Stephanie McDonald
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 21, 2008

NUNAVUT - Fewer Nunavummiut are living in overcrowded homes, but more are in dwellings that require major repairs, according to Statistics Canada.

Thirty-nine per cent of Nunavut's Inuit live in crowded dwellings compared to 49 per cent of Inuit in Nunavik and 13 per cent in Nunatsiavut. Crowding was defined as more than one person per room.

In Nunavut, that represents a four per cent drop in the number of Nunavummiut living in crowded conditions, down from 43 per cent in 1996.

The bad news is that 26 per cent of Nunavummiut reported living in homes in need of major repairs. That's a five per cent jump from 1996. Overcrowding as well as wear and tear from extreme weather conditions is to blame, Statistics Canada said.

Yet Paul Quassa, Iglulik's mayor, can attest that overcrowding is still a serious issue.

"Iglulik is one of the fastest growing communities and the houses are not keeping up with the growth of our population," he said.

His housing situation is similar to many in the community, with 10 people living in his three-bedroom house.

A great number of people in Iglulik are living in houses built in the 1960s, some of which have mould. Other old, mouldy houses lie empty, no longer suitable for living in, as they weren't maintained on a yearly basis.

"You tend to see more family abuse; you tend to see a lot more kids being sick, and that's exactly how it is in our community," Quassa said of the impact of overcrowding.

Housing must be a priority of both the territorial and federal governments, Quassa said.

During Nunavut Land Claims Agreement talks, negotiators pushed to have public housing included, but the federal government refused. Public housing was written into the Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement last year.

"A shortage of housing was very visible way back in the 80s and it's now 2008. That problem has escalated over the years," Quassa said.

A financial injection by the federal government for 725 public housing units in 2006 doesn't meet the demand created by Nunavummiut needing a place of their own.

"We always need more," said Kolola Pitsiulak, housing manager in Kimmirut, where there are close to 400 residents.

There are currently 15 names on the hamlet's housing waiting list, primarily singles and couples.

"I'm sure there are more eligible people that haven't applied ... In some cases they don't apply because there are no housing units. When we get more units, they apply," Pitsiulak said.

All of the public housing units in Kimmirut have only one bathroom, which creates unhealthy conditions and leads to illnesses, he said.

A five-plex is under construction in the community and a duplex arrived on last year's sealift.

Pitsiulak anticipates that another unit will arrive this summer.

In Qikiqtarjuaq, population approximately 475, there are 27 names on the housing waiting list.

While waiting, people live "either with their parents, their friends, their brother or sisters," said Maina Keyookta, tenant relations officer with the housing association.

Housing Corporation president Peter Scott was unavailable for comment.