Iglutaasaavut (Our New Homes): Neither “New” nor “Ours”: Housing Challenges of the Nunavut Territorial Government
The Government of Nunavut inherited from the Government of the Northwest Territories a long-standing problem affecting nearly every Inuk in the newly minted territory. The housing crisis in the new territory has a long history, dating back to the mid-1950s when Inuit in Frobisher Bay (Iqaluit) were...
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University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress)
2009
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jcs.43.2.137 https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/jcs.43.2.137 |
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crunivtoronpr:10.3138/jcs.43.2.137 2024-09-15T18:07:10+00:00 Iglutaasaavut (Our New Homes): Neither “New” nor “Ours”: Housing Challenges of the Nunavut Territorial Government Tester, Frank 2009 http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jcs.43.2.137 https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/jcs.43.2.137 en eng University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) Journal of Canadian Studies volume 43, issue 2, page 137-158 ISSN 0021-9495 1911-0251 journal-article 2009 crunivtoronpr https://doi.org/10.3138/jcs.43.2.137 2024-08-01T04:18:18Z The Government of Nunavut inherited from the Government of the Northwest Territories a long-standing problem affecting nearly every Inuk in the newly minted territory. The housing crisis in the new territory has a long history, dating back to the mid-1950s when Inuit in Frobisher Bay (Iqaluit) were first provided with wood-frame housing. A rapidly growing population, low incomes, the subsequent need for social housing, the cost of providing housing in a demanding physical environment, and ideologically driven biases in relation to housing as a market commodity are all factors that help explain the crisis inherited by the new administration. Serious problems of suitability, adequacy, and affordability confronted the Nunavut Housing Corporation, which is also facing a decline to zero over the next 30 years in Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s contribution to the existing social housing inventory. By August 2000, 1,100 families in Nunavut were waiting for some form of housing assistance. The demand for housing was projected to be 260 homes per year over the next 5-year period. Sixty percent of Nunavummiut live in public housing, 98% of whom are Inuit. This essay examines the problems that have confronted the Nunavut Housing Corporation—a stand-alone corporation—and looks at program and policy initiatives undertaken to address the situation, as called for by the Bathurst Mandate, tabled in October 1999, and establishing principles, goals, and objectives for the new government and the Nunavut Housing Corporation. Article in Journal/Newspaper Frobisher Bay inuit Iqaluit Northwest Territories Nunavut University of Toronto Press (U Toronto Press) Journal of Canadian Studies 43 2 137 158 |
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University of Toronto Press (U Toronto Press) |
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description |
The Government of Nunavut inherited from the Government of the Northwest Territories a long-standing problem affecting nearly every Inuk in the newly minted territory. The housing crisis in the new territory has a long history, dating back to the mid-1950s when Inuit in Frobisher Bay (Iqaluit) were first provided with wood-frame housing. A rapidly growing population, low incomes, the subsequent need for social housing, the cost of providing housing in a demanding physical environment, and ideologically driven biases in relation to housing as a market commodity are all factors that help explain the crisis inherited by the new administration. Serious problems of suitability, adequacy, and affordability confronted the Nunavut Housing Corporation, which is also facing a decline to zero over the next 30 years in Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s contribution to the existing social housing inventory. By August 2000, 1,100 families in Nunavut were waiting for some form of housing assistance. The demand for housing was projected to be 260 homes per year over the next 5-year period. Sixty percent of Nunavummiut live in public housing, 98% of whom are Inuit. This essay examines the problems that have confronted the Nunavut Housing Corporation—a stand-alone corporation—and looks at program and policy initiatives undertaken to address the situation, as called for by the Bathurst Mandate, tabled in October 1999, and establishing principles, goals, and objectives for the new government and the Nunavut Housing Corporation. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Tester, Frank |
spellingShingle |
Tester, Frank Iglutaasaavut (Our New Homes): Neither “New” nor “Ours”: Housing Challenges of the Nunavut Territorial Government |
author_facet |
Tester, Frank |
author_sort |
Tester, Frank |
title |
Iglutaasaavut (Our New Homes): Neither “New” nor “Ours”: Housing Challenges of the Nunavut Territorial Government |
title_short |
Iglutaasaavut (Our New Homes): Neither “New” nor “Ours”: Housing Challenges of the Nunavut Territorial Government |
title_full |
Iglutaasaavut (Our New Homes): Neither “New” nor “Ours”: Housing Challenges of the Nunavut Territorial Government |
title_fullStr |
Iglutaasaavut (Our New Homes): Neither “New” nor “Ours”: Housing Challenges of the Nunavut Territorial Government |
title_full_unstemmed |
Iglutaasaavut (Our New Homes): Neither “New” nor “Ours”: Housing Challenges of the Nunavut Territorial Government |
title_sort |
iglutaasaavut (our new homes): neither “new” nor “ours”: housing challenges of the nunavut territorial government |
publisher |
University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jcs.43.2.137 https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/jcs.43.2.137 |
genre |
Frobisher Bay inuit Iqaluit Northwest Territories Nunavut |
genre_facet |
Frobisher Bay inuit Iqaluit Northwest Territories Nunavut |
op_source |
Journal of Canadian Studies volume 43, issue 2, page 137-158 ISSN 0021-9495 1911-0251 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3138/jcs.43.2.137 |
container_title |
Journal of Canadian Studies |
container_volume |
43 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
137 |
op_container_end_page |
158 |
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1810444558610202624 |