Housing NWT has just completed work on the Aspen Apartments in the city of Yellowknife. They say the 36-unit building will improve the quality of social housing.
The organization says they are now in the process of allocating the 30 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units to social housing tenants.
The building received upgrades including life safety systems (fire alarms and sprinklers), improved ventilation for better indoor air quality and efficiency, increased operational efficiency, integrated security system to enhance resident safety and a new biomass heating system expected to offset 80 per cent of the building’s previous fuel oil use.
The renovations were done in partnership with the City of Yellowknife and CMHC through the Rapid Housing Initiative and Federal Lands Initiative.
Housing Minister Lucy Kuptana said the opening of the completed units is an “important step.”
“This project is an important step toward improving housing quality and affordability in Yellowknife. By reducing reliance on private leases and modernizing this building, we are supporting the long-term sustainability of social housing. It also demonstrates the strength of collaboration with our partners, in this case the City of Yellowknife and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, through initiatives like Federal Lands and Rapid Housing, allowing us to deliver timely solutions and better support our most vulnerable residents.”
Beau Stobbs, with GNWT’s department of Finance told North Now that the Yellowknife region will see 20 per cent of the total housing funding available for the territory for the next two years.
Between 2026 to 2027, the GNWT plans to invest over $50 million in housing. The Yellowknife area is poised to get about $10 million to fund its housing projects.
Note: The GNWT’s department of Finance provided the stats for the wrong time period. The story has been updated to reflect the changes.
