Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to building more homes for Northerners.
This commitment is strongly supported by large new incremental investment in housing totaling $150 million dollars over the remaining term of the 20th Legislative Assembly.
The investment is the result of strong collaboration by all Members of this House, and highlights the strength of our consensus government system. Improving the suitability, accessibility, and affordability of housing is a top priority of this government.
This investment plan focuses on sustaining the public housing portfolio by replacing aged housing assets, and retrofitting units to improve condition and extend their service life, and reduce the risk of housing units ageing out of service. Additionally, it adjusts the housing portfolio to align with the current and future demographic trends, and be consistent with the Territorial Housing Needs Assessment that is currently underway.
Over the next three-years, these investments will target a total of approximately 750 housing units, representing a third of the public housing inventory.
These new projects are in addition to 159 active modernization projects and 17 public housing replacement units that are currently being delivered in communities across the NWT during this summer’s construction season.
Construction has also started on a 50-unit mixed-use building in Yellowknife, which will involve the rapid assembly of timber structural panels, and include biomass and heat-pump technology for all building heat loads. Housing NWT will also complete a biomass conversion project at our seniors multiplex in Fort Providence, converting the multi-plex from fossil fuels to a renewable primary heat-source. These two projects demonstrate scalable approaches to sustainability in housing.
The GNWT, in the life of this Legislative Assembly, has completed 81 units of new housing, has 67 units of new housing in progress, and will execute on 144 more, funded through the $150 million investment. By the end of this government, Housing NWT will have completed 292 new housing units.
Mr. Speaker, these investments also present strong and new economic opportunities for Northerners engaged in the residential construction sector.
In the past fiscal year, Housing NWT awarded 99% of its contracts to local and NWT businesses, demonstrating that investments in housing are direct investments in economic growth. This growth is further supported by the requirement for apprenticeship work assignments in all new Housing NWT construction contracts, which supports development of skilled tradespeople in NWT communities.
In line with supporting new opportunities for Northerners, Housing NWT and an NWT general contractor will be hosting a job-fair in Deline in June. Supported by the Deline Got’ine Government, this fair will offer local opportunities for constructing two prototype hybrid duplexes, which combine the best attributes of modular and stick-built construction methods. This work is being supported by a research grant from the National Research Council, emphasizing a shared commitment to innovation in the housing sector between the GNWT, Canada, the community of Deline and contracting partner, Arcan Construction.
Mr. Speaker, I will continue to update this House and the public on the progress of Housing NWT’s capital projects, highlighting the impact on social outcomes, innovative approaches, and increased economic opportunities for Northern businesses.
In addition to the large investment by this government, Housing NWT continues to actively work with federal partners to secure additional federal funding to strengthen our capital delivery program. This government remains focussed on addressing the housing challenges in the Northwest Territories, enhancing the quality of life for all residents, and building more homes for Northerners.