Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the housing Minister consider transferring ownership of all housing units in the Tlicho region and other regions as well that are owned by housing NWT to the longterm tenants? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I did prepare a Member's statement but I'll do it for this. This is the right time to do it.

Madam Chair, we say that this is a consensus government, and this is not how the consensus government should be operating. The consensus government that I know in my region, they work together. They collaborate; they consult, you know, on issues that might have an impact that you know, on its citizens. So I don't see this as a consensus government. And, yes, being an Indigenous person, you know, like, since 1763 we never like, I mean, we know what the government...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time, there are a lot of housing from the 60s and 70s that are being that are being renovated at this time. Instead of doing that, what the Minister should be doing is focusing on building more houses. So with that, Mr. Speaker, it appears that housing NWT has some competing interest here. On the one hand, they claim they want to increase homeownership across the NWT, and they want to create partnership with Indigenous governments, but they are also afraid to receive a reduction in O and M funding and are therefore hesitant to sell, to sell off any of their...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, many of these houses are old, like, they're from 60s, 70. I just want to ask the Minister what are they using to determine to sell to transfer those units. Is it assessed value, or fair market value. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is not only in Tlicho community but in other Indigenous communities as well. But in all four communities, Mr. Speaker, there are dozens of housing units that some families have lived in for decades. Many people consider these houses their forever homes and, in most cases, families have every intention to pass on these existing homes to younger family to younger family members to ensure they are housed into the future. However, Mr. Speaker, some families have told me that it came as a surprise to them when they discovered that they are not actually the...

Yes. Madam Chair, my comment has not changed from a couple weeks ago. I was born and raised here. We have seen and still continue to see the struggles our people are going through every day especially in small communities. And I said before that this is not about us. This is about the people we serve in our region. And as an MLA, we are a public servant. And we are here to serve, you know, the public in the NWT. And that whatever the public is getting under the UNW collective agreement, that's what we should be getting as well. So for this, I stand with my colleague Rocky Simpson on this...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, I do have an issue with this too as well because we've been asking on Highway No. 3 to have cell service because that is the busiest highway and even you, Minister of Finance, said it before that it is a safety risk that, you know, since there's there's no cell service. I just I have a serious concern about that because we've been asking for cell service on Highway No. 3. We have a lot of incidents. We have life lost. And even last year when there was an incident on the highway, you know, like, I was talking about this young man at Boundary Creek, like, in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Youth need housing for shelter and their basic human needs. Housing is a first step for stabilizing youth and reducing loss of life. The probability of experiencing homelessness increases for youth who do not have access to housing. Youth in care are especially vulnerable if they do not have family or close relationships to support them as they transition out of care and secure housing. Youth need access to different housing options that are safe, affordable, and supportive. For example, Home Base YK Youth Dorms in Yellowknife offers programming every day and have staff...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At the moment, Housing NWT is owed almost $5 million in mortgage payment. The current process of refinancing and owning a house through Housing NWT is proving not sustainable. Can the Minister commit to forgiving the current outstanding mortgage payments owed to NWT Housing, particularly for those that have recently refinanced, so we can help our residents get out of poverty by having a stable home they know is theirs? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, indeed, we do need to do a better job at administering our housing programs and supporting our residents. And with that in mind, Mr. Speaker, if we give people a home and they continue to build arrears and are unable to pay their mortgage, that means our program is not working.

Can the Minister tell this House how they are working with residents who currently have a mortgage with Housing NWT to ensure they are able to pay that mortgage while having resources for other things, such as food? Thank you.