Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 17/01) - Kevin Morris doesn't want to leave Inuvik right away, but says he might have to soon because of the high cost of rent.

Morris, regional speech pathologist at the Inuvik Regional Hospital, has lived here for about 20 months. For about the last 14 months he has lived at a three-bedroom row house along Mackenzie Road. He and a fellow staff member pay a total of $1,200 in rent per month.

Morris said his rent has not increased since he started living there, but that he and others in town worry about another round of rent increases.

"For most people it's this fear of what's going to happen," Morris said.

Officials with the Inuvik Regional Health and Social Services Board have publicly expressed concerns about the housing situation in Inuvik, saying that it's making it harder to recruit and retain staff.

Morris agreed there's a problem.

"The speculation has reached the point where I've set a limit on how much rent increase I'll tolerate. And then after that, I'll quit."

Morris has already made inquiries and received job offers.

"I wouldn't necessarily want to leave straightaway, but I also am not going to give over half of my pay to rent."

Morris is originally from Australia but has lived in Canada for 10 years. Before coming to Inuvik he lived in rural Alberta.

He said that three years of rent here would buy a 1,000-square-foot house in rural Alberta, and that the apartment he's in is only about 800 square feet. Morris also said that while he's friends with his roommate, he would prefer to live on his own.

"It's the sort of rent you'd be paying in downtown Toronto."

Morris acknowledged people know about the high costs when they come here, but that if rents rise afterwards, it makes it that much harder to stay.

Morris pointed out that if he leaves, residents will be without a speech pathologist until his position is filled, and that residents are without services when any specialist leaves.