Only Northview can decide when Sunridge residents can return after fire say city officials

City officials say only Northview Residential Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), the owner of Sunridge Apartments in Yellowknife, can authorize residents to return, following a fire that displaced people from the 25-unit complex. 

Five of those units are leased to Housing N.W.T. 

The city said the building was "not habitable" after a fire in the building on Thursday. Smoke could be seen billowing up from a bottom floor unit that afternoon and now, the building's first floor is boarded up. 

The City of Yellowknife's director of public safety does not have authority to grant tenants access to the building, said spokesperson Saxon Chung. Only Northview can permit tenants back into the building, he said. 

In an e-mail on April 2, the territory's regional director for Northview, Colleen Wellborn, said it was working with local authorities and affected residents after the fire. 

At the time of the fire, 20 of its units in Sunridge were occupied. 

Wellborn said it is coordinating with residents to grant them access to the building to retrieve their belongings. 

"We have been in contact with all lessees [leaseholders] of the building and are assured that all affected have secured temporary accommodation," she said.

Housing N.W.T. assisting displaced residents

Yellowknife Housing Authority staff are working to house residents displaced from the Housing N.W.T. units said Aurora Nind, a spokesperson for the organization, in an email Monday.

Those residents were put up in hotels over the weekend. Yellowknife's fire chief informed Northview the building must be vacated, said Nind.

Northview is responsible for removing fire debris from the building, said Nind.

Wellborn said Northview was working with safety officials to assess the smoke damage and "determine next steps for restoring the building."

"Our primary concern remains the safety and well-being of our residents," she wrote. 

Wellborn said the company was "working diligently to assist all displaced residents in securing safe and stable housing as quickly as possible.

"We appreciate the swift response of emergency personnel and the support from the community during this challenging time," she said.

On Tuesday, restoration company vehicles were outside of Sunridge.

Salvation Army assisting evacuees

Tony Brushett, the executive director of the Yellowknife Salvation Army, said people displaced by the fire have lost their belongings and have reached out for assistance.

"We've had a couple of people who we issued thrift store vouchers to so they could get clothing," he said.

The non-profit assisted one couple to access the food bank.

Brushett said he is in constant conversation with victim services as they assess the needs of the displaced residents. 

'Unimaginable' crisis of damage

Northview made a presentation about damage and rampant vandalism to its units during a territorial briefing on housing as a human right a few weeks ago. 

Wellborn told the N.W.T. government's social development committee that downtown properties were "hemorrhaging" money due to costs associated with repairing damages and hiring security on its buildings.

Wellborn said that during the wildfire of 2023, when residents across the N.W.T. were displaced due to wildfire, the company's operating costs went down. 

It showed the company that "the hard truth is that it is financially better for Northview to leave these buildings empty than to continue renting them under current conditions," she said.

At least 25 of its rental units in the North were unrentable, she said. She said they were in buildings 60 to 75 per cent leased to "other agencies."

In its year end and fourth quarter results on March 5, Northview stated its net operating income was $160.8 million in 2024 — a 22 per cent increase from the previous year. 

Net operating income is a measure of profitability of real estate investments, accounting for total income minus total operating expenses. 

Todd Cook, the company's president and CEO, said in that report that Northview was "well-positioned to continue delivering unit holder value in 2025."