'It's going to hit people really hard': Housing N.W.T. hiking rent by hundreds of dollars for some units

Housing N.W.T. is increasing its rental rates by hundreds of dollars for residents in some of its units — and some tenants are saying it's a big financial hit for them, at the wrong time.  

"The bottom line is they're literally taking food out of people's mouths and putting it in their pocket. That's the general consensus," said Lisa Thurber, founder of the Tenants Association Northwest Territories.

Housing N.W.T. owns and leases both market-rate units and subsidized units. The market units are relied on in smaller communities where housing options are limited, for nurses, teachers, RCMP, other critical workers and community members. 

The rent increases are only applicable to Housing N.W.T.'s market-rate units, and not its subsidized income-based public housing units.

CBC News heard from tenants and from Thurber that the increases range from around $300 to more than $700 per month. Housing N.W.T. has confirmed the new rates but declined to say what the current market rates are.

According to a rent increase notice obtained by CBC News, in Tulita the current monthly rent for a three-bedroom unit is $1,610; the new standardized rate will be $1,938 — an increase of $328 per month.

The rent increases will come into effect in August. The last time rents were increased was in 2012, according to Housing N.W.T. 

Thurber said the rent hikes are coming at a time when many people in the North are barely making ends meet.

"August is gonna hit, and it's going to hit people really hard, especially the single moms, the single parents out there that cannot take this hit," said Thurber.

Thurber said she first heard from people receiving notices last week and quickly had over 20 messages from people in the territory saying they received one. She said the increases vary by community and the size of the unit.

The 2024 CMHC Rental Market Survey found the average monthly rental rate in the N.W.T. to be $1,974.

CBC News requested an interview with Housing N.W.T. but no one was available.

In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for Housing N.W.T. wrote that notices will be sent to market-rent tenants by May 1. They said the increases are based on a scan of rental rates in the market, which included the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's (CMHC) annual report, and are meant to "ensure alignment with the private market."

The email also said that rent revenues are "crucial for program funding, especially with declining federal support."