$1.8M contribution puts Nunavut Housing Corp. ‘one step closer to reaching’ Nunavut 3000 goals, minister says

Agnico Eagle has shipped 20 modular homes to Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet, marking a $1.75-million contribution, the company says.

The homes, whose $8 million cost was paid for by the Government of Nunavut, arrived in the communities by sealift in July, the company said Monday in a news release.

A shipment like this is a first-time initiative for Agnico Eagle, says Pujjuut Kusugak, the mining company’s director of Nunavut affairs.

“Everybody has a responsibility to contribute to the betterment of our people in Nunavut and, really, Agnico is wanting to be a responsible corporate citizen as well as a great neighbour,” he said in an interview.

Kusugak is based in Rankin Inlet and is the nephew of Lorne Kusugak, minister responsible for Nunavut Housing Corporation.

Lorne Kusugak also welcomed the contribution, stating it would help move the Nunavut 3000 initiative forward.

Nunavut 3000 — a $2.6-billion initiative the Government of Nunavut unveiled in late 2022 — is a goal to build 3,000 new units across the territory between 2022 and 2030.

“With Agnico Eagle’s support, we are one step closer to reaching our goal of delivering 3,000 homes by 2030,” Lorne Kusugak said in a statement.

Nunavut Housing Corp. and Agnico Eagle said in April they would work together to bring 20 modular homes to Kivalliq Region.

The two communities getting homes are close to Agnico’s two Kivalliq gold mine sites: Meadowbank is near Baker Lake and Meliadine is near Rankin Inlet.

The communities will each get 10 of the 20 houses that are being shipped, said an email from Nunavut Housing Corp. spokesperson Alexandria Webb.

“The lots for these homes have been selected, but details will be confirmed publicly closer to completion, as construction and service connections advance,” she said.

Nunavut Housing Corp. is estimating the homes will be “ready for occupancy” by this coming winter. From there, the units will be filled following “the standard [public housing] allocation process.”