QIA, Ottawa announce nearly $30M for High Arctic housing project

Project will supply 21 rental units across 5 Qikiqtani communities

By David Lochead, Nunatsiaq News October 4, 2023
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Grise Fiord, seen here, is one of the five High Arctic communities in the Qikiqtani region that will receive housing units as a result of the joint funding announcement between the federal government and Qikiqtani Inuit Association. The other communities are Resolute Bay, Clyde River, Arctic Bay and Pond Inlet. (Photo courtesy of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada)

The federal government and Qikiqtani Inuit Association have come together to pump nearly $30 million into housing in five communities in the High Arctic of the Qikiqtani region.

“Everyone deserves an affordable and safe place to call home,” federal Northern Affairs Minister Daniel Vandal said in a media release about the funding.

The federal government will provide $17.9 million through its rapid housing initiative, while the Qikiqtani Inuit Association will contribute $11.9 million.

There will be 10 housing projects across five communities in the High Arctic portion of the Qikiqtani region — Grise Fiord, Resolute Bay, Clyde River, Arctic Bay and Pond Inlet.

There will be 21 rental units built overall. They will be a mix of four-bedroom detached units and three-bedroom semi-detached units.

QIA announced its plan to apply for $18 million in federal funding for High Arctic housing in the spring at the same time it committed its portion of the project funding.

At the time, QIA’s executive director of infrastructure and development Matthew Hamp said it would be “super-challenging” for the regional Inuit association to get that federal funding. He had also added QIA was optimistic about getting it.

Nunavut MP Lori Idlout said today’s housing announcement “is a welcome one but is long overdue.”

She thanked QIA for its efforts in securing the funding and added that too many Nunavummiut live in crowded or substandard living conditions.

“While this announcement is appreciated, it is a stark reminder that the federal government must urgently scale up its efforts to quickly meet the housing needs of people in Nunavut,” Idlout said in a statement to Nunatsiaq News.

Located in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, Nunatsiaq News is dedicated to covering affairs in Nunavut and the Nunavik territory of Quebec since 1973. It has been a partner to ArcticToday and its predecessors since 2016.

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