Nathan VanderKlippe
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Feb 08/02) - A new study is being designed to help planners and developers gauge the impact of the mining industry on housing.

The study is being commissioned by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Northwest Territories Chamber of Commerce.

"It is a housing demand study to estimate the impact of mining development on the demands for housing in the NWT," said Yellowknife CMHC corporate representative Sandra Turner.

The study will pay specific attention to the coming situation in Yellowknife, Hay River, Inuvik and Norman Wells over the next five to seven years.

"Shortage of housing is an issue," she said.

"We need something to actually define 'this is the (required housing) numbers based on this study' --something to give it credibility."

The results would be useful to all levels of government and business both here and in the south, she said.

Turner said the study should be available in four to six weeks.

"We need this fast," she said.