2 Yukoners describe struggle to find suitable, affordable housing

Jeszika Mae estimates they've moved over 10 times in eight years.

Mae has been struggling to find suitable housing ever since they moved to the Yukon in 2014 and believes that their identity as a Black non-binary person has made the search for housing more difficult, with some landlords discriminating against them.

The cook and LGBTQ+ activist has mostly lived in cabins without running water because that's all they can afford, but has also resorted to living in a yurt when nothing else was available.

Mae says it has become increasingly difficult to find any sort of housing.

"When I [first] got here and I was looking for housing, at least there were options," said Mae.

"Now, there's not even options because there's five people looking at the same house – and it's not just that there's five people looking at the same house, it's that there's five people that need that house."

Yukon's housing crisis has grown in recent years, in Whitehorse and elsewhere. The territory's population continues to grow while rental units become scarce and home prices climb out of reach for many families. According to 2021 census data, Yukon led the country in terms of population growth since 2016, increasing by 12.1 per cent.

A 2021 report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) found housing affordability to be a serious challenge in Yukon, particularly in Whitehorse, where "market options are out of reach for some households without financial assistance."

Mae now lives with their seven-year-old child in a bus that has been converted into a home in Ibex Valley, around 40 kilometres northwest of Whitehorse. The bus is on a lot owned by Mae's landlord with around 15 other small homes. Mae rents the property, which doesn't have running water, internet or cell service, for around $350 a month.

"That's very reasonable," said Mae. "But if I ever had to leave here, I wouldn't be able to afford to live anywhere else."

Mae says they have a good relationship with their landlord who charges rent on a sliding scale depending on how much income tenants have.

Mae, who is on disability leave due to a back injury, said it's still not an ideal living situation. 

"I have to haul blue jugs of water. I have to find someplace in town to shower. I have to find some place in town to do my laundry. Between me and my kid, we only have one bedroom."

Mae said that the other available housing is just not in their budget, noting that rent for some of their former homes has nearly doubled. 

"My first dry cabin that I was in was at the south end of Fox Lake. It was a two-bedroom dry cabin and I was paying $600. Now, that dry cabin is going for $1200. Like, if I wanted to move back into that cabin, I couldn't even afford it."

Limited options for Whitehorse renter with two dogs

For another Whitehorse-area renter, the housing situation has gotten so bad, she's thinking of leaving the territory. CBC News has agreed not to identify the renter because she fears being evicted.

The renter also has a long history of struggling to find housing. She first moved to Haines Junction, Yukon, five years ago to work with Yukon Wildland Fire Management, but the closest place she could find housing was in Mendenhall Landing, which is almost 90 kilometres east of Haines Junction.

There, she acquired two dogs. Two years in, she found out her landlord put the place up for sale, and she had to move out.

She says "it was a time of panic" because she now owned two dogs and knew it would be very difficult to find a pet-friendly rental.

The renter eventually found a cabin without running water in Mount Lorne, 40 kilometres southeast of Whitehorse, where she still lives and pays $1,000 in rent. She had to leave her job with Yukon Wildland Fire because her new place was too far away from Haines Junction.

LISTEN | Auditor general report shows just how hard it is for Yukoners to find housing:

The renter's relationship with her landlord has gotten worse over time and she says she feels like she's walking on eggshells. The renter says her landlord frequently writes her strongly-worded emails and has demanded that she take care of the entire grounds the property sits on.

The renter says she doesn't feel comfortable with those demands, but feels she has no power over her situation. She says she's afraid to file a complaint because it could mean losing the place she calls home. 

If a tenant wants to file a complaint against their landlord, they can apply for a dispute resolution through the Yukon government's Residential Tenancies Office for a $75 fee. If the application is accepted, the landlord and tenant are scheduled for a hearing.

The office then issues a decision but does not enforce it.  If either the landlord or tenant does not comply, the matter can be brought to the Supreme Court of Yukon to enforce the order.

As it stands, Yukon's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act allows for evictions without cause, meaning a landlord can evict a tenant without any justification, even if the tenant files a dispute. The renter in this story fears this is what will happen if she files a complaint.

"There are more people here looking for places to live than what's available," she said. 

"So, for me, I feel like if I bring forward any concerns or anything that my landlord is not doing correctly, it's like, 'OK, well you're going to have to find a new place to live because I'm going to find someone who's an easier tenant.'" 

The renter does not think she can improve her housing situation unless she leaves the territory.

"There are a lot of anxieties I have with my landlord and my current situation that I feel like it could be better, but I don't have any options for being better unless I leave the territory," she said.

She says she's not in a position to rent a room in someone's house because of her two dogs and she can't afford current rent prices for a one-bedroom apartment in Whitehorse.

The renter has worked many different jobs over the years, including as a correctional officer and wedding photographer, but she says she's always just been "getting by" despite making good money.

"It's challenging because I've connected so deeply with the land I call home for the past few years," she said.

"But it's also tough for me to navigate the relationship I have with my landlord and feel comfortable and secure, when at the end of the day, as long as I'm a tenant here, I don't really have control in my life."  

Do you have a story to share, for our ongoing coverage of Yukon's housing crisis? Email us at cbcyukon@cbc.ca or call 668-8460.