More than $7 million invested in northern housing initiatives

Jun 12, 2017 | 1:00 PM

It was a donation ‘necessary to the health, safety and wellness of northern communities’ according to Duane Favel, the mayor of Ile-a-la-Crosse.

Favel was responding to an investment of more than $1 million that will go towards five three-bedroom single-family homes in the community and an initiative that enables groups of high school students to participate in building homes as a curriculum credit.

“Without it, we wouldn’t be able to move forward,” Favel added.

The federal and provincial governments have provided a combined investment of $7 million to support housing initiatives in the communities of Ile-a-la-Crosse, La Loche, La Ronge and Pinehouse Lake.

A total of 14 new affordable rental units will be constructed in La Loche as part of a $1.4 million contribution under the Investment in Affordable Housing Agreement (IAH) in the form of a forgivable loan.

“We are also pleased that, once again, Methy Housing Corporation has demonstrated its capacity by construting all 14 units entirely with local labour,” Northern Village of La Loche Mayor Robert St. Pierre said.

A second project in that community will create social housing for low-income elders.

A $1.8 million investment will also help the rejuvenation of eight emergency shelter units at the Piwapan Womens Shelter in La Ronge and increase rental housing to women and children fleeing violence in the North.

“The funding they will receive provides for needed renovations that will provide greater accessibility for women with disabilities, and for expansion of their present building increasing their capacity greatly,” Town of La Ronge Mayor Ron Woytowich said.

Under the IAH, the federal and provincial governments are also contributing over $1.5 million to provide 12 units of affordable housing for elders living in the northern Village of Pinehouse Lake. 

“We recognize that housing is a core need to create healthier communities. The benefits that will be realized as a result of these housing initiatives are substantial,” Social Services Minister and Minister Responsible for the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation Tina Beaudry-Mellor said in a press release.

 

panews@jpbg.ca

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