The community of Rankin Inlet celebrated the success of a capacity-building pilot project with a new public housing unit built by students from the Sanatuliqsarvik Nunavut Trades Training Centre Apprenticeship Program in Rankin Inlet. (File Photo)

Students turn over house as part of Nunavut 3000 strategy

New public housing unit now part Rankin Housing Association

By Livete Ataguyuk

Nunavut is one house closer to its goal of building 3,000 new housing units by the end of this decade.

Students at Sanatuliqsarvik Nunavut Trades Training Centre used the skills they’ve learned in the apprenticeship program there to build a new public housing unit in Rankin Inlet.

A ceremony was held Tuesday to hand over the finished building to Nunavut Housing Corp., with a reception at the Nunavut Arctic College Trades School.

“Nunavut Arctic College is proud to be part of this effort,” college president Rebecca Mearns said in a news release.

“Approximately 40 students were involved in the housing project from start to finish. Our students built a new three-bedroom public housing unit that will help a family on the housing waitlist.”

Representatives from the college, Nunavut Housing Corp., and the Government of Nunavut Department of Family Services career development division partnered with Sakku Investments Corp. on the project, which was termed a “capacity-building pilot project” in the release.

It started with a memorandum of understanding under the Igluliuqatigiingniq Nunavut 3000 Strategic Plan, which the GN introduced in October 2022 to see 3,000 new homes built by the end of the decade to address the territory’s severe housing shortage.

For this project, the college hired students who graduated in June to work during the summer, and high school students also had a chance to be involved. As well, trade school faculty and staff joined in with six trades instructors and six support administration staff.

In addition to construction skills, the students learned to plan and organize the daily work.

Calling construction a “significant industry” in the territory, Lorne Kusugak, the Government of Nunavut minister responsible for the housing corporation, said that “minimizing the need to transport workers to and from the territory by developing the local labour force’s skills will help control long-term building and maintenance costs.

“More so, Inuit training and northern labour is a priority” for the housing corporation.”

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(10) Comments:

  1. Posted by My House on

    Very good!

    Now do that again, 3000 times, by 2030.

    Maybe housebuilding should be part of the high school program for every student in Nunavut. Build your own house before you graduate.

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    • Posted by Sharon McAlpine on

      Yes I agree! Actually let’s further your idea into all territories & provinces in Canada! I think if more students across Canada were a part of this type of effort the more students & other Canadians would be aware of the housing & homelessness situation. It’s time we all start caring more. Bravo to the students for this first housing project!

  2. Posted by Good for them on

    Good for the trades school trainers, and students. So how is NCC 150 units scheduled for delivery this year. Can’t be doing very good since they like to have the photo ops. Nhc doesn’t seem to be saying very much. How about getting some numbers out. Usually the annual delivery is pretty much wrapped up before winter break.

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    • Posted by Inquiring Minds on

      Yes, how did those trailers work out?
      Have they been turned over to the communities for use as permanent housing yet?
      How did NCC’s subcontractors do? How many of their houses are complete? What shape are they in? How many families have moved into them?
      How did the training program go? How many of those trained will be building houses in 2024?
      So many questions, so little information.

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  3. Posted by Aaron G on

    I see the majority of comments above are criticisms of NCC and NHC for Nunavut 30000 I’d like to ask why this is? I do see praise for the students who built this one home, and good for them and good for giving the praise they deserve. Just like to understand why anyone is being critical of NCC and NHC since Nunavut 30000 is such a monumental project. These are multi-plex buildings and take quite a bit of time to build, especially when that is 150 spread across so many communities – very remote communities.

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  4. Posted by Aaron G on

    I’ll clarify some of my above statement – I say 150 units, which is this year’s construction season.

  5. Posted by Cuggies Rock on

    How about teaching tenants to pay rent? Their own bills?
    Cause.. Nunavut is… Independent and residents are adaptive and resilient

  6. Posted by Jack Sparrow on

    …and nobody owes them anything.

  7. Posted by Valid question on

    The question of how many units ncc will turn over this year is valid. This sole source contract was supposed to build units and trrain apprentices. The only news we have along that line is the trade school unit. The position that these are multiplex units doesn’t work. The majority of units constructed over the last 20 years has been multiplexes. This sole source process has eliminated competative bidding. So the question still unanswered. How many built and how many trained. Admit it, another big failure.

  8. Posted by Aivilik Rulez on

    Kivalliq regions oldest story been there forever;;;. Rankin is given these things nobody else can get.

    How about building a house like this in Coral? Will that ever happen;;; it should happen in coral please.

    This house for Rankin need to be taken off their number of units to be built;;; and then given the one unit to some other town please and thanks so much .;;;

    Oh right where is housing minister from;;; oh right.

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