Housing handover in Nunavik official

IQALUIT — The Kativik Municipal Housing Bureau (KMHB) officially took over the management and maintenance of social housing in Nunavik social housing on Jan. 1, 2000 from Quebec’s housing bureau, the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ).

The KMHB will now administer the collection of rents, but André Marcil, SHQ’s president, said any rents owing to the SHQ are still outstanding.

Rent arrears in Nunavik amount to more than $3 million.

This unpaid rent will be recovered through agreements with those who owe money or by legal means. Money recovered will be reinvested into social housing in Nunavik. The Quebec government has agreed to match every dollar recovered.

“Every Nunavik resident should therefore feel that he or she has a stake in the collection of overdue rents, because the process will help improve housing conditions for many Inuit households,” Marcil said.