Challenges of construction in the North
Phil Moon Son Home construction in the North has always posed a wide range of challenges - everything from the limited availability of specialized trades people to the high costs of moving materials and people to remote locations. Some argue these are some of the reasons why communities all across this territory experience a severe housing shortage. Affordable housing is one sector that has been severely impacted over the recent decade. The NWT Construction Association is proud to be making a presentation at the upcoming Northern Housing Forum to be held in Inuvik from March 22 to 25 under the subject of Capacity Building in Northern Communities. Bob Doherty the President of the NWT Construction Association will be incorporating various concerns from our membership in his presentation. "We will review some of the many initiatives that have been developed over the years to increase local involvement on construction projects, to see if they are relevant today and how they might be improved upon," says Doherty. Scott Reid, NWT Housing Corporation Director of Infrastructure Services, said, "We planned this as a Circumpolar Arctic conference because we know that all northern countries are facing similar challenges when it comes to providing sustainable, affordable, and energy efficient housing. "There has been a boom in energy efficient building technologies over the past ten years. New products are hitting the market every day. The NWTHC is committed to reducing fossil fuel consumption by retrofitting our existing buildings and building new homes that surpasses the world's most stringent energy efficiency standards." Mr. Reid further commented that the best information must be available and the Northern Housing Forum is one way to help us learn what is working and what to avoid as we move forward building homes in the North. Finally and equally important is the North's ability to progressively develop their construction capacity, and the NWT Construction will continue to promote these visions while working with our members, various levels of government other organizations.
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