About
About NHC
The Nunavut Housing Corporation (NHC) was created in 2000 through the Nunavut Legislature by the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation (Nunavut) Act. Our mandate as a public agency of the Government of Nunavut (GN) is to create, coordinate and administer housing programs so that we may provide fair access to a range of affordable housing options to families and individuals in Nunavut.
Our Mission
To provide opportunities for all residents of Nunavut to have homes that support a healthy, secure, independent and dignified lifestyle through working with our communities to allow them to assume the role of providing housing to Nunavummiut.
Our Vision
To ensure families and individuals in Nunavut have access to a range of affordable housing options.
Our Values
The Nunavut Housing Corporation (NHC) believes in and strives for the following values:
Placing “human capital” – its employees, Local Housing Organization (LHO) partners, tenants and clients – first when targeting housing solutions for Nunavummiut;
Recognizing the contribution NHC and LHO staff make to housing in Nunavut and providing them with the proper work environment and tools to enable them to maximize their contribution;
Making a positive impact on the quality and affordability of housing;
Ensuring high quality advice, assistance and support to LHOs, other client organizations and agencies, and individuals;
Ensuring high quality property management services for Nunavut Public and Staff Housing;
Ensuring housing services and support are provided in an equitable manner;
Use of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in Corporation decision-making;
Building constructive relationships with other governments, agencies, departments, and both community and Inuit organizations.
Governance
The Nunavut Housing Corporation (the Corporation) is a public agency of the Government of Nunavut (GN), created through the Nunavut Legislature by the Nunavut Housing Corporation () Act. As such an agency, the Corporation is at arms-length from the GN and its operating boundaries are set out in Part IX of the Financial Administration Act, the section of the Act specifically devoted to Public Agencies.
The Corporation reports to the Legislative Assembly, Executive Council and Nunavummiut through its President, Board of Directors, and the Minister Responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation. This approach allows the Minister to maximize the effectiveness of the Corporation for the present and future benefits of Nunavummiut.
Status as a Public Agency affords many advantages, including:
- The ability to enter into funding partnerships with others, principally the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). This means that Nunavut’s transfer payments received from the federal government are not affected by the funding that the Corporation receives.
- The ability to carry over funds from one year to the next, ensuring that funds from all sources designated for housing initiatives remain dedicated to housing solutions.
- The stewardship of funds in the Capital and Operating and Maintenance pools, giving the Corporation full authority for the delivery of housing initiatives.
Core Business
The Corporation offers multiple housing solutions including: providing education, training and support to Local Housing Organizations (LHOs) in the areas of administration, finance, program delivery and maintenance; providing homeowner services in the area of finance and technical assistance; and coordinating housing-related lobby efforts on behalf of all Nunavut residents. These business services are organized in four distinct lines of program delivery: Public Housing, Staff Housing, Homeownership, and Homelessness.
To administer the Corporation’s programs, a small corporate team of 100 housing professionals work to make the Corporation an action oriented service delivery agency. Structured around five distinct offices, this cohesive group is further supported by a network of twenty-five Local Housing Organizations that provide an important communication link between Nunavummiut and their communities.
Continuous improvement
Nunavut Housing Corporation (NHC) will continue its ongoing work to improve housing services and make more housing more available for Nunavummiut, taking steps recommended by a recent federal performance audit.
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) conducted a performance audit of the Corporation in 2024 to evaluate how it managed housing services and public housing inventory from April 2022 to December 2024. The report makes 10 recommendations for NHC’s consideration moving forward.
The Auditor General’s findings and recommendations validate our plans to improve how NHC provides equitable access to suitable public housing for families and individuals in Nunavut.
The Honourable Lorne Kusugak, Minister Responsible for NHC, May 2025
NHC has responded to the recommendations in the report by proposing the following activities:
• Review the points rating system used to prioritize public housing allocations and improve the system and process for rating public housing applications.
• Increase support for and oversight of the Local Housing Organizations (LHO) allocation of public housing units to ensure they are consistent with government legislation, polices, processes and the management agreements between each LHO and NHC.
• Develop guidance for LHOs to use in balancing transfer requests from existing tenants against new tenant applications to improve equitable allocation of housing units.
• Implement a standardized approach to collecting, managing and analyzing waitlist data across all communities to ensure equity in public housing unit allocation and inform public housing development.
• Conduct a needs analysis of Elders and people with disabilities, including existing tenants, waitlisted applicants and new applicants, identify all units with accessibility features, improve the process for allocating these units and improve oversight of accessible and barrier-free public housing unit allocations.
• Document the features of all accessible and barrier-free public housing units within NHC inventory to support equitable allocation of public housing units with these features.
• Improve management and analysis of public housing assets through better information management, including consolidating and integrating housing data, tracking condition ratings, accessibility, maintenance activities, leasing data and property values.
• Continue to work with LHOs to meet their obligations under their management agreements, including submitting annual plans and semi-annual progress reports.
• Improve the way that preventative maintenance in public housing units is monitored and documented, including unit condition inspections, mould and heat recovery ventilators, to ensure public housing units are maintained.
• Continue to improve on the clarity and consistency of progress reporting for report Nunavut 3000 by releasing the number of housing units completed or construction since the start of the 6th Assembly in November 2021 using third-party data from the Office of the Chief Building Official (OCBO).
NHC is also in the process of implementing two enterprise information technology systems to support these improvements, including an Asset Planner to manage the lifecycles of NHC’s public housing inventory and a Property Management software that will improve administration of public housing to existing and future tenants.
These proposed actions will be finalized by NHC and included in an official Action Plan in Fall 2025 to be released here on the NHC website.
Board of Directors
The Nunavut Housing Corporation (NHC) implemented a Board of Directors in the fall of 2011. In doing so, the NHC adopted a similar structure to the other four GN Territorial Corporations.
The Board of Directors ensures the Corporation has the capacity to monitor NHC’s overall performance beyond the day to day operations, oversees the corporate risk management function and allows for a more comprehensive approach in setting the Corporation’s strategic direction; the Board of Directors also continues to be active in lobbying for essential private and public funding
The current Board is comprised of five directors with diverse background and experience in Northern housing, public policy, finance, project management, property management/development, social programs development, and legal issues. The Board of Directors of the Corporation must be composed of no fewer than five directors, but no more than seven. A director holds office, during pleasure, for a term of three years. The Board targets monthly teleconferences and meets in person quarterly.
chairperson
John Apt
John Apt has been an active member of the Board of Directors since 2014 and is currently serving in the role of Chairperson. He has been a key support for NHC offering oversight as Chair for the Audit Committee as well as providing direction to NHC’s senior management. John brings many years of experience from his dedication and long service to the Office of the Auditor General of Canada. As audit principal, John was responsible for the financial audits of the Government of Nunavut and its Crown corporations prior to his retirement in 2012.
Vice-Chair
Peter Tapatai
Peter is the founder and president of Baker Lake-based Peter’s Expediting Limited, which has been operating for more than 20 years. It is a 100 per cent Inuit-owned-and-operated business. Peter spent his life in the Kivalliq region and has seen the development of Agnico Eagle’s Meadowbank Mine from its early exploration days through to production. He has worked closely on numerous regional projects, and has been a powerful advocate for the sustainable development of renewable and non-renewable resources in Nunavut and for investment in infrastructure, housing and training. He knows the importance of housing in the development of a sustainable future in Nunavut. Peter has received a lifetime honorary membership from the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, been named Kivalliq Business Person of the Year and has appeared before the Senate to present on the impact of mining in Nunavut. He was awarded a Canada 150 Medal in 2017 and is the 2020 recipient of the Order of Nunavut.
director
John Hussey
Formerly from Nova Scotia, John has been a Nunavummiuq since May 2001. He has worked for the City of Iqaluit, the Hamlet of Igloolik, Pangnirtung, the Hamlet of Kinngait, Arctic Bay and most recently Arviat. He has a wealth of experience in municipal management and financial practices and has been involved on many boards and associations and in some cases serving in executive capacities. He has served on NHC’s Board of Directors since 2019. Prior to this he served for two terms on the Iqaluit Housing Authority’s board of directors.
director
Allan Rumbolt
Appointed to the Board in November 2022, Allan Rumbolt brings numerous years of hands-on experience working in housing at the community level. Allan has been in the North since 1987, where he spent his first eight (8) years with the North West Company in several communities. From 1995 to 2005, Allan held the position as Housing Manager in the community of Sanikiluaq where he also served on Council for two (2) years. In 2008, Allan went on to be elected as MLA for Sanikiluaq, where he served three (3) terms. During his tenure as MLA, Allan chaired several committees and also served as Deputy Speaker and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Allan currently lives in Sanikiluaq managing his son’s business.
director
Derek Elias
Appointed to the Board in March 2024, Derek Elias brings extensive leadership, project management and housing experience to his role. Derek currently works as a Business Development Officer at the Kitikmeot Inuit Association (KIA) and has over 17 years of experience as a Technical Officer for NHC in the Kitikmeot District Office. Derek is the former mayor and municipal councillor for Cambridge Bay and has worked previously as the Vice President of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities, with additional leadership experience on the board of directors for the Cambridge Bay Housing Association and with Qaggiavuut. Derek currently lives in Cambridge Bay and sits on NTI’s Inuit Housing and Infrastructure technical working group, and is a member of both the Cambridge Bay Fire/Rescue Department as well as the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association for Nunavut.
director
Annie Aningmiuq
Annie Aningmiuq joined the Board of Directors in March 2024 with a wide range of education and experience showcasing both her leadership and drive. Residing in Iqaluit, Annie is currently the Vice President for the Nunasi Corporation, sits on the board of directors for Nunavut Sivuniksavut and Polar Vision Ltd, and is enrolled in the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program. Prior to her current role, she was the Manager of Policy and Communications for the National Association of Friendship Centres and the Policy and Regional Affairs Advisor at CIRNAC, and carries with her extensive experience from previous roles with Canada World Youth, Community Foundations of Canada, Inuit Tapitiit Kanatami, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, and working with the Member of Parliament for Nunavut. Beyond her work experience, she engages in freelance Inuktitut consulting and instruction work, has been featured in several publications, has performed as a throat singer internationally, and operates a jewelry design business.
Director
Emma Pauloosie
Ms. Emma Pauloosie, currently residing in Gjoa Haven, brings 27 years of educational experience to the NHC Board of Directors. With a Bachelor of Education from the University of Regina, she has worked closely with elders in the Nattilik region, gaining valuable administrative skills. Ms. Pauloosie is dedicated to Inuit Societal Values, which guide her decision-making and contributions to the board. As a Nunavut Inuk and principal at Quqshuun Elementary School in Gjoa Haven, Ms. Pauloosie aims to inspire others, especially Inuit women, to engage in community leadership.
Directorate & Corporate Headquarters
The Executive Committee is responsible for managing the Corporation to ensure consistency in all its activities across Nunavut, including the application of policies, standards and procedures, and the delivery of programs. It also oversees the development of long-range strategies, policies, and operational guidelines on corporate matters for the Board of Directors, the Minister Responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation, and for the Executive Council (Cabinet). In addition, it ensures that programs are delivered according to the Corporation’s funding agreements with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
The Corporate Policy & Communications group works on the development of corporate policy, strategic planning and communications related to key program areas. They provide support to the Minister, the Corporate Executive and the District Offices.
Corporate Headquarters coordinates the preparation, monitoring and reporting of the corporate programs. It also provides support to the District Offices in the areas of programs, contracting, project management, and technical design and maintenance.
District Offices
The Corporation’s District Offices manage and provide support in the delivery of programs and services to the communities. District Offices set regional priorities and work with LHOs and individual clients to ensure programs delivered are of appropriate standards through monitoring and assessment. The District Office is responsible for ensuring the construction program is successful within its region. It is also responsible for the delivery of various homeownership programs, and developing positive relationships with other government departments and agencies.
Local Housing Organizations (LHOS)
The Corporation partners with LHOs at the community level, who provide most of the day-to-day services associated with program delivery to individuals and families. Virtually all LHOs are formed as independent organizations under the Societies Act (Housing Associations); however, exceptions to this include the Iqaluit, Kinngait, Kugaaruk, Taloyoak, and Coral Harbour Housing Authorities which were formed under the Nunavut Housing Corporation Act.
