A CBC News investigation has found that the Nunavut Housing Corporation (NHC) delayed awarding tenders last year, costing Nunavummiut much-needed housing units — and it could cost taxpayers millions of dollars down the road.

In one case, the delays led to a contractor backing out of a 10-unit Taloyoak project because NHC took so long to award the contract, with building costs spiking in the meantime.

In another project for 16 units in Iqaluit, NHC received a bid which would have cost $667,000 per unit — a bargain by recent construction cost standards where the average price per unit surpassed $900,000 last year, and more than $1 million this year.

But NHC never entered into a contract with the bidder, for reasons which remain unclear as NHC has categorically refused to answer questions from CBC regarding last year’s tenders. 

NHC also refused to follow some recommendations from Nunavut’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, after CBC appealed NHC’s response to an access to information request on the cancelled tenders.

A review of the Hansard from Nunavut’s Legislative Assembly also shows NHC officials may have been disingenuous with the public when asked by MLAs about the circumstances of cancelling two projects last year.

CBC News spoke with six different contractors who bid on projects in 2021 as part of its investigation, all but one of whom agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity to not harm their business interests.

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