Northern Housing
Access to affordable, adequate and suitable housing in Canada’s northern and remote regions can be a challenge. In addition to dealing with extreme climate conditions, high living, construction and transportation costs, and limited transportation infrastructure, many individuals face uncertain economic futures. Low employment rates, sparse populations, and limited capacity for sustainable growth amplify the housing challenges that individuals and families face.
Many Canadians indicated that addressing northern housing challenges should be a priority. Over 31 per cent of northern and remote community respondents to the NHS online survey said that addressing housing affordability issues was the most important outcome to them. Forty-two per cent said that addressing the needs of low income groups and those individuals with distinct housing needs was a top priority housing issue, followed by the need to address social housing renewal in northern and remote communities.
Priority Issues
A number of major issues specifically affecting individuals living in northern locations were identified, including:
- Social housing is particularly prevalent in the territories and, as federal funding under social housing agreements mature, sustainability of the territorial social housing stock is at risk. Social housing stock in the territories is also becoming aged. Many projects in the north are located in regions with weak housing markets, and may be even more likely to face future financial challenges.
- The territories experience significantly higher construction costs, for both new construction and renovations due to remote location, shorter construction seasons, transportation, materials and labor costs, and utility costs.
- Communities in the north have gaps in the housing continuum, including market housing options on the one end and supportive housing options (e.g., emergency shelters, transitional housing and supports for distinct needs) at the other.
- The census-based measure of core housing need does not necessarily capture the full reality of this type of unmet housing need in the north, and high rates of subsidization may skew results.
- Need to identify sustainable building solutions and addressing poor construction practices (e.g., the use of inappropriate building materials, lack of insulation, poor building design and structures).
- Many individuals who need supportive services (e.g., seniors, those experiencing mental illness, etc.) are forced to live in social housing units independently because there is a lack of supportive services and thus may be living in in unsafe or inappropriate housing.
- Indigenous peoples, who make up about half the population in the north, are much more likely to be in core housing need and often experience poorer health and well-being outcomes related to overcrowded and inadequate housing.
- Homelessness in the North is experienced in terms of overcrowding more than often than in the South.
The report also provides details on:
- Desired Outcomes
- Opportunities
- Priorities for government collaboration
- Sustainability of northern and remote communities
- Data and Research