Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 19/01) - A housing crunch in the capital is hitting MLAs where it hurts, in the wallets.

Taxpayers provide out-of-town MLAs with a maximum of $17,000 to cover living expenses while in the capital. The allowance was increased $2,000 a year ago.

By contrast, out-of-town cabinet ministers get up to $35,000 annually for household expenses. That includes money for furniture, which they do not get to keep.

But two MLAs -- Deh Cho's Michael McLeod and North Slave's Leon Lafferty -- say recent rent hikes in the capital have pushed their housing costs above the expense limit.

On Thursday the legislative assembly's board of management considered a request by McLeod, who was not present, to raise the capital living allowance limit.

Board chair Tony Whitford said the Yellowknife rental market has gone through some dramatic changes in recent years.

"Two or three years ago, property managers couldn't give away their places. They were giving free TV a free months rent just to get people to come and rent," Whitford said. "Today rent is going up and if you don't like it, well, move."

Board member Vince Steen said he had to pay almost double the rent he had been paying when the place he was staying in was sold and he had to move.

Lafferty said rent on his three-bedroom unit at Bison Apartments jumped from $1,285 to $1,365 in October. That includes heat but not power, which averages over $100 per month during the winter months, said Lafferty.

The allowance amounts to $1,417 per month. Lafferty said he's been paying the difference.

Lafferty said he needs a three-bedroom unit because his wife, daughter and son often accompanies him to the capital for extended stays, such as when the assembly is sitting.

Nieces and nephews sometimes also stay over.

He and McLeod are the only MLAs who's housing expenses exceed the $17,000 limit.

When the board considered a request from McLeod to increase the housing allowance, it was Steen, cabinet's representative on the board, who asked why ministers get more money for housing than regular MLAs.

No one had a good answer. Lafferty said it doesn't make sense to him.

"We do just as much work as they do," said Lafferty. "We don't have the luxury buildings like they do. Some of them have houses. We have to share thin paper walls with neighbours."

The board elected to build flexibility into the allowance to ensure reasonable housing costs are covered.