Built for the North: How builders are tackling the territories’ shortages, high costs

Builders in the North are facing significant challenges as housing shortages and high costs become a growing issue in Northern Canada. Residents are desperately seeking affordable housing options, turning to community Facebook groups to find leads on available properties. Whitehorse, a rapidly growing city in the Yukon, has become infamous for its housing scarcity, with Sarah Newton, board president of the Northern Community Land Trust, expressing alarm at the "insane" lack of housing available for essential workers like teachers, health-care workers, and construction professionals.

The Northern Community Land Trust, a non-profit organization, is working to address these shortages by constructing affordable housing tailored to the region's unique needs. Their latest project is a 32-unit housing complex in Whitehorse, funded through donations, federal and territorial grants, and designed with local environmental and energy considerations in mind. The trust emphasizes that affordable housing shouldn't simply mean cheap housing, but rather durable, sustainable, and future-focused structures.

However, the Northern housing market faces several challenges. Short construction seasons due to harsh winters limit the amount of work that can be done, while transportation and shipping delays for building materials add to the construction costs. The small market size in Northern territories also means limited economies of scale, further exacerbating construction costs.

Experts like Aled ab Iorwerth, deputy chief economist for the national housing agency, agree that the region requires specialized solutions to overcome these obstacles.