N.W.T. housing agency details year of audit fixes

YELLOWKNIFE – Housing NWT says it has acted on every recommendation in the federal auditor general’s 2025 audit of the territory’s housing programs, including a new electronic maintenance system and condition checks on 90 social housing units in 22 communities.

Lucy Kuptana, the minister responsible for Housing NWT, gave the one-year update in a statement to the Legislative Assembly on Oct. 29. She said the corporation accepted all of the auditor general’s recommendations and continues to work on fully addressing them.

The Office of the Auditor General of Canada audit, tabled a year earlier, concluded that the territory needed to act to ensure equitable access to housing and housing supports. Kuptana said it found Housing NWT needed to improve how it tracks who gets social housing, monitors the condition of its units, oversees maintenance, measures whether programs work and guides staff.

The corporation has updated the manual it gives local housing organizations, which run social housing in communities, and set up monthly sessions with their staff, Kuptana said. It has also issued a request for proposals for an independent review of how those organizations are governed and deliver services.

On maintenance, Housing NWT has finished modernizing its maintenance management system, which is now in use in local housing organizations across the territory, she said. Maintenance can be tracked electronically, and a new online portal gives local organizations and district offices access to the information.

Over the past two years, Housing NWT has completed and documented condition checks on 90 units in 22 communities, Kuptana said. The checks are meant to verify that unit condition ratings are being completed correctly and to show where repairs are needed most, including windows, roofs and heating systems.

The corporation has also updated guidance and documentation requirements for homeownership repair programs, trained staff and strengthened monitoring so eligibility decisions are properly documented, Kuptana said. It has created a dedicated program evaluation position and completed an evaluation plan for the Social Housing Maintenance Program.

Housing NWT released its 2025-2026 annual report on Oct. 28. The government said the report covers investments in housing, new builds across the territory, partnerships with local housing organizations and Indigenous governments, and initiatives to address homelessness. The full text of the minister’s statement is posted on the Government of the Northwest Territories newsroom.

The update comes as the territory manages tight finances. Our earlier coverage reported that the N.W.T. forecasts a $39-million deficit and a $790-million capital budget. Kuptana’s statement says better tracking of maintenance will help Housing NWT set priorities and keep its housing in good condition.

Kuptana did not say in the statement when the remaining work, including the independent review of local housing organizations, would be finished. For related territorial news, see our report on Denny Rodgers’s appointment as N.W.T. health minister.

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