Rhythm of the Tides: my arctic experience

Our Canada 150 Project - Helping one Inuit Family

No other couple is as closely associated, and recognized globally, with Habitat for Humanity (HfH) as Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. This being Canada's sesquicentennial year they came to help with the Canada 150 Project – building 150 homes for 150 Canadian families. Every province and territory was involved in this worthy cause and Don and I are part of it.

We're in Iqaluit with a team of 12 volunteers that is helping to build a house for one lucky Inuit family. In all, seven teams will come up from all parts of Canada to help turn a dream into reality. The first team was here at the beginning of July and by the time we (Team 4) get here the structure is already up.

HfH Iqaluit, the project's proponent, has been pretty active, having already built several houses and this is the third one in Apex. A lot of goodwill goes into building an HfH house. For example, the City of Iqaluit donated the lot; and many others, individuals and organizations, contributed in so many different ways. Moreover, the local organization took advantage of the Nunavut Day celebrations, on July 9, to raise $26,000 for the lucky family. That's quite an outpouring of community support for the chosen family: Tiivi Quiatsuk, Caroline Ipeelie-Quiatsuk and their three children, Taukie, Troy and Ethan. Of course, they worked hard to organize the games for the fundraiser, and their efforts, as well as those of many others, paid off handsomely. The money goes towards a down payment on their mortgage, estimated at $450,000.

They are very grateful to the community, to HfH Iqaluit and to all of who contributed to building their dream home. The glow on their faces was sufficient thanks for us. It was touching to see their dream slowly coming together, but heartbreaking to know that there are so many others still waiting to have theirs become a reality: so many more who are even more needy.

HfH is building a house for a middleclass family. Tiivi works for the Nunavut Government in conservation and Caroline is now a schoolteacher, also a government employee. They can afford to shop at NorthMart, the best supermarket in town, at par with those in the south in terms of quality and selection; the more needy can't.

Caroline is a bright, determined woman and recipient of the 2015 Jose Amaujaq Kusugak scholarship, which she received while studying at the Nunavut Arctic College. I will let her speak for herself:

"I am determined and passionate to complete my education and begin my journey to preserve, protect, educate Nunavummiut and non-Nunavummiut about our culture .... I want to teach our language and our rights as Inuit. As a future educator, I am aware of the responsibility to carry on the legacy of Jose Kusugak with pride. I, too, believe in the importance of strengthening and preserving our language to [sic] our present and future generations."

She's clearly an outstanding citizen with great determination to help her community and her people, and I'm very happy to have met her. Given that HfH decided to build a middleclass house, I'm glad that she was chosen because she's a wonderful person.

When I applied to volunteer for this worthy cause, I was under the impression that we would be helping a family of limited means. To my dismay, we didn't help to alleviate the shortage of low-income housing for those who work at NorthMart and Tim Hortons. It's not only the local, territorial and federal governments that have turned their backs on those who need help the most, but also HfH.

The house we're helping to build is a very comfortable house for a middleclass family of five. It has a huge master bedroom and one for each of the three boys. There is also a large vestibule, laundry and storage rooms, large kitchen and open concept living/dining room.

I'm happy to be contributing, but I would be far happier if it had been a semi-detached house for two low-income families. Perhaps the decision made by HfH Iqaluit underscores this town's reality: those who work at NorthMart are beyond help.

Housing in Nunavut is in short supply. Caroline and Tiivi had their names on the Iqaluit Housing Authority's waiting list for thirteen years and nothing happened until HfH selected them earlier this year from another long list of applicants. Where else could one have the situation of a fulltime worker living in a homeless shelter due to lack of affordable housing?

Habitat for Humanity is helping, which is wonderful, but nobody seems to be helping those who need it the most! The problem is critical for those earning a minimum wage and other solutions are needed. Couch-surfing, an expression I learned here, is not a long-term solution, at least not in a wealthy country like Canada.

The problem is not unique to Nunavut either; it's a problem throughout the entire north and it's not limited to it. First Nations people throughout the country face the same crisis. Basic shelter is a necessity, not a luxury!

Why is there federal government aid for big corporations like Bombardier and Ford and not for affordable housing for the needy? I use these two as examples because they recently made the news for receiving government largess, but the list of profitable corporations getting government handouts is almost endless.

How big is the Nunavut housing shortage problem?

At one billion dollars, It's huge for the territory, but not for the country. It's the same amount of money recently handed over to Bombardier, which went mostly to senior executives in the form of bigger salaries and bonuses. So, taxpayer's money is available for the top one percent of society, but not for the bottom one percent, which is forced into sharing beds on a rotating basis! I'm proud to be Canadian, but such a situation brings shame to us all.

When it comes to dealing with indigenous people and communities, the federal government is the problem. In the words of the Auditor General for Canada, "Until a problem-solving mindset is brought to these issues to develop solutions built around people instead of defaulting to litigation, arguments about money and process roadblocks, this country will continue to squander the potential and lives of much of its Indigenous population."

It's a truly sad commentary for a country that prides itself as a model of a just society. We receive immigrants and refugees from all the troubled spots of the world with open arms, which is wonderful because that's what makes Canada great. But when it comes to helping the disadvantaged in its own country, the government reverts to the old ways of dealing with its indigenous people, with large doses of indifference and disregard.

What is the Nunavut Government doing about the housing crisis?

According to the Nunavut Housing Corporation, three thousand units are needed to fix the crisis. At the current rate of construction they are satisfying only the growth in demand, which is more than eighty units per year, so they are always three thousand units behind. Either the territorial government doesn't have the means to make a dent in the problem, or it is also turning a blind eye to it. Is the Nunavut government unable to spend more than the current fifty million dollars a year to help solve a major social problem?

I came here hoping to make a difference in the lives of one low-income family and to give others hope that their turn will also come. I'm glad I did, but the needy are still without hope. More than half of Nunavuttium live in social housing and more than a third of them live in overcrowded conditions. Who will help them? In my opinion, HfH Iqaluit could help the community a lot more by building low-income housing, where the need is much more critical.

I'm ashamed of the government's lack of action in the midst of a serious housing crisis that's affecting Nunavuttiums who are struggling to make ends meet, even though they're employed fulltime. I'm ashamed of our government for turning its back on underprivileged people, not only here, but everywhere in Canada. The country's powerful families, who have lost touch with reality, have hijacked our government. They live in a world of privilege and the lives of working and struggling Canadians is the least of their considerations. What upstanding citizens they are!

As we celebrate during this sesquicentennial year, it's clear that the Inuit and other First Nation people have little to celebrate about!

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I was pleased to learn that on December 17, 2017, just one week before Christmas, Caroline and Tiivi got the keys to their dream house.