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Cape Dorset gets local housing authority Cape Dorset gets local housing authority Northern News Services Published Monday, October 10, 2011
Plans are ongoing for the transfer of housing assets, budgets and municipal staff to the newly-created office, announced Tagak Curley, the minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation. The newly-created office will oversee the delivery of the corporation's public housing program in the community.
The Cape Dorset municipal council had passed a resolution on July 20 asking for its responsibility for housing to be transferred to the Nunavut Housing Corporation by April 1, 2012, which will oversee the Cape Dorset housing Authority.
"Council and I felt that we really needed to focus on streamlining our municipal programs," stated Mayor Cary Merritt in a press release. "Transferring the responsibility for housing to a local housing authority will allow us to concentrate on the delivery of our core municipal services."
In 1994, under a community empowerment initiative with the Northwest Territories, the hamlet took over the maintenance of the government buildings, such as the school, health centre and public housing, explained Merritt. It still maintained its own hamlet buildings. Merritt said about 20 people work for the public housing association under the hamlet.
"We've discovered more recently it's not very efficient to do it that way because you're trying to concentrate on three separate support systems," he said. "It's easier to have them running independently."
Shortly after council passed the resolution, Merritt met with Curley to discuss steps related to the creation of the local housing authority.
Curley stated the territorial government respects the municipal council's decision and will assist the mayor during the transfer of responsibility.
"After lengthy discussions, we came to a mutual understanding that the time had come to create a local housing authority in Cape Dorset," stated Curley in a press release.
The authority already has an office in the community.
Jamie Flaherty, vice-president of construction with the Nunavut Housing Corporation, said the current dozen or so staff in Cape Dorset the hamlet uses to take care of housing will remain but more employees, specifically for finance and administration, will be needed. Public housing tenants will see an improvement because it will enable them to deal directly with the housing association for their needs and rent payments, he added. The search is on for at least people to sit on the board of directors, said Flaherty.
"I think it's going to be good for both sides because the municipality can concentrate on their core business and likewise the housing association," he said.
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