Federal Housing Advocate's Observational Report: Inuit Housing

The Federal Housing Advocate (the Advocate) has a legislated duty under the National Housing Strategy Act to engage with “rights holders,” or people whose human right to adequate housing has been violated, such as those who are unhoused or precariously housed. Under this mandate, the Advocate traveled to Nunavut and to Nunatsiavut, the traditional territory of Labrador Inuit, to listen, observe, and bear witness to the housing challenges unhoused and precariously housed Inuit in both regions are facing.

This report is a summary of what the Advocate heard and witnessed. It is not intended to provide a comprehensive analysis of the issues, but rather highlights the experiences and observations of rights holders, Inuit government officials, service providers, and others.

The human right to adequate housing is an obligation affirmed in international human rights standards, including treaties that Canada has signed and ratified. With the National Housing Strategy Act, the human right to adequate housing is now enshrined in Canadian law. Recognizing housing as a human right means that governments at all levels have legal obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill this right for everyone, without discrimination. These obligations are heightened in respect to those vulnerable to violations of their human rights.

This report affirms what has been said by Inuit for decades: The right of Inuit to adequate housing is being violated. None of the seven elements of the right to housing as recognized in international law – security of tenure, availability of basic services, affordability, habitability, accessibility, located where needed, and culturally adequate – have been upheld in Nunatsiavut or in Nunavut.

The severe shortage of adequate housing means that many in Nunatsiavut and Nunavut have no access to housing as a starting point. Some have been on housing waitlists for years. The full scale of the shortfall is difficult to assess. The extent of houselessness is hidden in the high levels of overcrowding and in the number of Inuit who are forced to leave their home communities. Furthermore, Inuit who do have housing are often denied security of tenure. According to the Nunatsiavut Executive Council, 78 percent of the population cannot access home insurance. Inuit in both regions face a lack of access to financial services in general, with high mortgage costs and predatory lending leading to debt, default, and loss of homes.

Second basic services essential to the right to housing, such as water and sanitation, are not available to many Inuit. In Nunatsiavut, the Advocate visited two houses without any access to water or sanitation where residents had to rely on nearby family or community services for basic sanitation and food preparation. These two homes are not isolated incidences. In Nunavut, the Advocate heard how lack of adequate water and sanitation infrastructure prevents new housing from being built, while also subjecting current households to reoccurring lack of water. In both regions, the Advocate also heard about households unable to heat their homes, an alarming problem in the extreme Northern climate.

Furthermore, homes in Nunavut and Nunatsiavut are not affordable. Maintenance costs for Labrador Inuit are exorbitant, making repairs completely out of reach for some, though a new Nunatsiavut Government support program hopes to address this issue. Labrador Inuit who leave Nunatsiavut to find housing also face serious housing affordability problems, particularly in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. In Nunavut, the Advocate heard about the high level of rental and utilities arrears, totaling millions for some communities. These figures hint at the many social and economic pressures that contribute to the inability to make rent payments, such as high food and utilities costs.

Perhaps most alarming is the lack of habitable housing for Inuit, which impacts not only the right to housing but also the right of Inuit to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. In Nunatsiavut, extreme disrepair, mould, overcrowding, and fire safety concerns pose an imminent and ongoing threat to the lives, safety, and dignity of many Inuit. In Nunavut, limited community budgets for repair and maintenance mean many Inuit are living in housing that is not in a fit state of repair. Mould is also a pervasive issue. Severe overcrowding is taking a serious toll on mental and physical health, including the spread of tuberculosis. In 2021, one Nunavut community’s TB rate was among the highest in the world. In both regions, the Advocate heard how habitability issues attributable to inadequate construction are now being exacerbated by climate change accelerated permafrost thaw, which is causing some homes to shift apart.

Housing challenges are even greater for some Inuit. In both regions, the Advocate heard how Elders and people with disabilities do not have access to physically accessible housing. Women, especially single mothers with children, also do not have access to housing that meets their needs, putting them at risk of losing their children. The Advocate also heard about the limited options for women fleeing family violence in Nunavut. People facing mental health and substance use challenges also face serious barriers to housing in both regions, often ending up unhoused.

Employment and basic services such as childcare, education, and healthcare are often not available in the locations where many Inuit live. In both regions, the Advocate heard how youth are leaving because of lack of opportunity. Some Inuit are forced to leave their families and communities, traveling long distances to access necessary medical treatment and care. This includes Elders and individuals seeking mental health supports or treatment for substance use challenges.

Lastly, Inuit in both regions do not have access to culturally adequate housing that would allow them to maintain key cultural practices like hunting and fishing. With housing often built in close proximity, many do not have space or facilities that allow them to store and maintain the truck, quad, boat, or snowmobile they use to get out on the land. There is also no space to process fish or seals.

The housing crisis faced by Inuit is the direct result of colonialism and a staggering failure by successive federal, provincial, and territorial governments over many decades to invest in and respect the human right to adequate housing of Inuit. In both regions, the Advocate heard how current housing conditions are directly tied to histories of forced displacement and colonial violence, as well as decades of underfunding.

The Advocate’s engagement with Inuit and their governments is an opportunity to confront such long-standing issues, and for all governments to take the steps needed to uphold the right to housing for all Inuit, as well as the related Inuit rights to self-determined and self-governed housing policies and programs.

In recognition of the inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples and the commitments set out in the federal UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, the text and recommendations in this report have been collaboratively developed with Inuit governing entities. The report also contains recommendations that are specific to the housing conditions and human rights considerations in Nunavut and Nunatsiavut separately.

All governments should heed this call to uphold the human right to adequate housing in Nunatsiavut and Nunavut. The recommendations below aim to set out a clear path to achieve this.

General Recommendations

• Consistent with rights to self-determination and self-government, the Federal Government should transfer jurisdiction over Inuit housing programs and services to Inuit Governments, while also ensuring that funding for Inuit housing is adequate for Inuit needs by:
  • In cooperation with Inuit Governments, establish appropriate funding levels for Inuit housing programs that account for Northern realities and Inuit cultural practices and values, with built in program escalators that account for inflation and population growth.
  • In cooperation with Inuit Governments, establishing a process to transfer care and control of program funds from CMHC and other existing programs to Inuit Governments according to their preferred methods.
• All levels of government should publicly recognize housing as a human right and ensure that this recognition is reflected in the development of their legislation, policy, and programs.
• Alongside the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate, Provincial, Territorial and Inuit Governments should explore the creation of independent Inuit housing advocates or ombudspeople to amplify the voices of Inuit and their municipalities in the timely creation of a rights-respecting, culturally-appropriate housing system and to ensure oversight of efforts to uphold the human right to housing for Inuit.
• The Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Governments should work in consultation and cooperation with Inuit Regional Organizations to develop and implement housing options that address current gaps in the housing continuum and ensure people in all circumstances and stages of life have access to safe, adequate and affordable housing, including by:
  • Taking urgent action to support the immediate development of Elder housing and Long-term Care Centers so that Inuit can age in dignity in their communities;
  • Increasing access to transitional and supportive housing for Inuit who require housing with supports;
  • Expanding emergency shelter space in Inuit communities for men, women, and youth;
  • Developing purpose-built, affordable rentals for Inuit looking to live independently, as well as pathways to affordable home ownership.
  As part of these housing solution, government should support the development of local building enterprises, skills training opportunities, and access to goods and materials, as well as ensuring housing investments are invested and retained in the community economy.
• The Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Governments should work in consultation and cooperation with Inuit Regional Organizations to develop addictions treatment plans that ensures access to treatment in Labrador and Nunavut.
  • Federal, Provincial, and Territorial governments should focus on ensuring each hamlet has access to a Community Wellness Hub that would provide continuing support to individuals returning to their home communities after taking part in an addictions program elsewhere such as a Regional Hub.
• To ensure Inuit communities are tuberculosis free by 2040, or sooner, the Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Governments should allocate the funds needed to enable Inuit Governments to prioritize new housing construction, and ensure robust health-related supports for areas experiencing tuberculosis outbreaks.
  • Smaller centres with tuberculosis outbreaks should be prioritized for new housing construction, alongside aggressive health-related supports to ensure the tuberculosis crisis is resolved and that there is no further loss of life.
• In responding to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG), the Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Governments must address the importance of the right to housing in ensuring the safety of Inuit women and girls, including by:
  • Supporting a coordinated and adequately funded approach to the development of a network of safe shelter spaces for Inuit women and children fleeing domestic violence.
  • Extending implementation of programs such as the Indigenous Shelter Initiative to ensure every community has a family safety shelter and transitional housing project in operation.
  • Providing funding for training to ensure communities have the capacity to operate shelters with qualified local Inuit staff, trained in trauma-based responses.
  • Consistent with Inuit rights to self-determination and self-government, ensure Inuit Governments are adequately funded to deliver programs and services related to violence against Inuit women and girls.
• The Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Governments should support further research into Inuit housing needs in collaboration with Inuit self-government institutions, including by:
  • Directing CMHC to carry out research, in partnership with Inuit Regional Organizations on housing and houselessness, including on governance and technical solutions, ensuring Inuit ownership and control of any data that is gathered.
  • Providing innovation funding to encourage more Northern-based research takes place with Inuit Regional Organizations that responds to the needs of community residents.
• The Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Governments should support the creation of an annual/bi-annual Inuit construction best practices forum similar to the First Nations Technical Housing Conference. This forum could enable:
  • Inuit regions to talk about the development of Northern housing and construction best practices to better address accessibility for persons who are older or have a physical disability; cultural needs, and climate change adaptation;
  • Leading research to be presented and best practices to be discussed to deal with systemic housing issues that impact Inuit health; and
  • Innovations in community planning and housing design and maintenance.

Nunatsiavut Recommendations

• Alongside the Nunatsiavut Government, the Federal and Provincial Governments should convene a bi-annual Nunatsiavut housing roundtable to discuss and collaborate on housing case management and solutions.
  • As Nunatsiavut service providers work to address urgent individual housing needs with limited resources and housing supply, federal and provincial agencies must be meaningfully present to assist and coordinate additional funding and supports.
  • Provincial and Federal government should ensure a greater presence of senior government officials at these tables.
  • Solutions should be targeted to address gaps in the housing continuum in all five Inuit communities through specific housing construction and development of local building enterprises, skills training opportunities, and support for access to goods and materials.
• The Federal and Provincial Governments should support a mould remediation program, co-developed with the Nunatsiavut Government.
  • As part of the mould remediation program, develop a community-based housing supply to provide temporary residences for households who need to relocate during renovation or to avoid exposure. The transfer of provincial units (now awaiting repair), could serve as the immediate swing space to enable the timely start of a program of remediation. However, any transfer would need to ensure housing is habitable and upholds the human rights of inhabitants.
• Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada should ensure that there is no discrimination in access to loans and insurance for Labrador Inuit.
  • The federal government should carry out an assessment looking at individuals and collective experience of denial of service and lack of access to tailored mortgage products and/or insurance products.
  • As part of this assessment, the Federal Government should consider funding the creation of an Inuit-owned insurance company to overcome discriminatory banking practices, funded through the Inuit housing fund.
• The Provincial Government should, in line with the human right to housing, ensure all provincially owned or operated housing units are fit for habitation and fully accessible, and that timely repairs are carried out so that vacant units can filled in the midst of the housing crisis Inuit face.

Nunavut Recommendations

• The Federal Government must acknowledge its fiduciary responsibility for housing Inuit and honour the treaty-like promise made to Inuit when they were forced into the settlements. Canada’s fiduciary responsibility for Inuit housing is captured in the assurances and promises made to Inuit that they would be charged only a nominal rent in perpetuity, as part of the overall effort during the 1950s and 1960s to force Inuit into a sedentary lifestyle.
• The Federal Government should engage with NTI and the Regional Inuit Associations in a process to co-design and develop housing programs appropriate to Nunavut’s realities. Too often Nunavut and Inuit Regions are not able to participate in National Housing Programs because they are designed with a Southern perspective, and usually intended for large urban centres. Nunavut needs access to programs that take into consideration the logistical, capacity and climate realities of the Arctic.
• The Government of Nunavut should revisit its relationship between Local Housing Organizations (LHOs) and the role of LHOs in the delivery of housing at the community level. The contractual relationship between LHOs and the Nunavut Housing Corporation is too narrow and administratively burdensome. The GN should look at how it can increase the authority and decision-making power of LHOs over the delivery of housing in their communities. More training, administrative support, and budget are required to empower LHOs as effective stakeholders in local housing solutions.
• The Government of Nunavut should ensure LHOs are properly resourced to meet their contractual obligations. A first step in increase LHO autonomy and capacity to effectively contribute to housing solutions at the community level is to revise the LHO funding formula, which has not been reviewed in 10 years. The new formula should be recalculated using full-cost accounting to ensure LHOs are adequately and appropriately funded to deliver their mandate. The new formula should be tied to published annual local, regional, and territorial maintenance plans demonstrating and communicating an overall lifecycle management plan for the entire Public Housing stock.
• The Federal Government should work with NTI and the Government of Nunavut (GN) to support the implementation of a long-term, strategic approach to ensuring the Inuit right to housing, including by:
  • Ending the inequity between Nunavut and the rest of Inuit Nunangat in federal contributions to distinctions-based housing funding and co-design with NTI an Inuit Housing Fund to support the sustained intervention in the territory’s housing crisis by Nunavut Inuit.
  • Co-developing with the GN and NTI, a coordinated implementation plan informed by the Government of Nunavut’s Nunavut 3000 Plan and NTI’s Angirratsaliulauqta - Nunavut Inuit Housing Action Plan that will provide a realistic approach to delivering on investments in housing for Inuit through Budget 2022 and the National Housing Strategy by 2028.
  • Co-developing with NTI and the GN a funding formula, or other form of long-term funding mechanism that will provide clarity and confidence in planning the sustained, ongoing, delivery of housing initiatives over time required to eliminate Nunavut’s housing crisis. Such a funding mechanism should be robust enough to support both capital and operational needs.
• Recognizing housing as a social determinant of health, the Federal and the Government of Nunavut should support and assist in NTI’s development of a Nunavut Inuit Sustainable Housing Index (NISHI). Designed to measure the link between housing and the other social determinants of health, the NISHI is meant to support Inuit in advocating for the right kind of housing to fulfill their community’s housing continuum.
• The Federal Government and the Government of Nunavut should ensure there is adequate social infrastructure within each of Nunavut’s 25 communities, to guarantee that young Inuit are given every opportunity to not only complete their education but to build whatever life they envision for themselves.