Iqaluit committee rejects rezoning bid
for 116 new public housing units

A rezoning proposal that would have enabled Nunavut Housing Corp. to build 116 units on a central vacant lot was rejected by Iqaluit’s planning and development committee Tuesday night.

City councillors debated the impact of adding 116 units in that neighbourhood, the number of parking spaces it would require and the city’s overall plans for growth for approximately 40 minutes before voting.

The result was a 4-2 decision against approving the first reading of a bylaw that would have increased the density of the lot on Niaqunngusiariaq Road.

Councillors’ rejection also shot down the opportunity to hold a public hearing before the bylaw would have been read a second time.

“If we really want to be the council that turns down 116 public housing units — on a public housing wait-list of years for people — just, I would be shocked,” said Deputy Mayor Kim Smith, who chairs the committee.

City council documents show Nunavut Housing Corp.’s concept for two buildings with a combined 116 new public housing units for Iqaluit on empty lots near Hospital Hill. (Screenshot courtesy of City of Iqaluit)

Nunavut Housing Corp.’s proposal called for two 58-unit, five-storey apartment buildings in an area at the bottom of Hospital Hill.

Three housing complexes were demolished there in 2023.

The area is currently zoned for medium-density housing, meaning it can hold a maximum of about 43 units, said city planner Mathew Dodds.

Council would need to rezone the land to high density in order to allow Nunavut Housing Corp. to build more units than that.

Coun. Harry Flaherty asked whether the proposal included enough parking spaces for 116 dwelling units.

With one parking spot for every three units, Dodds said, that’s the same ratio of spaces to units that councillors approved for other apartment buildings in the city’s core area.

This development, Dodds said, is within a five-minute walking distance of “core amenities,” such as Qikiqtani General Hospital and Astro Hill.

Flaherty said the city lacks a master plan to guide how it wants to develop housing and where particular types of housing should be built.

“We are here for the long term. Long term is to make sure that we’re not trying to get a quick fix,” Flaherty said.

“Just because we have shortages of housing doesn’t mean we just install whatever we can put.”

Smith — who as committee chair does not vote — suggested councillors could approve the bylaw on first reading. After that, she said, community members could have their say at a public hearing before council considers the rezoning on second reading.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to hear from the public on what they want their city to look like, what their needs are,” she said.

With councillors’ vote to reject the proposal, though, that opportunity won’t come.

Only councillors Romeyn Stevenson and Amber Aglukark voted in favour.

Flaherty was joined by Mayor Solomon Awa and councillors Simon Nattaq and Methusalah Kunuk in opposing the motion.