing stock. I am speaking about the damage to public housing units and the costs to the local housing organizations and Housing NWT. I want to highlight how this damage impacts the work plan of the local housing organizations and Housing NWT.

Housing NWT and local housing organizations strive to support tenants to be successful. Part of that success relies on the tenant keeping up with their responsibilities. This includes taking care of their unit, keeping it clean, and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, providing suitable, accessible, and affordable housing is a top priority for this government. Housing NWT is dedicated to delivering quality solutions that address the evolving housing needs of the Northwest Territories' communities and residents. Housing NWT continues to deliver a significant capital plan, including 512 housing units. This will result in 148 new and replacement public housing units, as well as the modernization and improvement of 364 housing assets currently operating throughout the territory.

Housing NWT's large multi-year capital program...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to inform the MLA that Housing NWT has a contribution agreement for the Akaitcho territory government to complete the home inspection units as requested. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories, through our finance department, provides us about $80 million a year for Housing NWT operations. We do get funding from CMHC and from CIRNAC to operate and maintain the homes across the North. That's an additional $20 million. So that's the sum of our public housing operating funds throughout the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The current number of people on the housing waitlist is 897 applications across the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.