50-unit public housing complex in Yellowknife takes next step

Housing officials formally broke ground on a future public housing building Tuesday.

The building, set to go up on empty lots on 50th Street between the Raven Pub and the Gold Range Bistro, is expected to bring 50 public housing units to Yellowknife's downtown area by fall of 2026. It's expected to include 25 barrier-free bachelor suites for single people and seniors, and 25 two-bedroom units for small families.

It'll also provide office space for Housing N.W.T.'s North Slave district office and the Yellowknife Housing Authority.

At a ceremony Tuesday, Housing Minister Lucy Kuptana described the project as "the beginning of new opportunities, new stability and a new hope" for people in Yellowknife who need homes.

"We know that housing is one of the most pressing challenges facing the Northwest Territories," Kuptana said, noting the current housing waitlist through the Yellowknife Housing Authority has more than 300 families on it.

"We also know that when people [have a] safe, affordable place to call home, everything else becomes more possible."

The project, originally announced in 2023 by then-prime minister Justin Trudeau, is partly funded through the federal government's rapid housing initiative. In an email, Housing N.W.T. said construction costs are estimated at $40 million.

The federal initiative covers $20.8 million of that, while the territory is covering the rest. The land, which Housing N.W.T. said is valued at approximately $1 million, was provided by the City of Yellowknife.

The city issued a development permit for the building's construction last October. At the time, it said foundation work would begin in the spring.

In a news release Tuesday, the territorial government said "substantial construction work" is set to begin shortly on the building.

It also pointed to plans for sustainable design, including biomass heating and mass timber construction — light, load-bearing wood that's engineered for high strength.