All across Nunavut, we recognize that too many people are living under one roof, and we understand the wide range of social challenges that overcrowding creates across the territory. This situation has to change. We came to realize that governance itself was part of the problem, and that if we wanted meaningful solutions, we needed to do things differently. The government gave us a clear mandate and direction: Take a new approach, because the current one is not working. Our priority, therefore, became accelerating housing supply. That was the central objective we pursued when we launched Nunavut 3000 in the fall of 2022. The strategy is both transformative and ambitious. Over the past 60 years, approximately 11,000 housing units have been built across Nunavut. Now, within just eight years, we are committing to building 3,000 more. We believe this is not only necessary, but achievable. That is the vision and the driving force behind Nunavut 3000. We recognized early on that addressing the housing crisis meant building housing across the entire continuum, not only rent-geared-to-income public housing. We also wanted to create more opportunities for homeownership and expand access to affordable housing. As part of Nunavut 3000, we therefore established targets across several categories: 300 supportive housing units, 1,400 public housing units, 900 affordable housing units, and approximately 400 market housing units. We also understood that we could not achieve this alone. One of the reasons Nunavut faces such a significant housing crisis is that historically, the territorial government has been the primary delivery agent for new housing development and management. To move forward, we needed new partnerships and new approaches. That led us to collaborate with organizations such as the Nunavut Arctic College and other partners who share a common vision to address the housing crisis in Nunavut. I will not go into too much detail on that today—Albert will speak more about some of these key partnerships. I am really just the warm-up act here. [laughs] To give you a sense of progress, for nearly a decade, Nunavut had been averaging about 50 housing units per year. In 2023, we increased that significantly, launching construction on 150 units across eight communities. In 2024, despite the short construction season and the reality that materials can only be delivered during the summer months, we started another 166 units. Altogether, we now have more than 400 active housing units under construction across Nunavut. That level of activity is unprecedented in the territory’s history over the past 24–25 years. For the first time, active construction projects are underway simultaneously in all 25 Nunavut communities. What is particularly striking is how Nunavut compares to the rest of Canada. One of the indicators we monitor closely is the number of new building permits issued. Across much of Canada, rising interest rates and broader economic conditions have slowed housing development in recent years. In Nunavut, however, the trend has moved in the opposite direction. Although our numbers are smaller and therefore somewhat amplified statistically, the increase in building permits and new construction activity has been remarkable. When we launched Nunavut 3000 in 2022, approximately 540 units had been approved through building permits by 2023. We expect updated figures at the end of 2024 to bring that number to roughly 860 units. This puts us well on track toward our target of 3,000 housing units by 2030. The current government’s mandate runs until the end of next year, and one of its key objectives has been to reach 1,000 units before the end of that term. We are now on pace to exceed that goal. One …
