Funding will support Qillaq Innovations topilot a private housing model to increase access to affordable housing and create jobs in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut.
Across the territories, a critical shortage of housing requires all levels of government and the private sector to work together on innovative and regionally tailored solutions.
Today, the Honourable Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for CanNor, announced an investment of up to $600,000 to Qillaq Innovations to support the design and construction of a new, cost-effective housing model. This project could provide new options for private, affordable homeownership across Nunavut.
Qillaq Innovations' The Bay Home Expansion Project will pilot the construction of four small homes clustered around a shared central utility building, providing an efficient and cost-effective model for homeownership. Based in Cambridge Bay, Qillaq Innovations is a 100% Inuit-owned construction and trades company that offers work and training opportunities to Inuit interested in civil construction and technical service trades. At least three new apprentices are expected to be hired to support the build. Additional funding for the project is being provided by the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation and Kitikmeot Community Futures Inc.
Through investments like this, the Government of Canada, through CanNor, supports initiatives that can alleviate housing affordability and availability by leveraging local resources and ingenuity while creating new opportunities for regional economies.
