RANKIN INLET (Jan 13/97) - Before tenants move into a rental unit they should clearly understand the responsibilities involved, said Rankin Inlet hamlet councillor Louie Pilakapsi.

He said if tenants know what they're getting into they will better know how to budget their money and keep on top of rents.

"Perhaps we need public education," said Pilakapsi, through a translator at a council meeting last week in the Keewatin community.

Heating, electricity and other household services may be too much for a family to take on and pay for, which may have been the case for four families who received eviction notices just before Christmas, he said.

Mayor John Hickes agreed with Pilakapsi and spoke out about the very idea of kicking people out of their homes in the cold of winter.

Referring back to his days as a member of the Churchill, Man., city council, Hickes said they passed an act to prevent evictions between November and May.

It might be a good idea to pass a similar act in the Keewatin, he said.

Close to 70 per cent of tenants in rental units are on social assistance. That means some of these families pay only $32 a month for their home plus a small service charge.

Gofton said very few of these families fall behind on their rent.

"Very few people on social assistance get evicted," Gofton said.

Rents for working families are based on income, however the rate that they pay is going up in April.

If a family makes $80,000 annually, right now they are paying about $1,200 a month. As of April 1, that will rise to $1,800 a month.