Housing NWT sometimes evicts tenants in winter. MLA asks why notices served in coldest months

Avery Zingel · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 06, 2025 3:47 PM EST | Last Updated: March 6

Housing NWT has evicted 7 tenants from their homes this wintertime for what it describes arsenic amerciable activities oregon disturbances, according to a spokesperson for the corporation.

In an email to CBC News, Aurora Nind said the corp had besides issued 14 eviction orders since past April and that it had made 121 applications to the rental bureau for eviction orders against tenants betwixt April and February.

Of those applications, 21 of them were to evict tenants successful Hay River. There were sixteen successful Yellowknife, 14 successful Inuvik, 11 successful Délı̨nę and 8 successful Fort Providence. 

Dehcho MLA Sheryl Yakeleya pressed Housing Minister Lucy Kuptana successful the Legislative Assembly past period astir wherefore the lodging corporation seeks eviction orders against nationalist lodging tenants successful the coldest months of the year. 

"Many of these radical person arrears but are consenting to wage to enactment successful their homes," said Yakeleya.

Housing NWT says it obtained 10 eviction orders successful the Dehcho since the commencement of April, six of them owed to arrears. 

Yakeleya said immoderate of her constituents in housing lost their jobs oregon took connected caregiver roles for household members and their rent wasn't adjusted to bespeak that. She asked however the corp works with tenants earlier it pursues eviction orders formally astatine the rental office.

Housing Minister Lucy Kuptana said the corp considers compassionate grounds connected a case-by-case ground due to the fact that successful galore communities, it is the lone lodging available. She confirmed determination is nary argumentation against carrying retired evictions successful the winter. 

Tenants reluctant to combat orders 

Tenants Association Northwest Territories laminitis Lisa Thurber-Tsetso says galore tenants don't be the archetypal hearings wherever a landlord seeks a ceremonial eviction bid to region them from their housing.

Decisions made successful their lack person the aforesaid unit arsenic a Supreme Court bid and indispensable beryllium appealed wrong 14 days, she said.

CBC News combed done months of rental bureau decisions sought by section lodging authorities connected behalf of Housing NWT to terminate a lease oregon evict tenants. 

In 1 example, the Délı̨nę Housing Authority obtained an bid successful November to evict a tenant who had lived successful their location since 2011 and paid $325 per period successful rent. The rental bureau made a determination successful their lack and without representation, ordering an eviction Feb. 1 implicit $1,950 successful arrears. 

"The proceeding is intimidating. They don't spell to the proceeding and idiosyncratic is making that judgement telephone for you," said Thurber-Tsetso. She said tenants being evicted for amerciable enactment that isn't proven successful tribunal is besides a large issue. 

In different case, an eviction was ordered successful February for a pistillate whose girl began occupying her portion with her and caused disturbances. In another, a tenant who sought attraction faced eviction successful the wintertime unless they paid $1,205 successful arrears.

"I deliberation a batch much radical would entreaty those decisions if they had the resources," Thurber-Tsetso said. 

Thurber-Tsetso said Housing NWT workers are intended to enactment with tenants to forestall evictions. It's sad, she said, that tenants often travel to her saying cipher from the coporation reached retired to them to enactment retired a solution. 

She said the corporation's maximum rent – which is 19.5 per cent of a person's income – puts tenants down erstwhile it isn't updated to lucifer their fiscal situation. Most evictions are a effect of arrears, she said. 

"They're not treated arsenic quality beings oregon tenants. They're treated arsenic a wealth commodity," she said. 

"Housing NWT has a immense budget. They are fixed wealth to supply low-income lodging and if radical can't spend the rent, evidently it's not low-income housing." 

In the legislature in February, Kuptana said section lodging organizations archer tenants erstwhile violations person been made. She said they lone contented a announcement to terminate a tenancy and taxable an exertion to the rental bureau erstwhile "all tenable efforts are exhausted." 

Nind, the spokesperson for Housing NWT, said it has sometimes refrained from carrying retired evictions successful December due to the fact that of the holidays.