Dene Nation leaders are calling for autonomy from the government of the Northwest Territories in access to housing and infrastructure funding.
“As we speak, there are shortages of housing in every Dene community in the N.W.T. Lots of houses are boarded up, units are boarded up too. And there’s overcrowding in lots of houses, communities. There’s a lot of shortages of housing — that needs to be looked at right away,” said Dene National Chief George Mackenzie.
The housing system in the territory, by all accounts, including Housing NWT reps, is not doing what it was designed to do. For Indigenous communities, especially those living in more remote regions, the situation is compounded by other forms of inequality. Indigenous communities and remote communities are also facing a disproportionate rise in the costs of fuel to heat homes and to travel, giving them few options but to stay underhoused or overcrowded in homes. It is a pattern that has been observed across the country for many decades.
In the N.W.T. only one Indigenous government organization has control of their own housing program. In the N.W.T., the 11 local housing organizations have their own bylaws. There are 12 local housing authorities and 1 Indigenous government overseeing housing.
Currently, the GNWT bypasses housing funds as intermediaries. Dene leaders, including Dene National Chief George Mackenzie urged the federal government and the GNWT to ensure that funding goes directly to Dene communities. In a message issued on Friday, Dene leaders cited their inherent Treaty rights to housing.
“This call to action urges the Government of Canada and the GNWT to ensure that funding is allocated straight to Dene communities, reflecting our inherent Treaty rights and empowering our people to manage their housing solutions,” said Dene leaders in an announcement issued on Friday.
“The Dene Nation insists that housing dollars must flow directly to our communities, where they belong. This is not just a financial issue—it’s a critical matter of respecting our Treaty rights. Our communities possess the knowledge and insights necessary to address their unique housing needs, and it is imperative that they gain direct access to the funds allocated for their support,” said Chief Mackenzie.
The Dene Nation emphasized that their treaty rights also reinforce their right to housing.
“The Government of the NWT has no right to position itself as a middleman or compete with us for funding that rightfully belongs to our communities,” added Dene National Chief Mackenzie.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) also recogized the rights of Indigenous people to their lands and resources. In 2021, the law received assent by the Canadian government.
Dene leaders said that infrastructure funding meant for Dene communities should go directly to them without GNWT’s interference.
“Our communities are capable and ready to manage these resources effectively, ensuring they are utilized in ways that truly benefit our people.”
In response, Erin Kelly, President and CEO of Housing NWT said the GNWT has advocated for “direct and equitable” access to federal housing funding for Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations.
“The GNWT continues to advocate for direct and equitable access to federal housing funding for Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations in the NWT, regardless of land claim status, including through the NWT Council of Leaders (NWTCOL). Indigenous Governments in the NWT have received funding directly from the federal government, including funding for housing,” said Kelly.
“Housing NWT continues to work on housing issues with Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations directly through the NWT Housing Forum, as well as Memorandums of Understanding and Memorandums of Agreement on housing with interested Indigenous governments,” added Kelly.
But Chief Mackenzie said the Dene Nation does not want to have a middleman like the GNWT representing them. They can represent themselves, said Chief Mackenzie.
“Let us do our work for our people.”
The Dene Nation chiefs passed a resolution in Fort Good Hope at their Assembly, that the funds should go directly to the communities, not to the GNWT. In this way, the chiefs would have decision-making power in how the housing programs work.
Chief Mackenzie said there is a critical lack of new public housing in the Dene communities. He said that community members have reported there has not been new public housing built in the past five years.
According to the auditor general’s 2025 report, only two communities in the N.W.T. have public housing units (Yellowknife and Hay River).
Chief Mackenzie explained that in order for communities to access the funding currently they have to go through the GNWT.
“There’s programs that the GNWT administers, so [communities] have to go to the GNWT,” he said.
Dene communities like the Yellowknives Dene First Nation have identified the availability of adequate, affordable and culturally appropriate housing as an ongoing major concern.
“To address this concern holistically, YKDFN has begun looking beyond existing programs towards community-based solutions. The unique climate, geography, and culture of YKDFN have meant one-size-fits-all solutions created by the federal or territorial government have failed to appropriately house members within their communities of Ndilo and Dettah. The YKDFN Housing Strategy aims to put community members in control of their housing system: planning, design, building, and governance,” said YKDFN in a 2022 statement on their website.
The auditor general gave the Housing NWT a “failing grade” in their 2025 report. The chief pointed out that it was not the first time, similar reports were released by the auditor general in 2008 and 2012. The issue is a longstanding one for Indigenous communities.
Chief Mackenzie said the issue goes back generations.
“When we were growing up, it was like that. We grew up in the 60s 70s, it was like that shortage of houses, all the same. Still like that today.”
Older generations and Elders are being disproportionately impacted by the housing policies, he said.
Chief Mackenzie said that people living in Dene communities who are retired are being told that they do not qualify to renovate their homes.
“Elders cannot renovate their own home.”
Across the N.W.T. many homes were badly damaged or destroyed due to flooding and wildfires, which has further compounded the issue of housing. At a recent gathering of community leaders from across Yellowknife, a number of chiefs as well as GNWT leaders noted that retired people have been disproportionately impacted by a lack of housing at a time when they need it most.
“I think it’s time and it just should have been happening a long time ago where the Aboriginal, the Indigenous world, through our treaty rights, we should be handling the housing program for ourselves, and this is what we want,” said Chief Mackenzie
“What we did is we applied for $700, 000 seed money to start [a program] on the housing issues.,” he added.
The seed money was denied by the GNWT, said Chief Mackenzie.
