Nunavik housing in ‘crisis’ as funding talks continue: Report
Quebec government currently in talks with Makivvik to renew deal that would provide funding for housing construction and maintenance
Nunavik organizations and Government of Quebec representatives meet Feb. 3 at the Kuujjuaq Northern Village auditorium to speak on housing in Nunavik. (Photo courtesy of Facebook/Ian Lafrenière)
On the same day Nunavik officials were meeting with Quebec cabinet ministers to discuss renewed funding for housing, a new report revealed the region is more than 1,000 homes short of what’s needed to serve the population.
At the Feb. 3 meeting in Kuujjuaq, representatives for the Nunavik Housing Bureau, Kativik Regional Government, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services and Makivvik discussed housing with Ian Lafrenière, Quebec’s Indigenous relations minister, and France-Élaine Duranceau, the housing minister.
They all had one word in mind: collaboration.
Ian Lafrenière, Quebec’s Indigenous relations minister, was in Kuujjuaq on Feb. 3 to hear from Nunavik organizations about housing issues in the region. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)
“Everyone [at the meeting] exchanged the challenges they deal with in their respective organizations,” said Maxime Tardif, a spokesperson for Lafrenière, in a French email.
Tardif said both the Quebec and federal governments are in talks with Makivvik to renew multi-year funding for housing construction and maintenance in Nunavik.
“Whilst the government is participating in the financing of housing, it is authorities in Nunavik that are responsible for the planning and the completion of work,” he said.
Nunavik’s housing situation “remains critical,” according to a study published Feb. 3 by consulting firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, in partnership with the Nunavik Housing Bureau.
Every two years, the firm surveys Nunavik households asking how many people live there and how many bedrooms each unit has. This year, people living in 3,738 housing bureau dwellings responded, which is considered to be a high participation rate.
Nunavik’s population — listed as 14,045 in the 2021 census — is projected to increase by one per cent every year between 2021 and 2041, according to Institut de la statistique du Québec, which tracks that data.
That growth rate is double the provincial average, and puts pressure on Nunavik’s housing market which is already at a crisis point.
“It is a demographic problem that we need to take into consideration when projecting developments,” said Lupin Daignault, the Nunavik Housing Bureau director, in a French interview.
The consultants’ study found more than a quarter of all households in Nunavik have at least five residents, while most of the housing stock contains no more than three bedrooms.
It also found that on average there is a decreasing number of bedrooms per unit since 2021 because more units are being built as one-bedroom dwellings.
Currently, Nunavik Housing Bureau has 4,071 dwellings in its stock. The average number of rooms per unit is 2.5, with Kuujjuarapik having the lowest average at 2.2 rooms per dwelling.
Considering the projected population growth and its current needs, Nunavik has a 1,039-unit shortfall. In 2021, the shortfall was 893 units.
Nunavik Housing Bureau director Lupin Daignault believes regular meetings are helpful for more collaboration between Nunavik organizations. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)
The study also found 19.5 per cent of families surveyed are on the waiting list for housing at Nunavik Housing Bureau, most of them multiple families living under one roof.
“That is why it is important to think as a group so that one day we can say that this year we only need 10 units. That would be the dream,” Daignault said.
He said having all the organizations involved in developing housing co-ordinating their efforts will make the process more efficient.
“It demands co-ordination, because the region has a limited intake capacity,” he said. “Some villages can have four different contractors at a time” working for different organizations on different projects.
Instead, often it would be less costly and more efficient to have one contractor take care of all the work in a specific community.
“It is quite easy, in my opinion, for [the organizations] to sit down and find a way to co-ordinate,” he said.
The Feb. 3 meeting in Kuujjuaq, he added, was “the first time in four years that multiple organizations were talking about housing development very positively.”
Many Nunavimmiut who have the means to live in private housing continue to live in social housing.
Inuit who have had 6 figure salaries from their various roles live in homes that should be prioritized for families that lack those means.
Others have bought into the private housing market, and while it’s challenging, many of the challenges of private ownership, are due to the lack of a critical mass of private housing.
KMHB should means test tenants for priority placement based on those means. If you have the means to live privately, you should. Especially those who have bumped around all the organizations for decades.
6 figures doesn’t mean $200,000.00 at all in Nunavik, those are reserved for people with executive powers.
I was born and raised in Nunavik, and I have the means to live and own a home. I have an education, a well-paying job, and financial confidence in myself because I have worked hard to earn these opportunities. But, I have faced road blocks due to corruption among some leaders in my community.
When I applied for a land lease and submitted my proposals, they were initially refused, then later approved after I requested a re-evaluation, only to be rejected again without clear explanation. This back-and-forth was both confusing and frustrating. I sought support from regional leaders, sent emails and written letters, and met with committee members one-on-one in a professional and mature way. Over time, I realized that a few individuals in these positions felt threatened by my confidence and capabilities.
Out of desperation, I even applied for social housing, knowing it wouldn’t be an easy or fast process. Ultimately, this situation forced me to leave Nunavik, which I initially resented because my heart remains with my community, my young relatives, and my family. I usually keep my thoughts to myself, but I also have the right to voice my opinions.
I appreciate the efforts of regional management in Nunavik to collaborate with the provincial government. However, I believe small-community leaders need to lead from a place of greater awareness and integrity—understanding that another person’s success does not diminish their own. A thriving community benefits everyone. Leadership should not be about control or fear but about fostering growth, opportunity, and prosperity for all.
Let’s move beyond personal insecurities and work together for the betterment of our people.
Corruption. No way, not in Nunavik. (Sarcasm) When and who will start acting on this corruption, which is almost in every community. Some mayors are stealing money for the community – this is criminal and yet people don’t know how to handle those offenses. This corruption is impeding the well-being of Nunavimmiut – this is simply aweful. Let’s act on that if we want things to change. Peace
Why are we paying so much for monthly rent?
Why are the employees of any job are paying way more than unemployed?
I work as a cable technician and we work only 5 hours a day and my rental building cost $892.00 a month for only 2 bedrooms.
Why are the rents keeps getting higher and higher every year,when the buildings are getting older?
This is why people don’t want to work anymore.
Lower the monthly rent and more income from tenants will show.
Employees are suffering from this.
Our buildings are the same size as down south garage.