N.W.T. MLAs demand action from housing minister on myriad issues

As the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly convened Tuesday for the first day back in session, MLAs demanded action from the government on housing and myriad other issues.

Several MLAs grilled Paulie Chinna, minister responsible for Housing N.W.T. and homelessness, on issues such as disrepair in public housing units, slow progress on a territorial strategy to address homelessness and what they say is poor communication from her department.

In his opening statement, Frame Lake MLA Kevin O'Reilly suggested the root of these problems lies in the N.W.T. government's "inability or unwillingness to provide adequate housing for all our residents."

"Housing is not a priority with this government when we continue to spend more on roads … and travel to Ottawa for mega-projects than on housing," he said.

O'Reilly's comments came after he highlighted the story of a constituent living in Lanky Court, a public housing complex that has previously faced scrutiny in the legislature for its poor living conditions, with a bed-bug infestation.

'Hard to believe'

O'Reilly said his constituent was told to prepare their apartment for pest control treatment and leave while it took place. After some lobbying from O'Reilly's office, they were temporarily placed in another unit — only to discover cockroaches, then get hit with a $400 moving fee. 

"It's hard to believe … that we treat people in this manner," O'Reilly said. 

He added it was difficult to obtain answers from the N.W.T.'s housing corporation over the incident.

When pressed on the matter, Chinna told O'Reilly she would follow-up with his constituent to ensure the Yellowknife Housing Authority paid for the moving costs, and that her staff are working on improving their communication and client relations. 

She also said half of $60 million the N.W.T. received for housing from the federal government last April will be committed to public housing renovation. 

Homelessness strategy on its way

O'Reilly wasn't the only MLA to speak about housing on Tuesday. 

Katrina Nokleby, the MLA for Great Slave, seemed to share her colleague's frustrations.

"When is this minister going to do anything for my constituents and others in the territory?" she asked at one point.

"Where are all these units she has continuously promised? Where are the contracts with NGOs to run the shelters in Yellowknife and Inuvik?"

In particular, Nokleby expressed concerns about how a lack of territory-wide data could impact a forthcoming strategy on homelessness, the creation of which was announced by the prior assembly back in 2018. 

Chinna acknowledged the territorial government does not currently have a system to collect data around homelessness on a rolling basis; instead, it's only collected when needed for specific projects.

"Not only does this make it difficult for me to tell you how many N.W.T. residents are impacted at this point, but it also means that I do not have the data on how long the individuals remain homeless and what kind of housing solutions they move into," Chinna said. 

The most recent numbers come from 2019, she continued, which show 1,585 Northwest Territories residents have experienced homelessness at some time in their life. 

Nokleby then asked how the N.W.T.'s housing corporation would make decisions and allocate funding without up-to-date information to draw from.

Chinna said the strategy will employ an "all-of-government approach."

"We are looking at the needs that are specifically identified, as well as addressing poverty reduction, food security, mental health and addictions, looking at affordable housing and working more closely with our nonprofit organizations," she said.

Chinna said she hopes to provide members with a draft of the strategy by Feb. 28. 

More questions expected Wednesday

For Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh MLA Richard Edjericon, the best solution to housing in the N.W.T. is funnelling cash directly to Indigenous and local governments. 

"In my riding, we have a housing crisis … so I want to know if we are able to work with the government to look at how we could use that money to go back into the communities here in the Northwest Territories," he said.

Edjericon said he intends to push both Chinna and Premier Caroline Cochrane on the potential of a contribution agreement with Indigenous governments on how to spend the $30 million for public housing renovations.

He ran out of time to pursue the line of questioning on Tuesday, but indicated he would resume it Wednesday.