Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Thank you. Regarding this homelessness program, you know, and I -- you know, in Tlicho region, especially in Behchoko alone, we have a lot of people on the housing waitlist but in the other small communities, there's a waitlist as well, like Whati and Gameti and even in Wekweeti, you know, there is a waitlist for people to get into programs. So right now I have a lot of people in the small communities where they're couch surfing or it's overcrowded, like in Wekweeti, you know. I didn't think that there would be because, you know -- but there is. Like I've said many times, a lot of people are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Mackenzie Delta, that Committee Report 37-20(1), Standing Committee on Social Development's Report on Bill 34, Trespass to Property Act, be received by the Assembly and referred to Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, or else I could wait until we do the, you know, summary. But I can -- if it is okay, I can ask, you know -- I can ask this question here. Community housing services, administrations, you know, for the upcoming fiscal year, $7.7 million, and funding for local housing organizations to provide property management, so does that include the administrations like the office staff or administrative team? And so that includes the maintenance as well maybe? Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Social Development is pleased to provide its report on Bill 34, Trespass to Property Act, and commends it to the House.

Mr. Speaker, Bill 34: Trespass to Property Act seeks to address significant gaps in trespassing law by creating legislation intended to govern trespass to private property, to schools, and to certain types of private interests on public lands such as leases.

Bill 34, as originally drafted, provides the Royal Canadian Mounted Police the authority to remove trespassers from private property, issue arrests, and pursue...

Okay. Okay, because I know there are some people in the communities -- you know, I guess this is one of the good programs too, you know. And there are -- you know, we don't have no more HELP program -- I mean, what do you call -- HAP program, so -- and I know that because, you know, like, with that legacy mortgage that we just did yesterday, you know, the announcement, I know there's quite a few that -- you know, there's no market in small communities and I know there is a house that I think it's been on the market for three years. It's a private homeowner who bought it through the financial...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 34, Trespass to Property Act.

Bill 34 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on October 31st, 2025, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development for review. The committee held public hearings in Yellowknife and Hay River and received four written submissions on this bill. The committee also met with the Hay River health community committee. The committee carefully considered the feedback received throughout the review process and, in response, proposed nine...

Okay, thank you. I am a bit surprised with that response. Maybe it's -- so can the Minister tell us what are the eligible criteria to become a homeowner of these program? HELP program, I mean. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. It says here on page 377, Housing NWT operates 3,000 rental units in 32 communities. According to website, to MACA website, there's 33 communities. So maybe it's a typing error, or like -- so which community is left out that the housing is not -- have no housing rental units in that community?

This is -- it's something that I talked about too before were unsettled estates. You know, there's over 60 people that are living in a house that's -- they don't own that house because of estate, it's not settled. It's not in their name so they're not the rightful owner. And, you know, like to settle one of the estates, like it's going to cost a lot of money, sometimes like up to $40,000, so that they legally own that house. So right now there's a lot of people in my region that are living in a house that's not theirs but they've been living in it for quite some time, for many years of a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have two motions.

Now therefore I move, seconded by the Member for Mackenzie Delta, that this Legislative Assembly calls upon the Government of the Northwest Territories to conduct a detailed assessment of its market rental inventory to determine which units are suitable for transfer, taking into account building condition, community needs, and long-term housing strategy impacts;

And further, that the Government of the Northwest Territories develop and implement a program allowing for the transfer or sale of selected market rental units to the current...