Public Housing in Nunavut
Andrew Hayes
Deputy Auditor General
Ullaakkut. Good morning, Mr. Chair. I’m pleased to be here to discuss the Auditor General’s audit report on public housing in Nunavut, which was tabled in the Legislative Assembly in May. With me is Jo Ann Schwartz, the principal who was responsible for the audit.
Nunavut is facing a severe housing crisis. Limited housing options and the high cost of home ownership, combined with the socio‑economic challenges faced by Nunavummiut, make it difficult for many to find homes. More than 60% of the population relies on subsidized housing. Waitlists for this type of housing are long, and many units are overcrowded.
This audit examined whether the Nunavut Housing Corporation provided Nunavummiut with equitable access to suitable public housing and effectively managed the overall condition of the territory’s public housing inventory. We concluded that the corporation did not meet these responsibilities.
We found that the corporation did not provide equitable access to public housing units. It did not review and verify all housing allocations to ensure equitable access. It also did not monitor whether local housing organizations followed its guidelines to prioritize applicants with the greatest need for public housing.
In addition, the corporation’s oversight of the waitlists across the territory’s 25 communities was poor. These lists are meant to track demand for public housing and document applicants’ needs, including those of adults 60 years or older and people living with disabilities. Without this information, the corporation could not determine the demand for accessible public housing.
We also found that the corporation did not effectively manage its public housing inventory. It used separate systems to track information like unit build dates, condition ratings, and maintenance activities. Because systems were not integrated, the corporation could not bring the information together to support decision making.
The corporation did not monitor whether preventative maintenance was completed. A lack of preventative maintenance can lead to unsafe housing, which can impact the health and well-being of Nunavummiut, as well as drive up future costs. Inspections of the condition of housing units should happen every 2 years. We found that as of March 2024, inspections, on average, had not been done in 6 years.
In October 2022, the government and the corporation launched the Nunavut 3000 Strategy to tackle the territory’s housing shortage. The goal was to build 3,000 housing units by 2030. Of those, the corporation committed to delivering about 1,400 public housing units, at an estimated cost of $1.2 billion.
We found that the corporation did not clearly communicate its progress toward its targets for public housing units. It included units that were started before the Strategy was launched and before the government presented its mandate in 2022 to add new housing to the territory.
In addition, the corporation’s targets were based on the number of units started each year, not on the number completed. In other words, the targets did not reflect how many units would be move‑in ready each year.
The corporation also faces challenges in meeting its public housing targets under the Nunavut 3000 Strategy, such as difficulties in securing land and uncertainty over future funding levels. All of this reinforces the importance of the corporation clearly communicating progress toward achieving its targets.
Access to housing has a direct impact on quality of life. It is critical for the government to take action and ensure Nunavummiut have access to suitable and adequate public housing, giving priority to those with the greatest need.
This concludes my opening remarks. We will be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have. Nakurmiik. Thank you, Mr. Chair.