Housing NWT is pleased to announce the completion of modernization work at Aspen Apartments. The 36-unit building will improve the quality of social housing in the Northwest Territories. It is also intended to help ease pressure on Yellowknife’s rental market.

With the building now ready for occupancy, Housing NWT will allocate the 30 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units to social housing tenants.

This modernization project will extend the service life of the building by an additional 25 years. Upgrades include:

Lucy Kuptana, Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories (NWT), issued the following statement for National Housing Day:

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has awarded a contract to The Yellowknife Women’s Society to operate its new transitional housing facility. The facility will be located on Highway 3 near the Yellowknife Airport.

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Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Auditor General of Canada released its report on the Performance Audit of Northwest Territories Housing. The Auditor General’s findings outline several areas where Housing NWT must improve how we provide residents most in need with equitable access to housing and supports through the Public Housing and Homeownership Programs.

The Office of the Auditor General of Canada has released its performance audit of Housing NWT. The audit identifies areas for improvement in equitable access to housing and housing supports through its Public Housing and Homeownership Programs.
Housing NWT accepts all recommendations and is taking immediate steps to strengthen oversight, improve maintenance systems, and modernize policies to ensure fairness and transparency.

Below is a summary of the actions underway to address each recommendation:

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the progress the Government of the Northwest Territories has made in addressing homelessness, and to acknowledge the ongoing needs ahead. We have taken important steps, and remain committed to continuing this work with empathy, focus, and collaboration.

Housing NWT has released its 2024–2025 Annual Report. The Report highlights progress and accomplishments achieved over the past year. HNWT is committed to providing affordable, accessible, and sustainable housing across the Northwest Territories.

This year’s report demonstrates HNWT’s continued commitment to supporting strong northern communities.

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Mr. Speaker, I am committed to building more homes for Northerners.

We are turning this commitment into action through a multi-year plan with funding from the GNWT, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and Housing NWT. Each year for the rest of this Legislative Assembly, Housing NWT will invest $50 million annually, including $41.6 million per year from the GNWT, to build new homes and repair existing ones.

Construction on the site of Housing NWT’s new 50-Unit mixed-use building in Yellowknife will pause over the winter season. Materials will be manufactured off-site during this time. Work will start again on site by Spring 2026.

To date, the following work has been completed:

A contract for 84 new housing units has been awarded to Arcan Construction Ltd., working with METCAN Building Solutions, an NWT manufacturer that builds homes in Hay River, Northwest Territories.

This milestone reflects Housing NWT’s commitment to address urgent housing needs across the territory, while also supporting the NWT economy. This contract represents a portion of the 98 planned units across nine communities.