More than a month after beginning to accept applications from prospective renters, Borealis Development may still be searching for ways to fill units set aside for affordable housing in its downtown Yellowknife Nest building.
Borealis told Yellowknife City Council it would make eight of the 72 units “affordable” under federal guidelines.
Emails obtained through an access to information request show a representative from Borealis wrote to Housing NWT president Erin Kelly in late November to ask if the agency would be interested in managing the units the company had dedicated to affordable housing.
“The city officials have informed us that they do not have the operational capacity
to manage affordable units. We want to find out if NWT Housing Corp would be interested in managing those 8 rental units at affordable rates,” read the email from Borealis.
Two days later, Kelly responded: “I’ve connected with my team and confirmed that Housing NWT does not require any one or two-bedroom units at this time. We appreciate you checking in and will reach out if needs change in the future.”
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In an email to Cabin Radio, a spokesperson for the agency, Jeanne Gard, explained Housing NWT isn’t currently looking to enter into any additional private lease agreements.
“In recent years, Housing NWT has been transitioning from leased to owned public housing accommodation, resulting in additional units available for the private rental market,” said Gard.
“This approach continues to support housing diversity and sustainability in the community.
“Housing NWT’s priority is to own and manage assets directly, which allows Housing NWT to provide better support to tenants and maintain affordability over time.”
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She said Housing NWT has a “sufficient number” of owned and leased units in Yellowknife to accommodate the existing public housing client base.
The agency’s 2024-25 annual report indicates that as of March 31 last year, there were 216 people on the waitlist for a one-bedroom unit in Yellowknife and 79 people on the waitlist for two-bedroom units.
Reached by phone, Borealis co-owner Mansoor Anjum declined to speak with Cabin Radio about the affordable units.
Hawa Dumbuya-Sesay, executive director of the YWCA NWT, said Borealis had reached out in 2022 about a potential partnership but the organization declined the offer as the facilities didn’t meet the YWCA’s needs.
Tony Brushett – executive director at Yellowknife’s Salvation Army, which offers shelter beds for those experiencing homelessness as well as transitional housing – said Borealis hasn’t been in touch.
Arlene Hache – interim executive director of the Yellowknife Women’s Society, which operates a women’s shelter and transitional housing – said she had recently reached out to Borealis about these apartments but hasn’t yet heard back.
In response to questions about Borealis’ commitment to provide affordable housing, City of Yellowknife spokesperson Saxon Chung said apartments in the Nest building will be discussed at a meeting of council’s Governance and Priorities Committee on January 19.
Formerly an office building, the Nest received its occupancy permit in late November after Borealis ended up in a dispute with City Hall over who should pay for a fire hydrant vault that the city said was required, but which Borealis said hadn’t been initially specified.
The developer had suggested it didn’t know what would happen if the city didn’t help cover the hydrant vault’s cost but, having lost that argument, went ahead and built the vault anyway (as first reported by the CBC).
