Badly-needed construction materials are rotting outside for years, Nunavut leaders say

This is now yet in August, with burning crates of construction materials. After spending two years outside, the materials for a long-anticipated eight-unit public housing built caught fire. Leaders across the territory worry this disaster might happen in their communities as well. For example, Pangnirtung MLA Johnny Mike. These are the kind of risks we see when they're just laying around in a very open area. Materials have been piled up near the harbour of his community since 2024. Mike says even if Pangnirtung doesn't suffer from a fire like Now Yet, the materials left in open air will be damaged by the harsh weather. By the time they put the building up, some are going to be moulded already, for sure. And according to Executive Director of Nunavut Association of Municipalities, Marla Limazine, this is a problem playing out in communities across the territory. You've got insulation in plastic packaging. You've got bare wood in a lot of cases. NCC Development is the company tasked with building public housing in Nunavut. It was their materials that burned down in Nowyut in August. The company's CEO, Joannie Putluk, admits supplies are being left out longer than they would like. I think certain materials can deteriorate if they're outside for a long time, but I haven't seen any cases of that. But. But it could happen. But Putluk argues not sealifting the wood, insulation and metal beams into communities in advance would slow down the construction even more. I agree. The shorter you could have that time of waiting, the better it is. But you kind of need to get these other steps in place before you can start. But Mike says delays are frustrating, particularly to nearly 4,000 Nunavummiut who have been on the public housing wait list, some of them for years. It's really disappointing for the people, not getting a house, waiting, waiting, waiting. Mike argues that other social issues in the territory, everything from domestic violence to food insecurity, all come back to the territory's housing crisis. Ardi Sarkissian, CBC News, Iqaluit.