EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
When you look at the minimum rent threshold based on minimum wage, it’s going to have to be reviewed based on the recent change to the minimum wage.
The aspects of the rent scale that have remained the same are student deductions; full-time students remain rent-free; the cost of living allowance in each community has their own cost of living allowance reducing the monthly rent charged; under accommodation allowance when it’s overcrowded in a sense, which reduces the rent by $20 per month for each bedroom the unit is short; and the national occupancy standards are used as well.
The unit condition rating reduces rent by $10 for every percent point a unit is below the community average when it comes to the actual condition of that unit.
I had asked previously as well when I first came in newly hired as the president and CEO whether public housing rent would be a disincentive for employment and the response I got back is that that’s not the case.
When you are employed, a certain percentage is deducted from your salary to a point where it’s very manageable. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to ask some questions about the blueprint for action. I know the strategy was tabled in the Legislative Assembly in May of 2013 and the action plan, I think, is expected to be tabled in the fall of 2016.
Is this still so?
Is this still to stand?
That is still the plan.
That being said, there is still a lot of work to do.
There’s a very aggressive schedule over the summer to finalize that report so that we can complete it for the fall.
Since you’ve tabled the strategy, that was a while ago now, by the time you table the action plan, will it mean that you would have to update the strategy?
Like I stated earlier, the strategy itself was created with the intent of having actionable items behind it. The action plan may identify some modifications that may need to be made to the strategy, but I don’t anticipate so.
In developing the blueprint for action, the Nunavut Housing Corporation selected a private company, Outcrop Nunavut, to develop this blueprint for action.
Can you tell us, when you went around to the different communities last fall of 2015, what kind of reaction and feedback did you get from the people that were consulted?
Like I stated earlier, I was asked that question already as well, but basically, there was some initial discussions with stakeholders. There are ongoing consultations to be done throughout the summer.
Right now, the process has been very open. Stakeholders have been engaged to identify how we’re going to move forward with the creation of this action plan in a collaborative method with as much consultation as needed.
When you did your consultations, was it the usual groups that are consulted like the hamlets and those kinds of people in the communities? Can you elaborate on that?
Sorry for the delay on the member’s question.
A similar question was asked earlier. Just to clarify, there have been stakeholder consultations and meetings to date. We’re still going forward with further public consultations more at the community level.
The details are still being ironed out with Outcrop on how exactly that is going to take place.
We do have a schedule that we’re aggressively following to meet the target date of this fall.
Ms. Angnakak: One of the things right here is called the Long-term Comprehensive Housing and Homelessness Strategy.
From what I understand, Family Services currently holds the homelessness responsibility.
How have you dealt with this when you have homelessness in your strategy but it really belongs to another department?
How have you dealt with that and what kinds of consultations have you done with the Department of Family Services?
I would just like to first of all clarify a little bit further with one of the previous responses.
When I mean community level, it’s more of a regional level.
There will be input requested from other stakeholders at the community level if they can provide input.
With regard to addressing homelessness, absolute homelessness versus overcrowding situations, they’re two different things.
As I’m sure the member is very much aware, when Family Services put through their absolute homeless number, it differed quite substantially from the original number that was put forward.
Again, I don’t recall exactly, but I think it was about three years ago, it was 1,200.
There is still some differentiation with regard to the actual description.
Working with Family Services and with other departments, again this will be part of the consultation process through the blueprint for action so that we can put action items behind some of the issues as they come forward.
When we talk about affordable housing, in your business plan, it says, “Work with NTI to address affordable housing needs in Nunavut in accordance with Aajiiqatigiinniq.”
Can you explain to us exactly how you’re working with NTI to address affordable housing? Are the other parties contributing financially to this as well?
There are ongoing discussions of business case and lobbying similar to the Ten-year Inuit Housing Strategy that NHC and NTI worked collaboratively on in 2004.
With regard to current ongoing discussions with NTI, I would ask Mr. Audla to provide a more detailed response.
We have been in discussions with NTI on our engagement with them on developing the blueprint for action.
We went through the detailed calendar schedule with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.
We’re hoping that they will be involved in the engagement process as we go through the summer, which is going to be quite extensive.
We’re quite confident that participation from NTI will be at a high level and we’re hoping that that will continue. At the same time, they haven’t necessarily identified any funds toward this.
At the end of the process, we’re hoping that we would look at the actual implementation and what it would cost for implementing a lot of the blueprint for action once it has been brought forward.
We’re hoping that we would have that type of detailed information for you once the engagement sessions have concluded.
In bringing the blueprint for action forward, you talked about having more detail.
At this point in time, do you have an idea of how much this is going to cost?
Again, that question was asked earlier.
If we look at what our current needs are across the territory for housing, it’s estimated at $2.56 billion to address all of our housing needs.
You say that you are going to be doing this throughout the summer months, if I understood you correctly.
It’s kind of an iffy thing to be doing work through the summer months and maybe this is addressed too.
Can you explain why you have chosen that time?
The main reasoning is we’re looking at engaging in April, May, and June.
When we say summer, it’s early summer/late spring, I guess you could say, which would give us and our partners in this time over the summer months to finalize the report to meet our deadline of the fall.
I want to talk about the Nunavut Housing Corporation’s Long-term Inuit Employment Plan. In your business plan, it says that “Several beneficiaries have been offered mentoring…” Maybe we can start off with how many beneficiaries were offered mentoring, what current positions they hold now, and what they hope to become after the mentoring.
One of the things that I brought up when I got the portfolio was I went through a mentorship program as well of identifying staff with potential to move up.
We’re always in discussions with our LHOs from across the territory for identifying staff from within the LHO organizations that have shown established skills and established work habits to look at bringing in them over into Nunavut Housing into the regional offices because they have a background in housing from the grassroots level, from the community level.
With regard to how many beneficiaries we’ve got in the training program right now, I believe it’s three.
I met one of them working in the Baker Lake office when I was there earlier in the winter. She is part of the Sivuliqtiksat Internship Program, if I recall correctly.
I was meeting with her, my apologies, in the Arviat office. She is very excited and the staff is extremely impressed with how she is progressing through. I believe it’s three that are in a formal mentorship type process right now, if that answers your question.
How many more do you think you’re going to be mentoring over the next couple of years?
As many as possible and I don’t mean that lightly.
With the training dollars that have been allocated to the Government of Nunavut through the legal settlement, through career development opportunities, through EIA, I’m in a very constant mode of trying to identify funds so that we can identify people from within our organization and from outside the organization that show the initiative and the desire to work at the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
The atmosphere of working in that office, every time I go in there, I leave refreshed and recharged. There are a lot of really good people working in there with a lot of desire to improve the housing situation across the whole territory.
To me, it seems like it would a pretty fun place to work. If anyone is listening out there who is looking for jobs and opportunities, I would encourage them to explore opportunities through the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
I would like to go to a different topic and that’s LHO arrears.
That has always been a topic that is a little complex. In your business plan, you talk about implementing LHO deficit recovery plans.
Can you talk a little bit about what a deficit recovery plan would look like?
Chairman: That was a question that was already asked by one of the committee colleagues, but if the minister wants to answer again.
Whenever an LHO is in a deficit position, we work very hard with them to address any deficiencies, to maximize the effectiveness of the dollars that they do have.
At the same time, we’ve got to be very cognizant of how aggressive that deficit recovery is.
We don’t want it to impact the residents of the housing that the LHO is responsible for maintaining. It’s a delicate balance, but we work very closely through the regional offices to assist LHOs in any deficit recovery, big or small.
I’m going through the business plan and what interests me is what I’m asking.
I guess we all have the same interest; we want to know about the same thing.
The other thing that I did want to talk about and maybe somebody has asked it is you have various programs here like Nunavut down-payment assistance.
Mr. Rumbolt was talking about some of his frustrations with that. In most of them, do you have the same kind of criteria to access these programs? Are they all very different from one another?
In general, there are a lot of similarities.
I would like to say that it depends on the level of funding as well.
Some are prioritized based on financial.
Some are prioritized on base of need.
There are emergency repair programs. There are senior maintenance programs.
There are home repair programs.
A lot of them are very similar.
Some of them are forgivable loans.
Some of them are direct contributions.
The parameters of eligibility change a little bit with the type of program it is, whether it’s strictly a contribution or whether it be through forgivable loans, and the timelines associated with that.
There are some differences. In general, the residency and income requirements are fairly standard through most of them.
I don’t have very many more questions, but I do want to ask about the Interim Financing Program. Today, it seems most people are buying houses that have already been built or somebody is already living in them and they buy them.
This one is to provide “construction loans to Nunavummiut who are unable to secure interim financing from a private lender to construct a new home.”
How many applicants would you have to that one?
I’m not sure if I have that specific level of detail, if the Chairman will indulge me for a moment.
In general, that program is there to assist somebody building a new home where there are levels of payment that some banks don’t get up to until it’s a substantial amount of completion where they will do a mortgage on.
In answer to your question, there is one applicant.
Ms. Angnakak: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. One applicant from this fiscal year. How popular is this program?
Hon. George Hickes: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have the numbers for 2014-15 and 2015-16. I see one applicant last year and one new application right now.
It says that it’s a construction loan. What would be the interest rate on that loan?
I don’t have that level of detail here.
I can get back to the member if she is truly interested in that.
I think the other members may be indulged.
One applicant. Ms. Angnakak.
I would appreciate that because I am truly interested in finding out.
While you’re at it, maybe you can also tell me the number of applicants under the program of the Seniors and Persons with Disabilities Home Options Program.
That is where you assist seniors and people with disabilities “who can no longer afford homeownership by allowing them to access public housing upon the sale or transfer of their home.” There are a number of applicants for that.
Does that mean I can sell my home if I’m an elder? It’s too expensive, so I’m going to sell it, I sell it for a bunch of money, and then I enter public housing. How does that all work?
I think that’s a slightly different program that the member was talking about, but there are cases where seniors can… .
There are two different options.
They can transfer the property to a relative, to one of their children or family member, or they can sell it to the Nunavut Housing Corporation and then enter into a public housing arrangement.
If it’s sold to the Nunavut Housing Corporation, do they buy it at market value?
Hon. George Hickes: Definitely, the condition of the unit and the market rate are taken into consideration on that.
I’m not sure if there are any other parameters.
It doesn’t happen that often, but again, I can get back to the member with a little bit more detail on that and provide it to the committee members.
At this time, I would like to report progress.
Mr. Mikkungwak: Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 13 and would like to report progress and that one Committee Motion being adopted.
A reminder that there’s a meeting of the Regular Caucus at ten o’clock tomorrow morning in the Nanuq Boardroom.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) This House stands adjourned until Tuesday, March 8, at 1:30 p.m.
However, under the authority provided to me by Motion 16 – 4(3), the start time for tomorrow’s sitting is subject to change, depending on the weather conditions.
Members will be advised of any changes through the Office of the Clerk.
>>House adjourned at 20:27
Deputy Premier; Minister of Economic Development and Transportation; Minister of Energy; Minister of Health; Minister responsible for the Status of Women; Minister responsible for Suicide Prevention
Minister of Finance, Chair of the Financial Management Board; Minister of Justice; Minister responsible for Labour; Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission
Premier; Minister of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs; Minister responsible for Aboriginal Affairs; Minister responsible for Immigration
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Pages 1210 – 1277
Opening Prayer 1210
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 1210
Report of the Committee of the Whole 1276
Orders of the Day 1276
Tuesday, March 8, 2016 1210
Bill 13 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2016-2017 – Nunavut Housing Corporation – Consideration in Committee 1211
Bill 13 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2016-2017 – Family Services – Consideration in Committee 1221
>>House commenced at 15:00
(interpretation ends) The Hon. Member for Hudson Bay, Mr. Allan Rumbolt.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to proceed directly to Item 19 in the Orders of the Day.
I’ll ask members to remain at their desks so that we can immediately proceed with the Committee of the Whole.
In Committee of the Whole, we have the following to items to deal with: Bills 10, 11, 12, and 13 and Tabled Documents 73 – 4(2), 116 – 4(2), 140 – 4(2), 149 – 4(2), and 70 – 4(3).
Mr. Chairman, we wish to continue with the review of the 2016-17 Main Estimates of the Nunavut Housing Corporation, followed by the departments of Family Services and Finance.
If time permits, we may continue the review of other departments.
Chairman: Are we in agreement that we continue with the main estimates for the Nunavut Housing Corporation?
(interpretation ends) Minister Hickes, please introduce your staff.
For the record, I have with me President and Chief Executive Officer for Nunavut Housing Corporation Terry Audla and Director of Policy and Strategic Planning Tim Brown.
We were on page L-3.
Nunavut Housing Corporation. Nunavut Housing Corporation.
I wanted to ask a question in regard to the funding that is allocated to LHOs. (interpretation ends) After hours, after 5:00, (interpretation) there is usually some staff working (interpretation ends) that are on call. (interpretation) Do you provide or allocate funding for standby pay?
The way I understand it is funding is provided to LHOs for the amount of staff that they have for regular business hours. Typically, overtime is absorbed through the staff funding.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you very much. (interpretation ends) Mr. A. Sammurtok.
When our colleague first assumed the portfolio of the Nunavut Housing Corporation, he travelled to Rankin Inlet where I met him upon his arrival and I thank him for that trip. Nonetheless, when we met with the local housing authority, these items were brought up at the meeting.
One of the issues was that they don’t receive emergency funding (interpretation ends) regarding water line breaks and no heat (interpretation) during the winter in particular with (interpretation ends) no heat. (interpretation) I wonder if they can take that into consideration for the future.
As the member mentioned, some people did bring it up in Rankin Inlet specifically when I was there.
We continuously keep on top of LHO funding to make sure that we’re funding to address the actual need within a community.
Obviously, there can and have been unforeseen circumstances that demand our LHO staff in the communities to work overtime to deal with emergency situations.
Typically, the funding is sufficient to absorb, but if there is ever a need, the LHO can contact the district office and we will work with them to address any concerns.
I just want to get an idea on the homeownership programs.
Overall, in looking at the different programs, what is the uptake?
Can we get kind of an overview of where things are at?
Which ones are getting more and more used or less and less used?
Let’s take the Home Renovation Program as an example.
Can we get some idea on the uptake?
In the 2015-16 fiscal year, we had $4.5 million, of that $2.4 million was from the home repair program.
Typically, it has kind of averaged around $2 million a year. There was a slight increase of up to $2.4 million last year. I would attribute that to the centralization of our homeownership program application process being run out of the office in Arviat.
They had streamlined the process for applications quite substantially where we have been able to address any backlog with any applications and I’m very happy with the results to date.
How many houses were renovated using that money?
If you can provide that information.
Under the different programs, there are obviously different levels of engagement, but in total, there were 352 applicants in the 2015-16 year that were approved.
Of that, the home repair program was 114, the Heating Oil Tank Replacement Program was 98, the down-payment assistance program was 50, the Emergency Repair Program was 74, and the seniors and persons with disabilities were 4 applicants.
If a homeowner uses one of these programs, can they apply for the same program again?
Let’s say the $15,000 Emergency Repair Program, is there a certain amount of time where a scope of work that’s being done on a home repair project, if it’s an emergency, if the issue keeps coming up each year or even within the same year, can they keep applying for this homeownership program?
Hon. George Hickes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
If the member is specifically asking about the Emergency Repair Program, there is a scope of work that’s identified at the time when an applicant puts their application through for approval, which would encompass all of the emergency repairs at that point, if there is something that comes down the pipe, which should have been addressed at that point as well.
Basically, what we look at is identifying the current situation of the unit and addressing any concerns at that point.
There would typically not be a need to come back again for emergency repairs under the basis that the issue should have been dealt with the first time.
There is nothing, really, to stop people from applying. From what I can gather from the Emergency Repair Program, it’s an emergency-based funding program.
I would have to look into the specific details, but there is no limit and it’s based on a case-by-case nature.
Along the same lines, let’s say for the down-payment assistance program, are there individuals who apply again for a different or new property?
Have there been multiple applications that your corporation approved to the same individual under this program?
Typically, for the down-payment assistance program, it is a one-time only program. That being said, there are special circumstances that the housing corporation will take into consideration.
One example that has happened in the past is a divorce where people have separated and somebody is in need of and is able to fiscally maintain a residence, so they can reapply. We will consider on a case-by-case basis, but it’s typically one-time only.
My last question on homeownership is, we have talked a bit about the Tenant to Owner Program.
Where does the corporation see this program going moving forward? Do you think it’s viable to pursue?
Where is it going from here on?
That’s my final question for housing for now.
Typically, it hasn’t been a program that has been taken advantage of too often.
Like I believe I mentioned yesterday, there was one application last year and one new application this year.
Again, when we’re doing our blueprint for action, all these programs will be considered on an evaluation of their intended results.
At the same time, we have to make sure that when we put people in a homeownership position, we’re doing them justice and making sure that they’re fiscally able to maintain a home on their own.
It’s something that we’re always cognizant of.
At the moment, we’re not looking at taking away this program.
Following the list of names, we’re on the Nunavut Housing Corporation, Mr. Okalik.
This matter completely slipped my mind.
Firstly, I wish all women a wonderful day, as today is International Women’s Day and a happy day indeed.
I forgot to ask about this issue at an earlier junction, particularly related to a private homeowner who waited for many years for funding assistance to repair their house.
The house would become cold in the winter due to drafty windows. I believe they stated that they had been waiting for four years, as their application would not make the list of approved projects or the funds ran out.
This occurred over a lengthy period.
I would like an update as to these situations, if they are aware, related to funding assistance issues.
In the past, there have been some timely issues through capacity of being able to deal with the amount of applications that were going through.
We took steps last year to centralize the application process for homeownership programs, like I had mentioned earlier, to our headquarters office in Arviat.
That has streamlined the process substantially.
Like I had mentioned, I’m quite happy with the progress that has been made out of there and the amount of time it has taken for applications to go through.
Going forward, I would anticipate not having a four-yearlong process.