In his opening remarks at the Yukon’s 2024 Housing Summit on the morning of Feb. 29, Premier Ranj Pillai acknowledged the “massive challenges” the territory faces regarding housing and the “heavy” nature of the topic.
Whitehorse Mayor Laura Cabott also spoke at the start of the summit, held in Whitehorse at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. The territorial and Whitehorse governments billed the summit as a chance to address housing challenges and highlight impactful projects in the sector.
Pillai said that the Safe at Home Society’s Point in Time Count from April 2023 found that almost 200 Yukoners were experiencing homelessness or were precariously housed. He added that the rent-geared-to-income Yukon community housing waitlist sits at around 250 people.
“But I think it’s important to know, you know, we were over 500 people just over two and a half years ago on our waitlist. And now we’re around 250 people — that is significant progress,” Pillai said.
The premier also acknowledged that housing in the territory is not simply an issue for low-income people, telling summit attendees that housing affordability is a concern “even for middle- and upper-class families.”
Pillai reaffirmed his support for the Safe at Home Society’s efforts to transform the Coast High Country Inn on 4th Avenue into 67 self-contained suites for unhoused people or those at risk of homelessness. At the summit, he also announced nearly $13 million in government funding to support the housing project at the former downtown inn.
“I’m happy to announce today that we will be providing now $12.9 million in funding. And this includes $7.9 million for the construction and renovation work needed to open its doors by 2026,” Pillai said.
In addition to highlighting several ongoing housing development projects in the territory, Pillai also said that the upcoming government budget for 2024-25 will invest in making it easier for women and children to flee domestic violence, so “they don’t have to choose between a dangerous situation and a roof over their head.”
In her remarks, Cabott noted that the city council did the first reading of accelerated housing-related amendments to Whitehorse’s zoning bylaw.
“We’re going through our zoning bylaw over the next year, but council was keen on getting a jump on making some changes so we can get housing in this city to market much faster,” she said.
Cabott additionally noted that politicians can’t wave a magic wand to fix the city’s housing problems — they need the support of Whitehorse residents. She pointed to the development plans for Copper Ridge and Valleyview South that are currently before the council and encouraged city residents to speak out in support of these proposals.
“We needed you to share your thoughts and help us advance these types of initiatives. So, here’s the dilemma. Some of the common themes that we hear is that people want housing, but not in their backyard. They want to make housing more affordable, but not at the expense of their green space. And, you know, that perspective is also important and must always be considered when advanced new housing,” Cabott said.
She added, “But that’s why we, as council, as we look to spaces for infill, or densification, we need to approach it responsibly and seriously.”
Following Pillai and Cabott’s remarks, more than a dozen speakers presented on housing sector-related topics to attendees.
The day prior to the housing summit’s launch, Feb. 28, the premier participated in a press conference regarding the government’s investment of $5 million towards affordable housing in Whitehorse.
The territorial funding is for the 105-unit Winter Crossing housing project in Whistle Bend, which Pillai said is the “single largest affordable housing project in Yukon’s history.”
According to a government press release, the development project will help the Yukon Housing Corporation achieve its target of partnering to construct 250 new affordable homes by 2028. The housing corporation plans to issue 20-year leases for 75 of the Winter Crossing units.
Construction on Winter Crossing is anticipated to kick off this spring, with residents expected to move into the first two buildings in the spring of 2025. The project, which will ultimately consist of seven separate buildings, will be done in a phased approach and be completed by the fall of 2026.
Ta’an Kwäch’än Council’s business arm, Da Daghay Development Corporation, will own and operate Winter Crossing. The corporation currently manages the 70-unit River Bend affordable housing complex, which is also located in Whistle Bend.
Also on Feb. 28, the federal government and City of Whitehorse announced an agreement to fast-track the construction of nearly 200 housing units over the next three years. The federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund will provide Whitehorse with almost $11 million in “incentive payments,” according to Yukon MP Brendan Hanley, who made the announcement.
“Whitehorse will receive almost $11 million in incentive payments through Canada’s Housing Accelerator Fund to deliver significant lasting changes to the way homes are built in our great city. Changes that will tear down the barriers and the stumbling blocks that slow housing down,” Hanley said.
He added, “These actions together will help build over 190 new homes. That’s about 198 more homes for a rapidly growing city. What’s more, this work will help spur the construction of more than 3,900 homes over the next decade.”
These announcements and the housing summit came hot on the heels of the latest progress report on the Yukon’s Housing Action Plan, which was released on Feb. 27. Among the achievements highlighted in the report are the completion of the 53-unit Cornerstone Housing Project and the 84-unit Normandy Living seniors complex in Whitehorse and housing projects in Old Crow and Dawson City. The report additionally trumpets that, between April 2022 and December 2023, 62 households received home repair funding, and three households received support for affordable home ownership.
In response to the territorial government’s numerous housing-related announcements, the Yukon Party caucus said in a statement provided to the News that “many housing initiatives Ranj Pillai and the Liberal government have touted since the premier took office in January 2023 have stalled, including Macauley Lodge, 5th and Rogers, new phases in Whistle Bend and the Whitehorse Grader Station development.”
The Yukon Party’s statement also mentions to a poll conducted by Leger in January and commissioned by the party that shows a majority of Yukoners want a change in government.
“Having dropped to catastrophic levels in the polls, the premier and his Liberal government are desperate to buy off Yukoners after years of inaction to adequately address the housing crisis. A crisis he made worse by his politically-driven interventions into the rental market and the Liberals’ inability to keep up to the demand for land to build homes,” the statement reads.
Contact Matthew Bossons at matthew.bossons@yukon-news.com