Nunavut faces ‘worst housing crisis in Canada,’ MP says
Idlout asks federal government to commit to ending territory’s housing shortage
Nunavut MP Lori Idlout is calling on the federal government to commit to addressing the housing crisis in Nunavut. Idlout is seen here flanked by interim NDP Leader Don Davies at a news conference on Wednesday. (Photo by Jorge Antunes)
Nunavut MP Lori Idlout is a calling on the federal government to make a firm commitment to address the housing shortage in Nunavut.
“Will the minister keep working with Nunavut to address the worst housing crisis in Canada?” the NDP politician asked Liberal Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson in the House of Commons on Thursday.
Idlout pressed the government on the issue two days after posting a message on Facebook asking Nunavummiut whether they had ever been on a housing waiting list.
Robertson did not answer the question directly, instead reiterating the government’s plan announced last week to build 750 homes in Nunavut. Those 750 homes will be part of the Government of Nunavut’s plan to build 3,000 new units between 2022 and 2030.
Idlout’s question came on the heels of the federal NDP caucus’s visit to Rankin Inlet last month for their winter retreat. Along with talking strategy, NDP members met with Nunavummiut to hear their concerns on a variety of topics.
One Inuk man from Rankin Inlet told them he had been on the housing wait-list for 11 years, Idlout said in the House of Commons on Thursday. The man lives in a two-bedroom unit he shares with 16 other people.
“His story is all too common in Nunavut,” Idlout said.
In Ottawa last Friday, the federal government announced a partnership with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the Government of Nunavut to build 750 homes in Nunavut as part of the federal government’s $13-billion Build Canada Homes project.
When Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the plan in September, it included funding for 700 Nunavut homes. Idlout said the federal government’s addition of 50 more homes last week “is a good start” to solving the housing crisis.
More than 60 per cent of Nunavummiut rely on public housing — 45 per cent of which is considered overcrowded — and the public housing wait-list sat at 3,348 as of March 2025, according to the auditor general’s report published in May 2025.
The Feds solution was and is, Reno all the old ones, keep them quiet and happy, “no need to build new ones” Every community North of 60 has that same problem! Each town gets what two new duplexes a year? Isn’t it sad some people been on a waiting list for 15+ years!! And YOU adults and teens quit having kids if you don’t have a you’re own place, don’t fill up your parents house with 10-18 kids, have some respect!!
The feds do not decide where funds allocated for housing through annual grants are allocated. Only the NHC decides .
I’m no expert, but is there any chance that the overcrowding issue could be solved by reducing the astronomically high birth rate in nunavut?
Yeah you’re correct, you’re no expert, should of stopped there.
So how does Nunavut go about housing all these kids? If every teenage mom ends up having 5 kids, who’s responsibility is it to ensure they’re clothed, well-fed, educated, and ready to be independent by the time theyre adults? Is that the parent or the state’s responsibility?
I think there is a better idea and this is very suggestive. I’d love an open investigation on this comment, and expose who brought it up.
So you can punish someone for telling a truth that makes you uncomfortable?
But no mention of huge federal investments into Nunavut housing programs that constantly go off the rails?
It would be funny if it was not so stunning. Where has Lori and the NDP been the last 4 years? Has she not followed the ongoings in the Territory she is supposed to represent. Did she miss all the media coverage of the Fed’s and GN’s attempt to address the housing crisis? Did she miss the colossal disaster of the Nunavut 3000 undertaken by NHC? Did she miss the AG Report, all the media and social media attention? It appears so!
It seems over the last week especially that Lori and the good old NDP are doing everything possible to remain relevant without in fact doing anything. Did Lori or the NDP announce any programs, ideas, plans or strategies to address the housing crisis? No, they certainly did not Did they sit down with the GN, Hamlets, Inuit Organizations (IOs), Corporations, etc… to try and understand and develop a strategy to bring forward to the Fed’s to try and accelerate action on Housing? No, they certainly did not. What did they do? Well, nothing other than solicit feedback on Facebook to understand the “scope” of the crisis and then hold a “news conference” to tell everyone what we already knew. Hey Lori, there has been about 3300 to 3600 Nunavummiut on the wait list for almost the last decade and it continues to grow every week. Everyone in Nunavut knows the challenge to get desperately needed housing other than it appears…you and the NDP!
For clarity there are currently 6 or 7 Federally funded housing programs directly targeting the housing crisis in Nunavut. They range from the Canada Community Builds Fund, Build Canada Homes (700 homes for Nunavut), the recently announced NTI, Fed and GN program to build 750 homes. The existing and failed Nunavut 3000 etc, etc… In all honesty, none of them is really making a substantial dent in the ongoing challenge. Some because they are yet to be tested or applied and some because they have already demonstrated they are a failure. A complete rethinking of the strategy by both the Feds and the GN is necessary along with the IOs and the larger corporations doing business in Nunavut. There needs to be a plan and strategy that provides measurable deliverables, strong management, cost controls and has built in accountability for performance. This type of program cannot come without coordinated and concerted effort by all parties with a stake in the crisis and most importantly Nunavummiut.
In the meantime, Lori and the NDP can keep trying to stay relevant with their 6.3% support Nationally and their “press conferences”. The next conference they hold will probably be to tell Nunavummiut that there is a significant Social Services issue throughout the Territory and the Feds must do something about it. We’ll save you the time…. we already know.
And to think, you and your party keep losing to them. Embarrassing…
So “Ouch”, whose party are you referring to and what assumption are you making? The NDP candidate won the last election by 41 votes. A little history lesson for you. Since 1997 the Federal “Nunavut” seat (previously known as “Nunatsiaq” (no not the newspaper)) the following has happened in terms of who has sat in the Federal seat in Nunavut:
* NDP = 7 years (currently hold the seat)
* The Conservatives = 7 years
* The Liberals = 15 years (that includes the Hunter Tootoo period)
So not sure who you mean by “your party” keeps losing to “them”…who is “them”? The NDP? If so, clearly no one has “kept” losing to them and who are “we” supposed to be exactly as neither the Conservatives or the Liberals have constantly lost to anyone in this riding.
The audit wasn’t on nunavut 3000. That program is doing great. Hundreds of houses going up. Although slow, but at a very good price. The audit has one mention of it only to point out it needs to better communicate. The audit was on nhc and lho work agreements and arrangements. Read the documents and get better informed. That way you don’t spread false information. But then again, maybe that’s your goal
Sorry Jimmy, we are not all drinking the Kool-aid. Most of us were able to read the news and social media, which has extensively covered Nunavut 3000. We were also able to watch live streams of Committee Hearings and watch Legislative Assembly Webcasts. We all saw and read about the disinformation, misleading statements, false numbers, exaggerated performance and total lack of accountability for performance of Nunavut 3000. We all saw the broken promises made over the last 4 years. We are all aware of the $30 million cost overruns (that we know of to date) on the first two contracts between NHC & NCCD or NCC 3000 or whatever they call themselves this week. The perks offered to NCCD or NCC 3000 that were not offered to any other Nunavut Contractors. The false cost per sq. ft. originally sold to Nunavummiut ($600 to $650 per sq. ft.) to justify the sole source contract. We are all aware that the 316 units due for delivery in October 2024 and December 2025 never happened (except 18 of them) and that most of the 6, 8 and 12 plexs that are part of those two contracts are going to be delivered anywhere between a year and a half and two years LATE. We have all watched NHC and NCCD or NCC 3000 constantly move the goal posts.
Jimmy 18 to 24 moths late to deliver 6, 8 &12 plexs is not SLOW…. it’s ridiculous!
So go on drinking the Kool-aid and trying to gaslight Nunavummiut. While the rest of us hope that the newly elected government will actually take steps to address the dumpster fire that is NHC and the Nunavut 3000 project and get the homes so desperately needed by Nunavummiut built.
You appear to be well informed. So could you list by community the number of units in each , there percentage of completion, progress draws to date and expected completion date. Any officer in charge of a project should have this information immediately at hand. At least that used to be a required job performance evaluation point.
“Worst housing crisis in Canada” yet they have the most BnB’s in Nunavut….
You do know that an BNB’s are private properties right? Not public housing!
Imagine a family of 19 renting out a room in their 3 bedroom public home with holes all over the house, lol.
Yes most BNB privately owned duuhh
Hopefully Jeremy can sort this out when we re-elect him!!
The GN and Housing Corp have been the problem, rather than the provider of solutions.
All they know how to do is:
* say no
* spend money
More money just drives up prices, because it competes for limited building sites, limited construction firms, limited construction workers.
Houses built by builders, who want to go home as soon as possible, are seldom well built.
Nunavut needs to build local construction capacity. Every housing contract in the past 25 years was required by NNI to have a training component. Where are all those suposedly trained Nunavut construction workers?
Government incompetence.
Where is my free house? Why isn’t the government paying my mortgage? I love how freeloading has become a norm.
It’s amazing how people will begin to think when inside a bubble that echoes like a chamber.
What are they trying to say? Not listening to any of it.
NHC manages 6,000 public housing units. It costs over $35 million annually just to maintain them.
Sell them all.
Give each adult in a community 1 ticket that allows them to buy a public housing unit. Then auction all of the units. Nicer units in Iqaluit may sell for over half a million each. Units in small communities might sell for $500. Who cares.
If you sell 6,000 units at an average of $40,000, you’re raising $240,000,000. Put that money directly into building more units. It’s enough to build 250 more units, and then sell those, too.
Take the $35 million you save on operating all those homes and put it into the Income Assistance bucket which is around $60 million. Immediately everybody on social assistance gets 1.5x more money.
With each person in a community only being allowed to buy one unit, you won’t have the richest ones buying up hordes of housing. At most, a couple would be able to buy two. But they may be deterred from speculation purchases of more than one unit knowing that the housing market would be flooded with private homes and therefore uncertainty surrounding resale value and private market rental rates which are currently being artificially held high by the choked supply thanks to NHC and Nunavut housing policy.
Private market house prices become more affordable.
Private market rents become more affordable.
More capital is available for NHC to build more units.
Private housing market actually comes into existence, which could potentially reduce the need for the GN to offer Staff Housing, saving more money and reducing houses that sit empty in some communities for years.
Some people in communities that currently have no hope of owning their own home may be able to buy their home for almost nothing. They can then pass this asset down to their children, creating generational wealth.
Continue the cycle.
Government provided housing is unsustainable but no politician has the guts to say it.
We would need a healthy society first before that could happen, right now there are just no real programs or wellness centres in Nunavut to make that happen, the communities really have very little to nothing at all, with so much trauma up here this has been overlooked for so long now, how can we move past all the trauma that has happened here for the last. 50-60 years?
Enough is never enough. Instead of holding the LHOs accountable for there units through collections, inspections and repairs they whine and complain. NHC is trying to plug huge holes with no clear direction. Hire couple of trades people per community, buy housing packages, bring in prospective owners to help with labour (sweat equity). If people want a house they work for it, if they don’t they don’t. This can be fixed with a bottom up application instead of another multi million dollar tender benefiting people sitting in offices in the South.
To bad Nunavut doesn’t have trees, In Fort Good hope, they were tired of waiting for hand outs for housing, so they started building log houses. So lucky!!
Growing up, we never seen people living in cabins, now its every community! So hurtful to see, What does the GOV expect us to do, build 10 bedroom Igloos during the winter? Every election, what is promised and never given? Quit voting for NDP, its not a real party!!!!
I’d like to see Lori’s evidence of a) what constitutes a housing crisis, b) what causes a housing crisis, c) that Nunavut has a housing crisis, and d) that it’s the worst in Canader
Is Lori suggesting that we need more public, rental housing? Does Lori know why many wealthy people in every hamlet and town are living in rented, public housing. Is Lori suggesting that the rampant teenage-mother boom is part of her housing crisis?
Lori, please do an extensive data collection, a deep analysis, and publish a report on the matter before you speak again
NHC’s problems comes the top two executives who have no more ideas to push. Results: their underlings do not give a hoot as will, none of them wants to do a marvelous deeds. Doesn’t matter to them, they’re not living from paycheck to paycheck like most of their tenants’.
Does our MP know NTI received 400 million dollars four years ago from the federal government for housing?
Maybe our MP needs an update from NTI on why they are not doing a whole lot with all the money.
As a Inuk, I have not heard about NTI getting so much money for housing, why has NTI not reported or updated us on this? Or have they and I missed it somewhere, what is NTI doing with all these funding they have, new funding sounds like, what are they doing with it?
The problem in Nunavut is the lack of home ownership, As of the 2021 census only 19.2% of residents live in their own home, meaning 80% plus of the population lives in subsidized staff housing or subsidized public housing.
With all these public housing projects on the rise, this rate is just going to get worse. Private home ownership creates more local jobs for people to service maintain and renovate these homes, it creates a greater demand products for homes.
National home ownership rate is at 65%.
The key to Nunavut’s housing issue is to increase home ownership. This needs to be done the right way by providing incentives for builders to build for private residents but them again who can afford $1500 per sq foot to build? Forget it, stupid recommendation.
Locals are on the wait list for years when 5 GN units for teachers and nurses sitting empty in Chesterfield Inlet. Even they put teachers to share and they don’t want to so they leave and we don’t have teachers for our kids. Housing needs to let locals use the empty units not leave them empty every year.
omg me too I just had a housing crisis and it like totally sucked it was so hard like I had to leave my house and find another one