Today I would like to talk about the lack of adequate housing for teachers in Paulatuk and Sachs Harbour.
As you know, attracting and keeping good teachers is a challenge in many of our smaller isolated communities. Housing for teachers is a major factor in the communities’ ability to attract and keep good teachers. Some have been fortunate enough to effectively address this problem, and Tuktoyaktuk and Ulukhaktok are two such communities. Unfortunately, Sachs Harbour and Paulatuk are on the other side of the issue and in desperate need of adequate housing for teachers.
In both communities, at one time or another, teachers have been forced to look for housing in local housing organizations. In Paulatuk some teachers have rented privately, and the rent levels in the community contributed to short tenures in the community.
In Sachs Harbour some of the teachers found accommodations by renting spare rooms from the local Co-op. And when the situation was no longer viable, the teachers moved into the health centre with the nursing staff.
There are a number of units in the community that could be made available for teachers’ housing. However, this could negatively impact the local housing market and then that organization would be facing similar problems.
The most viable option would be to have a teachers-only housing unit, such as a fourplex, in each of those communities facing teacher housing issues, such as Paulatuk and Sachs Harbour. As we all know, teachers are a valuable resource for our communities, and they should not have to worry about housing issues.
Later today I'll be asking questions to the appropriate minister.
