Minister confident N.W.T. gov't will reach goal of 300 new homes, but says 'so much more' needed

The Government of the Northwest Territories has many goals when it comes to housing. One of its more ambitious ones is to build 300 new housing units by the end of its mandate.

Still, the territory's housing minister admits that those new units won't fully meet the ongoing need.

Minister Lucy Kuptana released as update from her department on Friday, a day after the government tabled its budget for the next fiscal year. Speaking to CBC News, Kuptana shared more details on some of the challenges ahead.

“It’s never enough, we need so much more,” she said of the 300-unit goal, noting that the figure is limited by the territory's finances.

Premier R.J. Simpson said in an address this week to open the legislative assembly that of those 300 units, 81 have so far been built. Another 155 units are in various stages of construction, and another 64 are still being planned.

The current government is about halfway through its mandate, but Kuptana says she’s confident it can deliver on its promise.

“We’re all responsible for it and we have to be accountable,” Kuptana said. She noted there are about 850 families currently on a housing waitlist.

Kuptana told the Legislative Assembly on Friday that many of the newly-built units are for seniors and singles living in communities. She said those are priority groups who are vulnerable to housing insecurity. 

Another key responsibility of the housing department is repairing public housing units. Kuptana said her department is currently doing repairs to more than 600 homes.

“Much of the repairs are major repairs,” she said, noting the government has about 1,100 homes that are about 40 years or older.

“I see old units, where people are trying to stay in the unit and live a good life, but sometimes it could be a leaky tap, an old furnace. Some people do complain of mold." 

The territory currently has more than 2,400 public housing units. Major repairs can include problems with plumbing, a unit's foundation, or electricity. 

Kuptana says the government is spending more than $30 million to repair those units over the next three years. She added that these repair projects support local employment and trades training opportunities across the Northwest Territories. 

Kuptana was also questioned in the Legislative Assembly on Friday by Monfwi MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong, who said she has constituents who have been denied eligibility for the government’s home ownership eligibility program. She said they were denied because they exceeded an income threshold.