Housing NWT and the Fort Smith Métis Council are building a new social housing duplex in the community that they say will strengthen local construction capacity.
The project is being delivered through a negotiated contract between the territorial housing agency and Métis council that “emphasizes local participation and economic benefit,” said Laura Busch, a spokesperson for Housing NWT.
“By engaging local contractors and coordinating work locally, the project supports hands-on experience in residential construction, helping to strengthen skills, relationships, and capacity within the community over time,” said Busch.
A Monday press release from the GNWT said the Fort Smith Métis Council, Town of Fort Smith and local First Nations were engaged early on in the development process.
“Inputs from these discussions informed key decisions related to the project’s design, location and construction approach,” the release said.
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The final design, it said, will be a single-level, two-bedroom duplex that will “provide safe, accessible and energy-efficient housing for residents,”
Busch said Blades Construction is a major sub-contractor on the project and built the foundation and framing for the duplex.
More specific information on how many local tradespeople and businesses were involved will be available after the project is complete, Busch said.
The release said there are currently 146 social housing units in Fort Smith run by Housing NWT and, as of December 2025, eight units were vacant because they needed major repairs. It also said about 11.5 percent of Fort Smith residents live in social housing, of which 34.7 percent are youth.
According to a territory-wide housing needs assessment, there were 18 households on the public housing waitlist in Fort Smith in December 2025.
