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Iqaluit, 26 May 2025—A report from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada tabled today in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut concludes that the Nunavut Housing Corporation did not provide Nunavummiut with equitable access to suitable public housing and that it did not manage the adequacy of the territory’s public housing inventory.
The audit found that the Nunavut Housing Corporation did not know whether publicly funded units were being allocated to applicants with the greatest need. Its oversight of waitlists was poor, and it did limited monitoring of the allocation of units. The corporation also did not assess the accessibility needs of adults 60 years or older or persons with disabilities for public housing.
The audit also found that the corporation did not adequately monitor whether local housing organizations were doing regular inspections to assess conditions in public units. Data published in the 2021 census showed that about one third of Inuit in the territory reported living in homes that needed major repairs—for example, repairs to plumbing and electrical work or structural repairs to walls or roofs. As of March 2024, condition inspections of public housing units on average dated back to 2018, making them 6 years old, when inspections should be taking place every 2 years. A lack of preventative maintenance can lead to unsafe living conditions and increased costs in the future.
To address the housing shortage, the government committed to building 3,000 homes by 2030, which included 1,400 public housing units to be delivered by the corporation. The audit found that the corporation had not clearly communicated its progress toward achieving those targets and that it faces challenges in meeting them, including difficulties in securing land and uncertain future funding levels.
“Access to housing has a strong impact on quality of life,” said Deputy Auditor General Andrew Hayes. “The government must act to provide Nunavummiut with access to suitable public housing, giving priority to those most in need.”