Yellowknife, NWT – If the Government of the Northwest Territories is to provide more public housing, its federal counterpart will need to step up.
That’s according to Robert C. McLeod, the minister responsible for housing in the NWT.
He was speaking after it was learned that Northern Properties, Yellowknife’s largest residential landlord, barred people on income support from renting with them.
McLeod says the Feds, and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in particular, need to do more.
“We’re looking to see how we can get more units on the ground but we’re challenged with the funding from CMHC declining every year so it’s becoming more difficult for us to put up new public housing. We’re putting up a lot of replacement public housing because the O&M money that we receive from CMHC is declining every year.”
McLeod says the territorial government can’t control what the private market will do, but adds public housing remains an issue in most parts of the NWT.
Northern Properties, which owns nearly 75% of the residential rental properties in Yellowknife, reportedly says it lost $250,000 in revenue due to unpaid rent last year.
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