Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Mr. Chair, I move that the committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories conduct an operational review of the Northwest Territories Rental Office, including whether it is accessible for tenants and landlords, whether it is adequately staffed, and whether access to justice through the Northwest Territories Legal Aid Commission is integrated within the roles and responsibilities of the rental office. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, I move that the committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories review all Housing Northwest Territories financial policies, including policies respecting loans and grants, to ensure treaty obligations are upheld;

And further, specifically, to ensure that policies safeguard against unfairly including treaty-related income such as dividend payments, or gifts, into an applicant's income and thus disproportionately impacting their eligibility or level of assistance;

And furthermore, this committee recommends the Government of the Northwest Territories make any...

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories review and implement strategies to assist non-profit and charitable organizations with contracts to provide social housing or Housing First, with the rise of insurance costs, specifically for their rental housing programs. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my region market rental unit, despite the condition of the unit, tenants are paying $1,900 monthly in rent. So I want to ask the Minister what step is Housing NWT taking to support homeownership in communities where private housing market are limited or nonexistent and how will the department ensure that Northerners in these areas are not left behind in housing policy decisions? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Indeed housing did fail our people, especially in small communities. Mr. Speaker, across the NWT, many residents live in market rental units owned by Housing NWT. These homes have provided shelter and stability for many families, but the dreams of homeownership is not possible. It is unreachable for many.

Mr. Speaker, in communities where there is little to no housing market, residents cannot buy a house. There is no house listing, no private developers, and no banks offering mortgages. Yet these same residents have been paying rent, maintaining the house, and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when I’m speaking I'm not only speaking for my region, but I'm speaking for the rest of the Northwest Territories. So there's a lot of people that are in the same situation. I know that.

So with all the recommendation made -- or with accepting all the recommendation, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit to exploring a policy that allows long-term tenants in market rental unit, especially in small communities with no housing market, to transition into homeownership through a formal transfer of ownership? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is good to hear Housing NWT will accept all recommendation made in housing audit. Mr. Speaker, I assume accepting recommendation means commitment as well. With that in mind, Mr. Speaker, many of my constituents have asked about the possibility of having ownership of their market rental unit transferred to them. Has Housing NWT conducted any assessments or consultation with residents in small communities to determine interest or readiness for ownership transfer of market rental units? And if not, will the Minister commit to initiating this engagement...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member from Range Lake that Committee Report 29-20(1), Standing Committee on Social Development's Report on Housing as a Human Right, be received by the Assembly and referred to the Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge and recognize Darrell Chocolate. He is originally from Gameti. And I've known Darrell for many years when he attended Chief Jimmy Bruneau School in Edzo. So I would like to recognize him. And I would like to recognize and welcome Sonny Blake and Diane Archie was there, and then Cynthia Cardinal in the gallery. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. See CJBS, it's not a renovations. It's a new school we're asking for -- the community is asking for. So I just wanted to clarify that.

But there are Whati school -- it's not just that, but I'm not too sure if this is part of the capital project where busing, if there was any communications or, you know, with the community members because with the community growing, you know, people going back -- going home, the community is going to go through what we are going through in Behchoko with that subdivision. We're building a new subdivision in Behchoko. And Whati is...