'A devastating blow': Yellowknife man out of options after accessible housing project fails

Brian Carter is packing up 26 years of memories at his Yellowknife home. 

Carter, who is chair of the N.W.T. Disabilities Council, hoped to move into a long-awaited accessible housing project, until it was put on hold. 

"It's just very emotional, very tough," Carter said.

Carter, his wife and another family member they live with are all disabled. Because of his deteriorating health issues and also a lack of accessible housing for his family, he has to leave the N.W.T., he said. 

"We had discussed about the possibility of moving into that home. And now I'm forced to make a major move on our own, disabled, with three of us disabled," Carter said.

Since 2020, the disabilities council and Housing N.W.T had been working on a 45 to 50-unit apartment housing project in downtown Yellowknife. The goal was to create affordable housing tailored to the diverse needs of people with disabilities. The council had secured funding and a sub-lease on a plot from the territorial government.

In February, the territory informed the council they wanted to use the land for another project and proposed other sites. But due to disagreements, the partnership fell apart.

'There's nothing available for them up here' 

Carter said they had worked on architectural designs and fundraising for the past five years. For him, the project would have meant greater security and stability.

"My health is going down. I've got heart problems. I've gotten diabetes. My legs need to be amputated. I had cancer surgery last year that after a long delay, I was running my business while hooked up to a catheter ... yeah, it became very personal to me," Carter said.

With the project in limbo, Carter said people with disabilities will continue to struggle with the lack of a housing solution.

"People will continue to be transferred to institutions down south because there's nothing available for them up here." Carter said.

"It's going to mean they're losing their contact with their communities, people lose their sense of dignity, and you know as disabled people that's a big thing is to be able to live in dignity."

In an emailed statement, Housing N.W.T said the council didn't meet the deadlines under their lease agreement.

"As milestones in the original lease agreement were not met ... Housing N.W.T. met with the NWTDC and expressed our interest in moving ahead on a more imminent housing project," the statement read.

Carter disagrees with this.

"We met every milestone ... I asked them to provide the proof of that, provide their letters to us requesting certain milestones."

CBC News reached out to Housing N.W.T again, but didn't get a response by deadline.

Significant need

Charles Dent, the N.W.T. human rights commissioner, calls the situation a setback for people with disabilities, as there's a significant need that is not being met.

"It certainly affects people's human rights in the broader scheme of things. If you take a look at the UN Declaration, it's certainly an issue that would show up there."

With the project on hold, Dent said this means conditions for people with disabilities in the North won't improve any time soon.

Marie-Josée Houle, Canada's federal housing advocate, said there is a huge lack of accessible housing for people with disabilities, which is "quite amplified for people in Canada's North."

"People with disabilities face financial hardship, unsafe housing and the lack of supports and services at a far higher rate," Houle said. 

"Basically this is unacceptable," she added. 

Houle said policies should be made around people living with disabilities by keeping them central to those discussions.

Carter said the collapse of this project is more than just bureaucratic.

"It's a devastating blow to people living with disabilities in the Northwest Territories who remain chronically underserved across housing," Carter said.

He said he feels sad for the people of the North, and that another project like this could take another 10 years.