Construction 2023

Constructing the Yellowknife Aquatic Centre: the secrets of building a pool

By Jill Westerman Northern

Steel beams and cranes are visible from the vicinity of Frame Lake as one of the city’s larger infrastructure projects is in full construction mode this spring.

Clark Builders, the company whose bid was accepted by the municipality, began construction on a $67.7 million aquatic centre in May 2022.

After years of planning, decision-making, and determining funding strategies, a city-wide public referendum was held to get approval to borrow money and proceed with the new aquatic centre, which is targetted for completion by September 2024.

The facility will replace the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool, which was constructed in 1987 and is now reaching the end of its lifespan. The old pool will be decommissioned and the building will be repurposed once the new aquatic centre is opened.

Constructing the aquatic centre is no small feat. To find out specific details about what is involved, NNSL reached out to Clark Builders with questions about the project.

A representative from Clark Builders indicated that the company was not permitted to respond directly to media — instead, responses to media questions had to be filtered through city hall.

According to information, without attribution, contained in a subsequent email sent to NNSL from city hall communications staff, the aquatic centre will have a floor area of 5,721 square metres (61,580 square feet).

Now that the foundation stage is complete, the project is in what is deemed the superstructure phase and construction of the pool tank will soon begin.

It was noted that in the design phase of the project, the depth of the pool and grade changes of the landscape were taken into consideration, as was maintaining public access to the walking trails and tennis courts.

Special consideration had to be given when choosing materials for the project as well. Because of the interior environment, plastics and stainless steel materials are being utilized winthin portions of the complex. Some of the steel will have additional galvanized coatings, and to ensure superior corrosion protection, an epoxy paint will be used throughout the indoor pool area.

Other notable features of the aquatic centre will be phenolic lockers, which will provide optimum longevity, and the exterior surfaces on the south and west elevations will have stone veneer rising from the rock and a patio that

overlooks Frame Lake.

25-metre lanes

While preliminary pre-design plan discussions determined that a 52metre lane pool was the preferred option, two design options were presented for final consideration to council during the January 2021 council meeting: 52-metres or 25-metres. Council ultimately voted for the 25metre option.

Former Yellowknife city councillor Niels Konge, who sat on council during the years of planning and discussion about the need for a new pool, was supportive of seeing the construction project underway.

“I always supported facilities and programs that were for the youth. This was no different,” Konge stated in a recent email. “If the kids don’t have things to do, you have a dying community.”

While current city councillor Rob Warburton had no say in whether to advance the new pool proposal, he said, overall, it’s going to be “a great facility.”

“Operating costs are of concern, so we are going to have to figure out how best to address those,” Warburton said. “Some folks are concerned about the price, its fixed — the price can’t change, so thank God we had that type of contract during a large inflationary period.”

He said while he has heard some public concern or dissatisfaction because not all residents will use the facility, yet have to pay for it in through their taxes, Warburton pointed out that not every resident uses every facility in the city.

“That’s just part of a community — you are taxed for things you don’t use. In general, I am quite excited to see it going in there,” he said.

But Warburton said that residents shouldn’t expect to see any more city facilities in the foreseeable future.

“I think we are more than sufficient now in our city facility make-up. We don’t need anything else.

“After this, the projects will be more focused on water/sewer stuff, lift stations, submarine water lines, things like that. This is the biggest one we’ve done in quite a while,” he said.

While supply chain issues can be a concern for large-scale projects, it was indicated that in this instance, such possible issues were accounted for during the planning stages.

In terms of the larger equipment required for the construction, the mobile cranes, concrete pumps, telehandlers, loaders and excavators all were sourced locally.

Steve Specht, Clark Builders’ director for Northern Canada, said in an earlier email forwarded to NNSL via

Yellowknife City Hall, that in terms of employment for workers, there could be up to 15 new direct hires in Yellowknife.

“Indirect employment to execute the work (shop time/manufacturing) along with crews being brought up, adding to the Yellowknife economy results in 57 people being employed to execute the work,” Specht added.

In terms of the economic benefit from such a large-scale project, Specht indicated that spinoffs from hotels, groceries, taxi, freight — in the NWT and around town — plus airfares and associated travel, should add another possible 12 jobs, based on the volume of material required and procurement.

Because Clark Builders is working under a single contract with the municipality that includes design and construction of the facility, it is up to Clark to meet the timelines and budgets, according to the city.

Fact file

The aquatic centre will contain:

-25 metre eight-lane pool

-25 metre three-lane leisure pool with beach entry

-two water slides

-splash pad

-therapy pool

-lazy river

-one-metre diving board

-three-metre diving board

-two multipurpose rooms

-canteen

-lease space

-universal washroom

-two universal change rooms

-customer service counter

-aquatic centre staffing on main floor

-bleacher seating for 200

-six staff offices for C/S

-storage for C/S and youth groups

Source: City of Yellowknife

$67.7 million, 61,580-square-foot project expected to be complete by September 2024

A rendering of how the aquatic centre pool area will look upon completion. Image courtesy of the City of Yellowknife

Yellowknife Aquatic Centre construction is now visible from the shores of Frame Lake. The new pool facility is expected to open in September 2024. Jill Westerman/NNSL photo

News Services

Buildings taking shape in Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet

This three-storey building under construction by HESSA North Contracting in Iqaluit sustained severe damage from a fire on April 8. There were plans for the new dental clinic on the first floor and residential spaces on the top two floors. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Trevor Wright/NNSL photo

There’s plenty of plywood and drywall being put in place in Nunavut’s two most populous communities: Iqaluit

and Rankin Inlet.

The Qikiqtani and Kivalliq regional hubs have numerous buildings being erected be-

tween them as the territory continues to add infrastructure and services to accommodate Canada’s fastest growing jurisdiction.

Upgrading the Rankin Inlet airport terminal building has displaced the parking area for the current airport building, as the new terminal is set to approximately triple its size. Stewart Burnett/NNSL photos

No matter the season or temperature, work has continued on at the Rankin Inlet Elder’s Facility, which is taking form in between the health centre and

Housing construction roars on in Rankin Inlet despite limitations in the town’s infrastructure. Area 5, the zone near the healing facility, is particularly busy with new construction this year.

The new Inuusirvik Community Wellness Hub is currently under construction in Iqaluit. Spearheaded by the Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre and buoyed by federal funding, Inuusirvik is expected to become host to various initiatives such as land-based programs, Inuit counselling services and suicide prevention utilizing a holistic model. NCC Development Ltd. holds the contract.

The beginnings of a four-storey joint project between Qikiqtaaluk Properties Inc. and NCC Development Ltd., located on Iqaluit’s Lower Plateau. At 44,000 square feet, the four floors will be split evenly between commercial and residential. Trevor Wright/NNSL photo

Agnico Eagle Arena. Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

Trevor Wright/NNSL photo

A four-storey, mixed-use residential/commercial building currently under construction by NCC Development Ltd. and owned by Nunastar Properties. It’s located next to the CBC building in Iqaluit and across from Arctic Ventures. Trevor Wright/NNSL photo

Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

Tuktoyaktuk school gets an overhaul

New gym, career and technology centre and renovated classrooms among project’s highlights

By Derek Neary Northern News Services

After considerable delay, extensive renovations are underway at Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk and the educational facility is growing in size, all at a budgeted cost of $30 million for construction.

The Inuvialuit Development Corporation is the primary contractor, responsible for overseeing the building of a 5,748-square-foot gymnasium; a 2,368-square-foot, standalone career and technology studies (CTS) building; and renovations to install a library, kitchen, culture room and high school lounge.

The school’s total floor space will grow to 42,130 square feet from 28,223 square feet when all of the work is completed in 2024, according to James Ross, who was a communications staff member with the Department of Infrastructure at the time this article was written.

In the legislative assembly on Oct. 26, Kam Lake MLA Caitlin Cleveland inquired about fallout from construction delays.

“Given that that project was originally awarded long before the pandemic and long before inflation and the rest of it, has there been significant budgetary changes to that project?” she asked.

Sam Shannon, the Department of Education’s assistant deputy minister of corporate services, who was present in the legislature that day, replied that “there were some scope reductions… to ensure that the project was brought within budget. As the project has moved along, there have also been

a couple of other revisions, kind of really derived from the pandemic and global supply chain management.”

Alternative arrangements

Mangilaluk School was built in 1990 and was designed to accommodate students in kindergarten through Grade 8. Following a round of renovations in 2007, the student body expanded and the school now offers instruction for those in junior kindergarten to Grade 12. In the 2022-23 school year, that amounted to 238 full-time equivalent pupils.

There will be some shuffling of the students as the construction and renovations occur in phases.

Site works for the new CTS building and the new gym began during the winter of 2020-21. The section of the school where the old gym and change-rooms were located is currently under renovation and it’s where temporary classrooms will be situated, Ross noted.

Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk will grow to 42,130 square feet from 28,223 square feet when all of the renovations and add-ons are completed in 2024. Photo courtesy of the Department of Infrastructure

“We expect the current classrooms of the existing school to be renovated beginning in fall 2023. Currently INF (the Department of Infrastructure) is working with the contractor on an updated schedule for the completion of the project,” he stated in April. “Commencing with the 2023-24 school year, students will occupy temporary classroom space within the newly created space as well as the newly constructed CTS building and will return to the renovated classrooms once construction is complete.”

The students and staff will see the foods room — which will boast two kitchen areas with islands, stainless steel countertops, energy-efficient appliances and a supply storage room — and new cultural classroom adjacent to each other.

“The cultural classroom will host activities such as traditional crafts and toolmaking, skills and land-based knowledge sharing and language programming,” said Ross.

NWT Housing Corp to deploy $35.6 million for infrastructure this year

Multi-year plan aspires to create 510 housing units in the territory

By Derek Neary Northern News Services

The NWT Housing Corporation will have $35.6 million to allocate for infrastructure over the 2023-24 fiscal year.

The largest single amount regionally will go to the Beaufort Delta at $11.3 million. That’s followed by the South Slave ($7.9 million), the North Slave ($6.2 million), the Sahtu ($5.5 million), Nahendeh ($4.2 million). There’s also $500,000 set aside for vehicles territorially.

The housing corporation accounts for 10.8 per cent of the territorial government’s 2023-24 capital budget, putting it just behind Health and Social Services (11 per cent) and Infrastructure (59.5 per cent) as the top three departments for capital expenditures.

The cost to building a housing unit ranges from approximately $400,000 to $1 million.

Continued on page B9

A three-bedroom modular unit is built at the METCAN Building Solutions facility in Hay River. This indoor facility allows for climate-controlled manufacturing through the winter months. This unit will be transported and set up in Wrigley. Photo courtesy of the NWT Housing Corporation

Continued on page B9

“These costs are similar to costs experienced in other similar jurisdictions,” reads a statement from the NWT Housing Corporation. “The average construction cost per unit varies depending on a wide range of factors including the project community, whether winter road, barge access, or all-season road access; the size and configuration of the building which varies from single family dwellings to multi-unit residential buildings; the number of bedrooms per unit; accessibility requirements and site access; geotechnical condition and appropriate foundation type; and whether stick-built or modular construction is selected.”

Delivering the territorial budget in Feb. 8, Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek spoke of the NWT Housing Corporation having a multi-year capital plan to address 510 housing units across the territory with a budget in excess of $100 million. This will consist of 93 more public housing units — seven new homes have already been built and are now occupied — 34 market housing units and retrofit/repair of 383 existing housing units. The completion date for this objective was not specified by the minister or the NWT Housing Corporation. While supporting a motion to introduce a rent increase cap in the NWT on March 9, Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh MLA Richard Edjericon spoke of the desperate need for more housing in the territory: “…housing’s a big issue here in the Northwest Territories. And, you know, in my riding in particular, you know, it’s to the point where I even have to put documents and everything else on the floor here just to finally get any action,” he said. “And we already know that there’s big problem — we actually have a housing crisis here in the Northwest Territories. We have no plan. When I take a look at what Nunavut’s doing, when we take a look at what, you know, our — the way we handle housing here in the Northwest Territories and we’re still — we’re still a shortage of public housing in our communities. You know, and we — again, we got no new construction in our communities for a very long time.”

The breakdown for new housing units and major retrofits by community in the NWT in 2023-24 is as follows:

-Behchoko: materials and labour for five units; major retrofit of four units

-Colville Lake: major retrofit of one unit

-Deline: materials and labour for four units

-Dettah: major retrofit of one unit

-Fort Good Hope: major retrofit of two units

-Fort Liard: major retrofit of two units

-Fort McPherson: materials and labour for two units; major retrofit of two units

-Fort Providence: materials and labour for two units; major retrofit of six units; a biomass project for 13 units

-Fort Resolution: materials and labour for two units; major retrofit of one unit

-Fort Simpson: materials and labour for two units; major retrofit of two units

-Fort Smith: materials and labour for two units

-Hay River: major retrofit of 29 units

-Inuvik: major retrofit of six units

-Lutsel K’e: major retrofit of five units

-Norman Wells: major retrofit of one unit

-Paulatuk: materials and labour for six units; major retrofit of four units

-Tsiigehtchic: major retrofit of four units

-Tuktoyaktuk: materials and labour for two units; major retrofit of two units

-Tulita: major retrofit of two units

-Ulukhaktok: major retrofit of three units

-Whati: major retrofit of two units

-Wrigley: major retrofit, of two units

-Yellowknife: major retrofit of 16 units

A new home is installed in Fort Resolution. Photo courtesy of the NWT Housing Corporation

The METCAN Building Solutions facility in Hay River.

Photo courtesy of the NWT Housing Corporation

Housing units are transported to Fort Resolution.

Photo courtesy of the NWT Housing Corporation

The interior of a studio unit for the community of Fort Resolution. Photo courtesy of the NWT Housing Corporation

Wired for success

Kristopher Okpatauyak stumbled a few times on his way to becoming a red seal electrician, but he prevailed

By Derek Neary Northern News Services

Kristopher Okpatauyak is not the kind of person who gives up easily, and that was a key factor in him achieving his red seal as an electrician.

The Rankin Inlet tradesman attained his red seal status in February, meaning he meets national standards within the profession. The entire process took him close to 10 years. “Now I conquered,” he said, after admitting that he failed his second year and fourth years of apprenticeship but he kept trying and said he stayed away from alcohol to get his focus back on track.

As a high school student, Okpatauyak said he considered careers in law enforcement and as a ship’s captain. Then a friend of his, Gareth Taylor, told him that he’d been accepted to a pre-trades program for electricians. Okpatauyak was also interested in that line of work, but his math skills were not up to par, he said. He applied through Nunavut Arctic College anyway and was accepted — and a program instructor helped him improve his math. After passing pre-trades, he got a job at Agnico Eagle’s Meliadine gold mine north of Rankin Inlet, which was still under construction at the time.

“I had a great experience with them for two years… it was a good learning experience,” he said, adding that he worked on industrial tasks such as installing generators, grounding and bonding and “pulling wire.”

Then he moved on to assist in building the new arena in Rankin Inlet.

Each of the first three years of schooling in the electrician program entailed eight weeks in the classroom while the fourth and final year was 12 weeks of studies, Okpatauyak noted.

But to complete the third and fourth years, he went south to finish his studies in Calgary, since that possibility didn’t exist in Rankin Inlet.

Now, he’s working for EPLS Maintenance, mostly taking calls for service at government buildings in town. Although he’s satisfied with the terms of his employment, he has job offers from the territorial government and the option to return to the mine still stands.

“There’s so many opportunities,” he said. “There’s so many doors that opened for me when I passed that (red seal) exam.”

He’s planning to ensure that even more doors open by getting a second trades ticket, either as an oil-burner mechanic or a plumber.

“I don’t mind going to school. I’m just going to keep building myself,” he said. “The more school you have, the more tickets you have, it just helps you.”

He’s also considering the possibility of owning his own business someday.

Okpatauyak again emphasized how much difficulty he had with academics, but he didn’t allow that barrier to stop him from reaching his goal.

“I barely passed high school,” he said. “I was a bad kid, but I just changed my life around… I hope more Inuks and kids and people in Canada that (struggle) in high school know that when you mature up, it’s possible. I never thought I could ever get my ticket as an electrician. I just kept trying and I did it.”

“I barely passed high school … I never thought I could ever get my ticket as an electrician. I just kept trying and I did it,” says Rankin Inlet’s Kristopher Okpatauyak.

Photo courtesy of

Kristopher Okpatauyak

Sanikiluaq’s new hamlet office in progress

Windstorm battered former office space in 2020

By Derek Neary Northern News Services

A new $15.8 million hamlet office is being built in Sanikiluaq to replace the office complex and hotel that sustained serious damage during a September 2020 windstorm.

Mikim Construction holds the contract for the 7,642-square-foot building.

After getting started last October, the anticipated completion date is April 2025, according to the Department of Community and Government Services.

The office building will accommodate hamlet staff and other government workers, with the structure’s design allowing for the secured offices to have access to shared

space but also have separate entry and exit points.

“The hamlet is looking forward to this new office as we have been in temporary trailers since 2020 when the roof blew off the hamlet hotel and office complex back in 2020,” stated Ron Ladd, the community’s senior administrative officer.

The municipal office build-

ing is not the only construction taking place in Sanikiluaq. Piles were being put in place in late April for a new seven-bedroom, 14-bed women’s and children’s shelter that is expected to open next year, Ladd added.

That project — made possible through a partnership between the hamlet and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation — will bring three full-time and three casual jobs to the community, according to Ladd.

Workers gets some assistance from the blades of a forklift while manoeuvring pilings. Photo courtesy of the Department of Community and Government Services

Dust flies as pilings are put in the ground for the new hamlet office in Sanikiluaq. Photo courtesy of the Department of Community and Government Services

Pilings are sunk in the ground for the 7,642-square-foot office building being built to accommodate the Hamlet of Sanikiluaq and some Government of Nunavut staff. Photo courtesy of the Department of Community and Government Services

The weather cooperates as workers prepare the site of the new Sanikiluaq hamlet office. Photo courtesy of the Department of Community and Government Services

Row after row of pilings is put in place to support the structure. Photo courtesy of the Department of Community and Government Services

Arctic Fresh seeks to become local construction alternative

Company’s vice-president emphasizes local training and keeping money in the territory

By Trevor Wright Northern

Iglulik

Arctic Fresh, based in Iglulik, best known as a grocery service in the territory, has taken on more and more construction projects in the territory under its Arctic Fresh Projects banner.

The company has been awarded the contract to build the new Sanikiluaq women’s and children’s shelter, which is set to be of a similar size to the Sanikiluaq local housing organization building, another project Arctic Fresh is working on in the community.

In partnership with Winnipeg-based Penn-Co Construction, Arctic Fresh has also successfully bid on the Sakku School addition in Coral Harbour, in addition to other projects.

Now, the company is eyeing a bid on an expansion to Taloyoak’s Netsilik School, which has the potential to be one of Arctic Fresh’s larger projects.

“We started with an all-Inuit crew managing school renovations in Iglulik, where our head office is located. We’ve remained open and we’ve seen commitment from them (the community) and we want to provide some opportunity for larger, commercial projects,”

said Ryan Haggan, vice-president of Arctic Fresh.

The partnership with PennCo comes with a hands-on training component to help Nunavummiut get into the construction field, something Haggan is very optimistic about.

“We’re capable of changing Nunavut,” he said, referring to some other companies who fly in workers from the south and take much of the contract’s money outside of the territory.

“We feel very fortunate.

Arctic Fresh and Arctic Fresh projects have been making efforts to do things a little differently in Nunavut,” said Haggan.

In terms of recent changes, Evan Schellenberg, who has been working with the company since 2016, was made the company’s general manager of construction.

Arctic Fresh and Arctic Fresh Projects are also planning to open a satellite office in Iqaluit to help facilitate future business.

“We’ve been involving communities on multiple levels when it comes to these projects,” said Haggan, who said he’s excited to see future success stories coming from this training. “It truly feels amazing, we want Nunavummiut to be proud of us.”

Iglulik-based company Arctic Fresh is aiming to become a bigger player on the Nunavut construction landscape. Iglulik is seen here on Aug 10, 2022. Photo courtesy of Dusa Ulayuk

News Services

Gearing up for Taltson hydroelectric facility overhaul

Work expected to take six months and cost up to $70 million

By Jill Westerman Northern News Services

The Taltson hydroelectricity facility in the South Slave region of the NWT is about to receive an overhaul that will see the turbine, generator and various components replaced.

“The shutdown of Taltson for the overhaul will begin in early May 2023 and is expected to last approximately six

months,” Doug Prendergast, the manager of communications for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC), said in a recent email.

Replacing the parts, which are at the end of their lifespan, will mean customers in the communities of Fort Smith, Enterprise, Fort Resolution, K’atl’odeeche First Nation and Hay River will

be switched over to diesel generators for the duration of the project.

Because the Taltson facility, located 64 kilometers north of Fort Smith on the Taltson River, is primarily accessible by air, preparatory ground work was completed and a new, larger camp was built for workers.

Over the winter, an ice road was constructed to enable transportation of the new turbine and turbine base to the facility in advance of the project.

The Taltson system is connected to South Slave communities by about 200 kilometers of transmission lines maintained by NTPC.

The hydro plant consists of

an 18 MW hydro unit and a 300 kW emergency standby diesel generator.

First built in the 1960s as a power source for the Pine Point mine that operated between Hay River and Fort Resolution, the overhaul is expected to cost $60 million to $70 million.

Although the electricity rates for customers will remain the same during the project, the effect on rates and on customers will not be known until the project is complete and financing is finalized.

Once the overhaul is complete, the facility is expected to be able to produce hydro for the region for the next 40 to 50 years.

Building the Taltson winter road, which opened on Feb. 22, was necessary to transport the components of the overhaul of the hydro power facility. Photo courtesy of NWT Power Corporation

The photo from inside shows work underway on the rotor assembly, a key component of the Taltson hydro unit. Photo courtesy of NWT Power Corporation

The newly constructed camp for those who will be working on the Taltson overhaul can be seen on the left side of this aerial photo. The number of workers required to complete the overhaul exceeds the capacity of the former camp. The Taltson hydro unit can be seen in the top right of the photo. Photo courtesy of NWT Power Corporation

By Derek Neary Northern

The Nunavut Housing Corporation (NHC) will account for an estimated 32.7 per cent of the territorial government’s capital spending in 2023-24, making it the department with the largest capital budget, ahead of Community and Government Services at 30.6 per cent.

That equates to an estimated $110.5 million budget for the NHC, more than double the $51.5 million spent in 2022-23 and $48.5 million invested in 2021-22.

Nunavut ramping up housing construction

The current budget includes approximately $10 million in maintenance and improvement of public housing units in Nunavut communities.

The NHC spent $66.1 million on major construction contracts in 2021-22 — valued at $25,000 apiece or higher — and all of that money went to companies that have Inuit status, according to the organization’s most recent contracting and procurement activity report.

In the Nunavut legislative assembly in March, Hudson Bay MLA Daniel Qavvik asked Housing Minister Lorne Kusugak about the NHC’s business plan, which identifies 360 housing

units this year, including approximately 198 public housing units, 10 GN staff housing units, 106 affordable housing units and 46 market housing units. He wanted to know if this is achievable in light of the number of tenders cancelled in 2022-23.

Kusugak replied, “It’s an ambitious project but I think we’ll able to meet our deadlines… we have an agreement with NCC (Development Ltd.). This is going to be our first year and we believe that we will see an increase in housing in the upcoming years.”

Arviat South MLA Joe Savikataaq previously said he wants to see some apprentices trained for the construction of 40 homes expected to be built in Arviat this summer. He pointed out that the government, last November, promised training opportunities for up to 80 Nunavut Inuit through the Nunavut 3000 imitative, which has a goal of delivering 3,000 new residences to the territory by 2030.

Magaret Nakashuk, minister of Human Resources and Family Services, said that the government is working with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated and community learning centres to help reinforce the local workforce.

“We look at how we can increase the employment rate in the construction field and we also focus on how many Inuit we are going to be employing through an agreement,” said Nakashuk. “We would like 80 apprentices and go through the apprenticeship program and the pre-trades training. We also have some employees in Rankin Inlet who are preparing for the construction of Nunavut 3000 units.”

Eiryn Devereaux, the president and CEO of NHC, explained it this way: “The strategy, the Nunavut 3,000 strategy, we target affordable housing units and market housing units. I should be very clear that those are not going to be directly delivered by Nunavut Housing Corporation. They are going to be built by private sector, by the community housing not-for-profit sector, by other entities, and we have to figure out how to incentivize them, how to support and encourage them to come to the table to increase that supply.

“Yes, the intention is we would provide capital co-investment to anyone of those stakeholders, partners, who might be interested in putting new affordable housing units into Nunavut, as well as market housing. We don’t drive that, but we certainly want to support them and incentivize that,” he said.

“Throughout the course of the eight to 10 years of their strategy, we do envision if that’s where some new market activity will happen in some of the smaller communities throughout the territory,” said Devereaux.

Fact file

Preliminary 2023 build program by community:

Arctic Bay - 20 public housing units

Clyde River - 20 affordable housing units

Iqaluit - 18 public housing units; 20 affordable housing units; 46 market homes

Kinngait - 10 public/staff housing units

Pangnirtung - 10 public/staff housing units

Resolute Bay - 10 public/staff housing units

Pond Inlet - 10 public/staff housing units

Cambridge Bay - 10 public housing units; 10 affordable housing units

Kugluktuk - 20 public housing units; 10 public/staff housing units

Taloyoak - 20 public housing units

Arviat - 20 public housing units; 20 affordable housing units

Baker Lake - 20 public housing units; 10 affordable housing units

Rankin Inlet - 20 public housing units; 20 affordable housing units

Coral Harbour - 10 public/staff housing units

New housing units in Sanirajak that were completed in October 2022. Photo courtesy of Nunavut Housing Corporation

News Services

360 residences on the table for this year; 3,000-unit goal by 2030

Nunavummiut being trained to build housing units

By Jill Westerman

It may appear to be an insurmountable task to tackle the dire housing issues that Nunavummiut have endured for decades.

But for Clarence Synard, president and CEO of NNC Investment Group, parent company to NCC Development Ltd. in Nunavut, the challenge and strong desire to help resolve those issues is what gets him up and going each morning.

An agreement in principal partnership announced last year between NCC and the Nunavut Housing Corporation is meant to begin addressing the need for additional housing.

Under the umbrella of what is known as the Nunavut 3000 initiative, the initiative will see 3,000 new cost-effective housing units built for Nunavummiut by the year 2030.

“You know what, it is a daunting program and it’s very aggressive, but what’s daunting to me and what motivates me on a daily basis is the situation and conditions that far too many Inuit are forced to live in,” Synard said. “And we can have a chance to be a part of that solution.”

Construction could be thought of as challenging in the harsh cold, remoteness and topography of Nunavut. But who better to have working on this vast project than those who are acclimatized and who know the land and communities where these homes will be built?

“We are putting a big emphasis on attracting employees at the local community level and having them engaged in the process as well,” said Synard. “So, obviously we are hiring local first — we are hiring Inuit-beneficiaries first, combined with current staff that we already have.”

To help achieve the goal of having local workers ready to get the job done, 12-week training programs are going to be held for Nunavut residents within their communities, he added.

“One of the things that our Nunavut 3000 does is that we are going to roll out training programs in every single community before we start building.

“It’s our intent — we are purposely going into these communities under Nunavut 3000 — and we are importing less workers that you would normally see, with the intention of a bigger, stronger engagement on the community level and having employees at the community level worksite-ready when they come there (to build).”

Synard acknowledged that some people wanting to work aren’t able to travel or leave their community.

“Everyone has a different real life situation that allows them flexibility to travel or prohibits them from travelling,” he said. “We just felt that if we were able to offer that training on a local level, at the community level, right in their hometown, we are going to have better success with that as well, so it also cuts costs.”

The first round of recruiting has already started, he said.

“We actually have our staff go out, boots on the ground, advertise that we are coming to town and we will hold a session in the community stating when the project is anticipated to start, how many people we are looking for to work on the project and when training is anticipated to occur.”

From their initial contact made, Synard said his staff have received a great deal of interest from people at the community level wanting to have successful and meaningful careers in the trades.

Range of professions

While the bulk of the training will be in construction and carpentry, he said with safety certification and worksite readiness training done, workers could also work with a plumbing company or electrical company.

“So from our initial visit to the communities, we will be doing another one in a couple of months from now, and from that we will be taking our recruits into training. The training is all going to occur prior to the start of the job sites.”

Initially, 10 people from each community will be trained, he said. Those who receive the training first will be those who will be starting projects right away.

“We are trying to reduce the gap between completion of training, to going out in real life and practising and learning

more,” said Synard.

Not only does this arrangement empower local residents and help them attain careers in the trades, it also means there will be lesser need to find housing for workers imported from the south, he noted.

After supplies arrive via sealift in June, the communities of Gjoa Haven, Cambridge Bay, Taloyoak, Baker Lake, Arviat, Rankin Inlet, Arctic Bay and Iqaluit will see housing units starting to be built this year, with an estimated completion date of some time in 2024.

A total of 16 structures containing 150 units will be built during this project. Synard said with the current sealift schedules, his staff don’t anticipate any issues with obtaining the required materials for the projects.

Synard says it’s a start.

“It certainly doesn’t come anywhere close to addressing the need that is out there and the crisis that we find ourselves in. However, by the fall of 2024, there will be an additional 150 homes for families,” he said. “As soon as one family moves into a unit, in a lot of cases, they are moving out of an overcrowded situation, which hopefully means that the unit that they moved out of now becomes more habitable and less overcrowded.

“The way that I look at that is when we are able to build 150 units, that is going to have a positive impact on 300 families because of the overcrowding situation that many people find themselves in.”

Next month, discussions will begin to determine the 2024-25 construction project locations, he said.

Synard said overall, if they put a real commitment into building the workforce, the construction of the units will fall into place.

“If we can build the individuals in communities, that is really going to help Nunavut 3000 along the way as well.”

‘We are putting a big emphasis on attracting employees at the local community level,’ says president and CEO of NCC Development Ltd.

Clarence Synard, president and CEO of NCC Investment Group, the parent company to NCC Development Ltd. in Nunavut, is ready to take on the task of providing communities in the territory with new housing units through the Nunavut 3000 project, in a partnership with the Nunavut Housing Corporation. Photo courtesy of Clarence Synard/ LinkedIn

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