Finance minister presents housing-heavy 2025-26 capital estimates
Nunavut Housing Corp. share accounts for one-third of $353.8M government spending plan introduced on fall sitting’s first day
Finance Minister Lorne Kusugak speaks at the legislative assembly Thursday, the first day of the fall sitting. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Nunavut Housing Corp. is taking the largest share of the Government of Nunavut’s 2025-26 capital spending plan.
Finance Minister Lorne Kusugak, who is also the minister responsible for Nunavut Housing Corp., introduced the capital estimates at the start of the fall legislative sitting Thursday afternoon.
“It’s always housing-heavy lately. It’s one of the biggest things that we have,” Kusugak said in an interview.
“There’s tremendous support and push for [more housing].”
The government plans to spend $353.8 million on capital projects — which includes various purchases, renovations and construction projects — in its next fiscal year, which begins April 1, 2025.
The capital plan is separate from the operating budget, which is presented annually in the winter sitting. That budget covers day-to-day operations including salaries, and outlines forecasted government revenue.
The $353.8 million the government expects to spend on capital in 2025-26 is less than the $589.8 million in revised capital estimates for 2024-25.
Nunavut Housing Corp.’s share would be $109.7 million. Some of the projects listed include the construction of new staff and public housing, fire damage replacement, and mold assessment and remediation.
The Community and Government Services Department gets the second-highest share of the plan at $102.2 million. Some of that department’s projects include new fire halls for Arviat and Whale Cove, and water infrastructure upgrades for Arctic Bay, Kinngait, Kuguktuk, Pond Inlet, Rankin Inlet and Sanikiluaq.
A “major renovation” for Sakku School in Coral Harbour and a new high school in Taloyoak are two of the items listed as part of the $56 million allocated to the Department of Education.
The Department of Health is expected to spend $35 million on several projects, including on long-term care facilities in Cambridge Bay and Iqaluit, replacing the health centre in Qikiqtarjuaq, and on the Nunavut Recovery Centre which is under construction in Iqaluit.
Airport upgrades in several Nunavut communities are on the list for the $29 million on the Department of Economic Development and Transportation’s estimates.
“We’re determined to put as many dollars into housing as we can, but also make that dollar go as far as it can,” Kusugak said.
The capital plan is one of the main pieces of legislation MLAs are expected to debate at the fall sitting, which runs for the next two weeks.
“We’re determined to put as many dollars into housing as we can, but also make that dollar go as far as it can,” Kusugak said.
How many of those dollars are going into the training of Inuit readespeople, as required by NHC’s agreement with NCC and by section 24.3.6 (c) of the Nunavut Agreement:
“Procurement policies and implementing measures shall reflect, to the extent possible, the following objectives – employment of Inuit at a representative level in the Nunavut Settlement Area work force.”
How much of that money will be spent to provide what levels of training to how many Inuit construction workers?
Please tell us. When I walk by the NCC construction sites I don’t hear Inuktitut being spoken and I don’t see Inuit working.
Enough of this short term thinking. It has not worked. The waiting lists for housing keep getting longer. The only way out of this crisis is to develop our own labour force and for some of those skilled tradespeople to go on to being contractors serving the community in which they live.
That’s how we will get value for our money.
Taima
1. Go to school
2. Attend
3. Graduate
4. Enrol in the trade school in Rankin.
5. Complete your education to become a carpenter, OBM, plumber, electrician, or whatever is available.
If you want to receive higher education than trades, follow step 1 to 3 and enrol in a college or university.
No need to to receive training, certification or Red Seal for trades people from private companies. Everybody has the responsibility to make the right choices, but if students can’t even regularly participate in schools, how can they become reliable and qualified members of the work force. Nothing is for free in this world. I don’t dispute that Inuit should have their own businesses, especially in the smaller communities. Who reached out to the BDC or GN to get information about small business or entrepreneur support.
Don’t expect that you just have to wait until someone holds your hand and brings you in the room with golden juicy fruits, you have to find and open the doors yourself
Provided that one can pass an entrance exam into college/university and trade school.
Stay in school, work (GASP) hard and stay out of jail.
Learn the basics… Reading. ‘Riting, Rythmetic.
Im sure there is grants of some sort for the inuit to become carpenters or electricians or plumbers or donyou need someone to hold your hand to go and enroll
This is all fine and exciting to talk about training, but you need a basic education, work ethic ,to suceed , anybody can wake up in the morning and in most places get a job, but we still cannot seem to get an Inuit work force trained, and what’s more important right now Housing or training and most people want housing.
“Nunavut Housing Corp. share accounts for one-third of $353.8M government spending plan introduced on fall sitting’s first day”
Absolutely not. No government department or agency accounts for one-third of capital or operational spending because half of ALL spending is pure waste.
353 Million on gn capital when the public spaces need so much support and yet NTi is also sitting on 400 million for infrastructure. I also heard on plans to build a 150 million dollar museum. We need federal support to build more infrastructure in our city and communities. Where are the mining royalties going?
Into the RIO’s pockets, and that’s where they sit.
Nunavut Housing. How is your rent collection going? 🤣🤪🤯😩😩😩
some are way too close to each communities, need their own bubble and respect their bubble.