Canada’s North has a shortage of quality affordable housing options. A significant portion of the existing stock of Northern housing was designed by outsiders based on the decades-old premisethat the single-family, owner-occupied home is the best environment in which to live and raise children; and that a housing market provides jobs and the options to establish financial equity. The North, however, requires specific Northern housing programs and policies.

Framing Sustainable Options for Housing in Canada’s North offers four case studies of successful and innovative Northern housing initiatives across the country. It also explores some of the major policies and programs established and implemented across Canada since the mid-1900s. This report ultimately suggests that effective Northern housing strategies require sensitive partnerships, programs, and policies that support and involve Northerners, are respectful of and relevant to Northern lifestyles, traditions, and cultures, and are consistent with the long-term goals of sustainable development.

Executive Summary

Chapter 1—Introduction

Methodology

Chapter 2—The Northern Canadian Housing Policy Context

• Toward a National Housing Policy in Canada
• Building Northern Housing Options
• Policy Observations

Chapter 3—Affordability of Northern Housing

• Core Housing Need in the North
• Assessing Affordable Housing Options in the North
• Challenges of Housing Affordability in the North

Chapter 4—Availability of Housing in the North

• Supporting a Market Housing Industry in the North
• The Appropriateness of Northern Housing

Chapter 5—Innovative Approaches to Northern Housing Development: Four Case Studies

• The Nunavut Tuktu Solution: Innovative and Sustainable Housing for the North
• the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek: G’Wiigwaamnaaniin—Building Homes and Building Skills
• Supporting Educational Outcomes Through Non-Profit Housing: The NORTEP Advantage
• The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation and the Northern Sustainable House: Community Engagement in Dawson City, Yukon
• Lessons Learned
• Addressing the Challenges of Building in the North

Chapter 6—Final Observations and Recommendations

• Recommendations
• Areas for Future Research

Appendix A—Interview Guide: Housing in the North (Sample)

Appendix B—Bibliography