IQALUIT, Nunavut — Leaders in Nunavut say they’re happy with territory-specific housing money in the federal budget even though the amount is well below what they say is needed to address a long-standing housing crisis.
The Liberal government budget last week sets aside $60 million to go to Nunavut for housing.Federal Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, on a two-day visit to Iqaluit to promote the budget, called the amount a “down payment.”
Vandal sat shoulder to shoulder Wednesday with Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok, Iqaluit Mayor Kenny Bell and Aluki Kotierk, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., which represents Inuit on treaty rights.
Akeeagok said the housing shortage can only be fixed if all levels of government and Inuit organizations work together.
“Today’s gathering speaks of our continued commitment to collaborate to address Nunavut’s growing housing gap … Nunavut is united in our call for more affordable housing in our territory,” Akeeagok said at a news conference.
The premier spoke about ongoing COVID-19 and tuberculosis outbreaks made worse by overcrowded and inadequate housing. In some cases, he said, households have been faced with both infections.
“We must do better,” Akeeagok said.
The budget also includes a further $845 million to address Inuit housing needs overall across Inuit Nunangat, the name for the four Inuit regions in Canada. The amount Nunavut is to receive has yet to be determined.
Data from the Nunavut Housing Corp. indicates 56 per cent of Inuit in the territory live in overcrowded homes.
Last month, the corporation’s president, Eiryn Devereaux, told a federal committee on Indigenous and northern affairs that Nunavut would need to build 300 houses a year for the next eight years to meet demand.
Nunavut Tunngavik has a 10-year housing plan that says it would take $4 billion to fix the territory’s housing crisis.
Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout has routinely criticized the Liberal government over housing. In March, she rose in the House of Commons to critique a federal announcement of 101 new housing units in the territory, well below the thousands needed.
Despite that, Kotierk said money in the budget shows a “clear acknowledgment” by the federal government of the need for “a new, transformational approach to solving the deep infrastructure and housing gaps in Nunavut.”
Kotierk said she was also pleased to see the $845 million overall for Inuit housing needs.
“We will see what the allocation looks like for Nunavut.”
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Vandal said high costs, a short construction season and a lack of infrastructure all make it difficult to address Nunavut’s housing problems.
“It’s really very difficult to close that gap in one year or two years,” Vandal said.
“We’re going to continue investing significant dollars for as long as we can,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2022.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship
Emma Tranter, The Canadian Press
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
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