Saskatchewan's proposed legislation targeting drug use and trafficking in the province may help protect businesses, but experts warn it could also worsen the situation the government is hoping to improve.

The Opposition NDP launched its "Shop local, shop Sask" campaign Wednesday at SaskMade, a Saskatoon marketplace filled with products made in Saskatchewan.

Normal High: -5                 Normal Low: -16°

REAL estimates $10 million will be needed within the next four years to repair and upgrade the Brandt Centre, Queensbury Convention Centre and Co-operators Centre.

It was another fruitful poppy campaign in 2024 for Swift Current.

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 56 said in a press release on Saturday that its poppy campaign raised $27,800.

John Griffin, the public relations officer with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 56, said the dollar figure was slightly down from 2023.

"Royal Canadian Legion Branch 56 would like to thank the citizens of Swift Current and District for their most generous contributions to the 2024 poppy campaign," he said. "We are ever grateful for your kindness, generosity, and support. Without it, we would not be able to do what we do the Swift Current branch."

The funds will be dispersed locally to aid veterans and their families. This year, the Legion in Swift Current will split the amounts raised between PAWS for Veterans and Leave the Streets Behind. 

"PAWS for Veterans help train service dogs for veterans," he said. "Leave the Streets Behind helps homeless veterans get off the streets and get shelter."

 Premier Scott Moe is doubling down on his support for pipelines.

In a post on the X platform on Wednesday, Moe stated any pipeline projects going through Saskatchewan would be pre-approved. His post reads as follows:

“Effective Immediately: All pipeline permits going east, west, or south received in Saskatchewan will be considered pre-approved. We encourage all provinces and the federal government to do the same. @JustinTrudeau @realDonaldTrump”

This followed Moe’s post on social media the day before, in which he voiced support for President Donald Trump’s own social media post in which he endorsed reviving the Keystone XL pipeline project 

“The path to continental energy dominance is to increase non-tariff North American trade. This includes the construction of new pipelines like Keystone XL,” Moe had stated.

Those comments drew fire from NDP energy critic Sally Housser, who wanted the tariff threat removed first before there was any such talk of pipelines to the ‘States.

“If Donald Trump wants Canadian oil, he has to immediately remove the planned tariffs for March 4th,” said Housser on Tuesday. “That’s the only message that Scott Moe should be taking to the United States and to Washington right now.”

Moe’s latest post on pipeline approvals also comes on a day when Trump performed yet another apparent flip-flop on his stance on tariffs.

According to reports, Trump is delaying 25 per cent tariffs on Canada again by another month, to take effect April 2. This news comes a couple of days after Trump had indicated that the tariffs were “on schedule.”

Premier Moe has been in Washington D.C. this week on his latest trade mission to the USA along with a delegation of Saskatchewan industry leaders. The delegation includes representatives from Cameco, Evraz, Arizona Lithium, Cenovus, Whitecap Resources, Enbridge, North American Helium and the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison is also in Washington this week, attending the 2025 Winter Policy Conference of the National Association of State Department of Agriculture.

This latest trip to D.C. follows an earlier trade mission in which Premier Moe joined a delegation of the Council of the Federation in meeting officials on the tariffs issue.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the government said Moe’s priority in Washington this week was “to de-escalate the conversation about tariffs and reiterate the fact that tariffs will hurt both of our economies.” The Premier’s trade mission is set to wrap up Thursday.

Three affordable housing projects were approved by city council on Wednesday, with two offering wraparound supports, among other amenities.

Arizona realtors say they are swamped with Canadians bailing out of the American market.

Two grade 12 students are reflecting on how Pink Day has helped shape their generation.

Throughout the years, the event has continued to bring youth, and adults, together to stand up to bullying. What began as a response by the friends of one boy being harrassed for his pink shirt on the first day of school in Nova Scotia in 2007 has grown into a nationwide phenomenon. Wearing a pink shirt, and joining in on the conversation on why bullying has no place at school, the workplace, or any place, is an easy way to start engaging in the movement.

The impact Pink Day has had is measurable by the outlook of modern students, such as Kylie Machaluk and Dani Meyer. This pair of grade 12 students reflected on how this event has caused a cultural shift each time it's held. 

"It unites (students) and brings them together as a good cause against a bad one (bullying)," said Machaluk. "Overall, we really include everybody."

The girls felt that over their four years of high school, they had witnessed as the student body grew to be more inclusive, and how bullying had shifted from an in-person problem to a more digital one. 

"If bullying does happen, it's generally done online because people can easily hide behind the screen," said Meyer. "But I think it's definitely been decreasing over the last couple of years."

These hopeful outlooks for the future prove that taking a stand against bullying, and standing up for a friend when they need it, can have long and lasting effects. 

Another hold-up in the resolution of Jim Dekowny's case.

Wednesday saw Darren Kraushaar representing Dekowny remotely over the phone. The lawyer asked for yet another adjournment to March 12. He promised that they were nearing a resolution with the crown.

Judge J.F. Jacobson noted that he had heard similar promises at the previous two court dates for the former executive director of the Dr. Noble Iriwin Regional Health Care Foundation.

Kraushaar assured the judge that he was sure they would be close to a conclusion at the next meeting, which was set for March 12 at 3 p.m.

Dekowny is facing a charge of fraud over $5,000 committed during his duration as the former executive director for the Dr. Noble Iriwn Regional Health Care Foundation.

Sask Sport is marking Pink Shirt Day with a focus on eradicating bullying in sports.

"I work every day towards mitigating the amount of bullying that happens in amateur sports," said provincial sport consultant for Sask Sport Nathan Cole. "We know it happens, so we work to prevent and address bullying in sports when it does happen and any forms of abuse."

Part of that focus has been developing policy to deal with it. 

"We worked to establish a safer sport environment through policy work (with) a safe sport manual," Cole said. "It's quite comprehensive and it's got some key pieces. They code of contact being a big one that outlines the standards of conduct and the prohibited types of behaviours we don't want to see in sports with our young people.

"Obviously bullying is completely unacceptable and there is no place for it in sports."

He added their team at the sport and lotteries department came to the office in pink shirts today to help draw attention to the anti-bullying message.

"We've also formed a partnership recently with Dare to Care that does a lot of work in the space to offer information and key strategies on how to safely intervene if bullying is taking place around us," Cole said. "How to address it and prevent it moving forward."

As we see some warmer weather, we are also reminded it is tax season in Canada.

The deadline to get your taxes done is April 30th to ensure you keep your tax credits and don't incur any late penalties.

"Remember to claim all the deductions and credits that you could be entitled to," said Canada Revenue Agency spokesperson Lisa Kao. "When it comes to filing income taxes there's a section on the Canada.ca website that actually helps you with this because sometimes people forget what they could be claiming."

There are also some credits available exclusively in Saskatchewan.

"They have a special credit for some families with children that are involved in various activities," Kao said. "This is something you can claim on the provincial credit of the tax return... (and) the Saskatchewan graduate retention program. That's one of the bigger ones for residents of Saskatchewan."

Kao noted if you have been through any significant life changes or just need some advice, they have agents available you can contact by phone or through their website. 

She added if you need access to a computer for some of these issues there is usually access to one at the Service Canada office in Swift Current. 

Dozens gathered in downtown Regina for an annual memorial night held for homeless people.

The City of Swift Current is advising of a road closure for the duration of Wednesday. 

First Avenue Northwest between Lorne Street West and Sidney Street West will be closed all day for a water main repair. City crews are already working to resolve the issue.

Detour and signage have been posted. 

The City apologizes for any inconvenience this work may cause. 

What's old will be new again in Gull Lake. 

That's the plan for 2460 Main Street in Gull Lake. This building was built in 1913 and has been a pharmacy, a clothing store, an apartment, and a whole lot more over the last 112 years. 

Now it has a chance to once again become a focal point in the town, which is turning it into a property development cooperative. Interested persons can invest in the revitalization of the building, which will not only restore its original brick facade but transform the interior space as well. 

The economic development officer for the Town of Gull Lake, Lindsay Aliban, is hoping to raise $400,000 to complete the project through prospective investors and shareholders to save the currently vacant space. 

"In the first stage we want to restore the main level, which would be commercial or professional space," explained Aliban. "The second phase would include finishing the upstairs, which we plan to be kind of a flexible short-term rental."

The second floor would also include a flexible layout, which could be rented in its entirety by a larger group. 

The first phase is listed as a $200,000 fundraising goal. It includes both the interior space renovations, as well as fixing up the exterior facade. 

"We want to keep that historic charm that it has, and yet make it efficient and functional," said Aliban. 

The goal for return on investment to those who join the cooperative is between one and four per cent. Outside of financial benefits, the hope is for this project to also help inject new economic prospects into Gull Lake.

"We are confident that we would have dividends for shareholders," said Aliban. "The ultimate goal is to sell the building to another entrepreneur who would want to run it and manage it themself."

Important community hubs for Black residents, like restaurants and small clubs, are helping foster belonging and cultural connection. But they aren’t always easy to find in the Queen City.

A grassroots project in Saskatoon is looking to shine a light on the city's forgotten Chinatown history through art and stories from its past and present.

Local performers, Saskatchewan residents, and more are preparing for the 49th annual Telemiracle telethon coming up this weekend on Saturday, March 1 and Sunday, March 2.

Last year, Telemiracle was able to raise over $6.1 million to help pay for the expenses of accessibility equipment, health-related transportation, and other medical costs of Saskatchewan residents.

Tracey Prang, this year's president of the Swift Current Kinettes Club, explained that Telemiracle pledges can be called in or sent online.

"The telethon is unique to Saskatchewan," she said. "For 48 years we've gotten together and raised millions of dollars that stay right in Saskatchewan to help families that need medical funding, equipment funding, and travel and accommodation to go out of town for medical appointments.

"We do our best to help everyone in need living in Saskatchewan."

The Swift Current Kinettes are set to present their total raised over the past year for Telemiracle live on Sunday around 12:00 p.m. 

"There will be some really good local talent that'll be on the show," added Prang. "Make sure to tune in, check out everyone, and help us raise as much as possible."

Folks are welcome to join the Telemiracle live stream this weekend, stop by Prairieland Park in Saskatoon to watch in person, or head to telemiracle.com for more information. 

One of Regina’s most iconic restaurants and caterers is celebrating the start of its 22nd year in business. Smokin’ Okies on Regina’s east side has been serving southern cuisine like chicken fried steak sandwichs, pork belly sandwiches, chicken fried steak and gravy, brisket sandwiches, and much more.

For owner Eric Johnson, it all started in his hometown of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, about one hour south of Oklahoma City where barbecue restaurants were commonplace. In fact, there are still three barbecue restaurants in the southern town of 6,000 people. Despite his love of the food and cooking, he hadn’t thought of opening a restaurant until his time with Schwan’s Frozen Food company had come to an end. In the 1980’s and early 90’s Johnson was working as a sales manager for the company when he was transferred to Saskatchewan in 1991 as part of an expansion into Canada.

“I was only going to be here for three to five years they said but I ended up staying,” explained Johnson who was with Schwan’s until 2000.

(Pictured: Eric Johnson)

Johnson received his first smoker in 1978 for Christmas, which he still owns yet, and his love of smoking meat and cooking meals had started.

“I’ve just always enjoyed cooking, I love cooking, and I guess I like to eat, too, and that must be why I’m always cooking,” Johnson chuckled.

It wasn’t long after his time at Schwan’s that he decided to take his love of smoking and cooking to the next level, by starting up a restaurant dedicated to the cuisine of his home State of Oklahoma. He says there have been a lot of highlights over the the past 21 years, but it’s his connections with the Saskatchewan Roughriders that stand out most for him.

“We used to do concessions at (old) Mosaic Stadium and we were there for about 15 years with our concession and our trailer and that was always a lot of fun, just the connection with the Roughriders,” said Johnson. “We had a lot of good times at the stadium with the football game and with the team. We fed the team a lot after practice and that was always fun.”

There was one particular former Roughrider player that Johnson really hit it off with, though. The late, great, and legendary George Reed.

“George Reed was a really good friendship of mine and I really miss him a lot, and interestingly enough we didn’t become friends over football, we just became friends over food,” noted Johnson who added he met Reed while catering an event for Rider alumni.

As Smokin’ Okies begins it’s 22nd year of business in the Queen city, he says his brisket is still the most requested item on his menu because he feels few would actually cook something like that for themselves. Pulled pork and his iconic macaroni and cheese are also widely sought after. Smokin’ Okies is also a supplier of Yoder Smokers and various pellets for smokers and occasionally hold classes for those wanting to learn more about the art of smoking meats.

(Pictured: Pork belly sandwich with mac and cheese)

His restaurant is adorned with pictures of famous athletes and performers who have visited over the years including fellow “okie,” as Johnson says, Garth Brooks who grew up not far from Johnson’s hometown of Pauls Valley. Word got back to Garth when he performed at Mosiac Stadium in 2019 that there was a restaurant dedicated to Oklahoma cuisine. It was long until Johnson got the call to cater a meal for the country music super star.

Business and life in general have been good for Johnson and his wife in Saskatchewan and, so far, there are no signs of slowing down.

“Not in the near future, but one of these days. I can’t work forever. I’m getting pretty old now,” laughed Johnson.

Smokin’ Okies is located at 2547 Quance Street.

Saskatchewan curling fans have plenty to cheer about as two teams from the province prepare to hit the ice at the 2025 Montana's Brier. Eighteen teams from across Canada will be competing in one of curling’s biggest tournaments.

The province announced on Tuesday it will be making changes to legislation and regulations to crack down on drug trafficking and on people using fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Leroy Desmond Daniels is serving a sentence for robbery and escaped while on an escorted visit in Saskatoon.

Saskatchewan is ending February with above-freezing temperatures. Experts weigh in on how to protect your home from potential floods during the snow thaw.

The number of youth who are experiencing homelessness in Regina has increased over the last few years, according to Namerind Housing Co. point-in-time (PIT) count.

In their count, they found 824 people are currently experiencing homelessness, with 25 per cent of those first living unhoused between the ages of 0-17.

“I feel that, at a minimum, those numbers are accurate,” said Jeff Dudar, CEO of the Street Culture Project.

He noted their Tuhk Sih Nowin Youth Shelter, located at 1314 11th Ave, has been virtually at capacity since 2022.

Because of that, “[There] is a need for probably three-quarters to 100 per cent more shelter spaces for youth at any given time in the city.”

Before COVID, Dudar said the shelter would average eight to 12 people at any given time.

Namerind’s survey also found 54 per cent of those homeless faced mental health challenges.

Dudar noted, “[since the] post COVID era, there [is a] general sense of like loneliness that youth are experiencing and that loneliness [is impacting] their mental health.”

Mental health challenges for youth are a contributing factor to drug addictions, which are often driven by fentanyl and synthetic opioids.

Dudar also mentioned depending on the youth’s current living situation, they could choose to stay and deal with the challenges or leave and find shelter, which he referred to as “fight or flight.”

Youth ages 16-18 who stay at Tuhk Sih Nowin Youth Shelter can reside there for a maximum of 30 days.

The 30 days are “intended to address like the short term acute needs of safety and well-being and then working with the Ministry [of Social Services] to find longer-term housing for that youth should there be [a] continued need.”

The Street Culture Project works with the ministry for their Youth Transitions Unit (YTU),”[which] provides youth [ages 15-21] with a safe and supportive environment where they can gain valuable life skills to make a smooth transition into independent living,” according to their website.

Additionally, their Youth Supported Housing Operations Resource Education (Y-SHORE) program helps individuals 16-24 transition from homelessness to independence.

Dudar mentioned, “the [Y-SHORE] program [is] funded through Reaching Home, which is connected to Namerind, and we have a partnership with Regina Housing Authority, and we have access to seven units in one of their complexes in the city.”

The waitlist for youth to get into these programs has increased, with Dudar noting, “I think we could safely say that we could increase our opportunity to provide those services by 100 per cent [and] I would [still] be skeptical to say that we would meet the need in the community.”

Another challenge their transition programs face is finding suitable places for the rest of the youth in the programs.

A landlord “could be hesitant [about potential] property damage for reasons related to, you know, past negative experiences with renting to that demographic.”

“In a perfect world, we would be the landlord to the participants, but we don’t have the internal capacity or the resources to purchase apartment complexes or houses to that extent in the city,” he added.

In the short-term, part of the Street Culture Project’s vision is acquiring additional resources, whether that be ones they own or partnering with other organizations to make them accessible for youth.

From there, “we want to try to provide services and move our services upstream and [be] more preventative so that we can chip away at and eventually overcome the youth homelessness situation crisis in Regina,” he said.

Dudar was asked what he believes is the biggest thing that is lacking in terms of addressing homelessness.

He mentioned there are lots of things, but mainly pointed towards “getting lost in our day-to-day work and we are often ourselves as organizations in survival mode trying to find funding to support underfunded programs and services and then we end up competing with one another as organizations for pockets of money.”

Dudar feels this can often lead to further barriers being put up regarding working with other organizations.

So, he would like “to see there be a more coordinated effort to maximize those investments in the community.”

RCMP are currently at the scene of an incident west of Swift Current on the Trans Canada Highway.

Eastbound traffic on the highway has been slowed.

Swift Current Online will provide more information when updates are made available. 

For Allie Buffone a farm in Rosenhof has been a fresh start.

Now a big part of that new beginning has been lost to a barn fire last Friday.

"We came home and we find (the barn) engulfed in flames," Buffone said. "There was nothing we could do. We could hear the animals, but the flames were too high so we couldn't get into it. We just had to stand back until the fire department got there."

Buffone and her fiancé James lost their goals and livestock dogs in the blaze. 

"It was pretty rough," Buffone said. "We got them in May and June of last year. I've always loved animals and loved goats. The corals were set up for cattle, but with the price of cattle these days it's so hard for young farmers to get into."

A GoFundMe set up by Normand Arkesteyn-Vogler detailed how insurance will cover the contents of the barn, but not the structure itself.

It is trying to raise $15,000 so they can rebuild it.

Buffone noted she had been a co-owner of a business in BC and used her funds from that venture to set up this part of their farming operation.

The RM of Swift Current Fire Department responded to the fire on Friday. They noted two neighbours had helped contain the blaze and ensure it didn't spread. 

Photo by Meral Jamal.

Alex Cook is only five years older than Nunavut, yet he can’t remember a time when the territory was not experiencing a housing crisis. 

An Inuk from Qamani'tuaq [Baker Lake] which means “where the river widens,” he was born in the community in 1995 and says he’s always known about what he calls the “new colonialism.” 

“I can't remember a time when our people were not living in poorly designed houses and that we weren’t living on top of each other – eight or 14 people in a house or people that sleep in shifts.” 

Inuit across their homelands have long experienced challenges with housing on multiple fronts. In Nunavut, an important aspect of this is the state of disrepair in existing housing across the territory. According to a 2022 report by federal housing advocate Marie-Josée Houle, it’s caused in large part because of inadequate construction, lack of resources for repair and maintenance, damage from the environment and heavy use from overcrowding.

Meanwhile, a shortage of 3,800 housing units has also existed in Nunavut for more than a decade due to the lack of new construction, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

Other colonial policies for over 150 years have led to the forced removal, relocation, and dispossession of Indigenous Peoples from their traditional territories, creating a one-size-fits-all approach to housing. This has resulted in homes that are energy inefficient, overcrowded, culturally inappropriate, and ill designed for local climate and land conditions. 

Both the state of existing housing and the lack of new builds has created a severe housing shortage and rates of overcrowding unparalleled elsewhere in the country. Around 37 per cent of households across the territory are in need of major repairs, the government of Nunavut’s 2020 report “Angiraqattaaqtiaqtitsiniq: Helping find a good place to call home,” found. Data from Statistics Canada also found that the share of Inuit living in overcrowded housing increased from 2016-2021, with 40 per cent of Nunavut Inuit living in such conditions. 

Another 2023 report by the CMHC has found that 3.5 per cent of the population live in unaffordable housing, 32.2 per cent live in inadequate housing, and 53.1 per cent live in unsuitable housing. 

Colonial legacies     

Long-standing colonial policies across Canada have, over the years, destroyed traditional housing such as igloos, teepees, longhouses, and other styles of Indigenous architecture that were designed strategically for the land and environment in which they were built, as well as in response to the cultural needs of specific communities. 

Other colonial policies for over 150 years have led to the forced removal, relocation, and dispossession of Indigenous Peoples from their traditional territories, creating a one-size-fits-all approach to housing. This has resulted in homes that are energy inefficient, overcrowded, culturally inappropriate, and ill designed for local climate and land conditions. 

For Inuit, who have maintained a close relationship with siku [ice], nuna [land], qilak [sky], and uumajut [wildlife] for centuries, this legacy, alongside rapid change to the environment, is deeply affecting not just social and cultural identity and well-being but also housing. 

In Nunavut, the historic and ongoing loss of traditional architecture and the systemic deprivation of the Inuit and other Indigenous Peoples is exacerbated by the harshness and remoteness of the region. Challenging weather conditions mean that new construction takes place seasonally and with no roads into or out of the territory, all materials need to be shipped up or flown in. Rising inflation rates across the country, high fuel prices, and supply chain delays have also affected costs since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For Cook, these costs were especially frustrating when he was trying to build his own home. After becoming senior management at Qulliq Energy Corporation (QEC), the territory’s sole power utility, Cook started looking into building his own three-bedroom housing unit in Qamani'tuaq in 2016. 

He reached out to contractors across Nunavut for materials, supplies, and help with construction but almost all of them came back with costs as high as $1.2 million for the basic housing unit — more than three times the cost of building such a unit in Toronto. 

Instead, the homes [Houle] was invited to were ones where “a good wind [would] collapse that entire house on the people that live there. Yet, because of the housing shortage, they had no other place to go.”

The moment reminded Cook of how lucky he was: as a child who had safe and adequate housing, Cook says he was able to access opportunities that most Inuit youth don’t have because of inconsistent, overcrowded, and unsafe housing. He graduated from Iqaluit’s local high school, obtained a business degree at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, and returned to the territory to work with the QEC. 

Yet as an adult holding what he knew to be one of the highest paying jobs in Nunavut at the time, Cook says the lack of affordability for his own home bothered him deeply. 

“That I couldn't afford a home was a wake-up call that something needs to be done,” he says.

Meanwhile for Houle, being invited to witness and document housing conditions throughout Nunavut and Nunatsiavut in 2022 was an eye-opener. Alongside the sheer unaffordability, none of the houses had any of the characteristics necessary to be considered “adequate” – units were not accessible, habitable, culturally appropriate, close to schools or daycares, or supplied with safe and clean drinking water.

Instead, the homes she was invited to were ones where “a good wind [would] collapse that entire house on the people that live there. Yet because of the housing shortage, they had no other place to go.”  

“I’ve seen many examples of families of eight or 10 people living in a three-bedroom home that was previously condemned,” Houle adds. “They were put there on an emergency basis and yet, 10 years later, they're still there.” 

Now, Houle says that Nunavummiut seeking a safe and adequate place to live are also faced with another threat that is worsening the housing crisis: climate change. 

Understanding where to build 

When it comes to climate change, data from Environment and Climate Change Canada paints a searing picture of Nunavut: temperatures across the territory have increased by up to 2.7 degrees C between 1948 and 2016. This is compared to an increase of 1.7 degrees C in the rest of Canada during the same time period. The warming trend in Nunavut will likely continue, with the rising temperatures causing massive changes to ice conditions, permafrost, and precipitation. 

Permafrost thaw, in particular, is causing the foundations of Inuit houses in Nunatsiavut and Nunavut to shift, damaging their structural safety. 

An analysis by the Canadian Climate Institute of more than 200,000 commercial and residential buildings across northern Canada found that about 90,000 (45 per cent) are currently in permafrost zones.

In her 2022 observational report, Houle detailed a visit to a house in Rankin Inlet noting that the “walls of the house are cracking, and the floor is dropping. The residents also reported sewer smells."

The process was eye opening, she says, especially when visiting homes that were held together by materials like foam insulation because their foundations shifted when the permafrost they were built on thawed. 

One impact, according to Houle, was that the wiring throughout the homes was stretched and would short-circuit in appliances, meaning that families live without heating or water heaters while knowing full well that “it was just a matter of time before there was a house fire or that the house actually collapsed on the people that lived there.” 

Such effects mean that while the obvious response to the housing shortage in Nunavut may be to build more homes, climate change itself makes it increasingly costly and complex to build houses that can resist, recover, and adapt to its adverse effects or to natural disasters. 

However in Iqaluit, the largest city in Nunavut, director of planning and development Mathew Dodds says building housing that does both — alleviate the shortage and withstand the effects of climate change — is an opportunity not to “be the leader, but we have to be a role model.” 

As the local population grows, Dodds says the city is updating its climate change resiliency plan to include a better understanding of where new construction can take place in the city. 

As well, they are working with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) on a new clean energy subdivision which would involve a microgrid and partnering with the QEC to integrate solar panels in the area. 

For Dodds, a significant challenge is looking at things long-term — building infrastructure that won’t just withstand permafrost thaw and other climate change effects today, but for years to come. It has been hard to envision this, he says, because few cities the size of Iqaluit exist this far north. As a result, very little is known about the performance and durability of non-Indigenous construction methods in such environments, with the only other cities to compare being in Greenland and Russia. Russian housing information, however, has been hard for Dodds to access and while Greenland is more accessible, Dodds says construction in its capital city Nuuk is done primarily on bedrock instead of permafrost, making it “difficult to look toward them for best practices on building foundations” in a way that would work for Iqaluit. 

According to Dodds, this is why the next step the city is taking to define where new housing should be built is conducting a comprehensive geological survey. 

“Right now we have a decent idea at the surface level what the bedrock conditions are around town. But we're looking at doing something that's more penetrative, that understands how deep the bedrock gets, how fractured it is, and where it is,” he says. 

“To me, that's climate change resilience in Iqaluit — it’s building foundations.” 

Ramping up renewable energy 

The City of Iqaluit’s partnership on clean energy with QIA and QEC is one attempt at a larger, territory-wide push for renewable energy projects in response to climate change. In the past eight years, Nunavut has also seen the shortlisting of five communities that would have the potential to generate electricity through wind power. The 100-kilowatt rooftop solar installation on the student housing building at the Nunavut Arctic College campus in Iqaluit is expected to save up to 62 per cent of energy use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 352 tonnes, and a 500-kilowatt solar panel with storage capacity has been installed at the new Kugluktuk power plant.

Other initiatives include the creation of two utility-scale solar and energy storage projects in the communities of Coral Harbour and Naujaat. In the community of Sanikiluaq, plans are underway to build a lone windmill that's expected to halve the hamlet’s reliance on diesel. 

Nunavut’s territorial government, too, is exploring many other renewable and alternative energy options including geothermal, tidal, and nuclear energy in the long term. But given the territory’s near total dependence on diesel at this time, it’s banking on solar and wind energy in particular as short- and medium-term options to supplement diesel use. 

Juanie Pudluk, associate deputy minister for the territory’s housing corporation, says this push for renewable energy, especially through energy-efficient housing that incorporates solar panels, is part of new construction taking place through the Igluliuqatigiingniq Nunavut 3000 strategy as well. 

A partnership between the territorial government, the Nunavut Housing Corporation and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. announced in 2022, Igluliuqatigiingniq Nunavut 3000 is a plan to build 3,000 housing units across the territory by 2030. Estimated to cost $2.6 billion, the construction of 112 of these units across all 25 communities began in 2024. 

At the same time, Pudluk says there are concerns about the immediate effectiveness of incorporating renewable energy into designs for new housing. This is because Arctic conditions determine how much energy can be harnessed and for how long. 

“Inuit and really Indigenous people in general have — in this country, at least — always been energy conscious from the earliest days. Especially with us Inuit, it’s not like we can just go into the forest, cut down some trees and have a nice fire. We had to be very successful with energy in order to stay alive.”

“I've done some reading on solar panels and capacity here in the North because our highest load time or when we need the most energy [is when there’s] not a lot of sun. So during those winter months, we depend on diesel and it's hard to get away from that,” he says. 

“We need to take climate change into consideration when building our units. The land, energy, efficiency, sustainability — I think we're trying to put all those together.” 

Much like Iqaluit’s plan to understand where new housing can be built, Pudluk says the housing corporation’s next step is to use funding obtained from the CMHC for its Land for Homes initiative, which will look at each community’s risk factors that prevent the building of energy-efficient and climate resilient housing, especially when it comes to the capacity of the local power plants to which new housing may be connected. 

“It’s [looking at] what's limiting us from building homes in all these communities and I think part of it too is working with the power corporation to let them know how many units we're going to be building in that community,” he says.

“[The QEC has] a fixed capacity to deliver energy so if we're going to be going up close to their capacity, they're going to have to upgrade their power plant.” 

The individual, the community, and the collective 

Spurred by the lack of systemic support and on a quest to build infrastructure that benefits Nunavummiut today, Cook launched ArchTech, a 100 per cent Inuit-owned and operated firm focused on affordable, efficient, and resilient housing and infrastructure in Qamani'tuaq and beyond. 

With two energy-efficient and environmentally friendly construction projects underway in his own community, he is just one of many Inuit and Nunavummiut looking to make climate-resilient housing – that reuses materials like sea cans, incorporates renewable energy, and is built to withstand changing conditions including permafrost thaw – a reality in the territory. 

Cook sees himself as one of many Indigenous people who are tackling the construction of climate resilient housing in their own communities and on an individual level within Nunavut and beyond, with Qammaq – his idea for a residential construction project that will feature high-performance energy-efficient housing. As well, he is currently working on Iglu, a youth centre that will be constructed with energy-efficiency in mind.

Seeing the support and funding he has received for his ideas, Cook believes his work is proof that “Indigenous people in Canada are leading this charge and it’s something to be proud of.” 

Yet as an Inuk, he doesn’t necessarily see his work as entirely extraordinary. He believes being resourceful and efficient is part of Inuit culture and life in the territory. 

“Inuit and really Indigenous people in general have — in this country, at least — always been energy conscious from the earliest days. Especially with us Inuit, it’s not like we can just go into the forest, cut down some trees and have a nice fire. We had to be very successful with energy in order to stay alive.”

The focus now is scaling up in ways that meet the climate-related challenges facing Nunavut in a larger sense, particularly in a way that improves housing for Nunavummiut. 

“At the end of the day, that’s really a question about integration. Everyone's doing the best that they can do right now. But obviously, as with everything, there's room for improvement.” 

The next step, he says, is ensuring the change moves up the system: that all governmental and intergovernmental departments collaborate with greater effectiveness and share the responsibility for climate resilient housing. The housing corporation and the QEC are a big part of this, he says, as well as city and hamlet councils, regional Inuit associations, and private businesses such as his own that want to tap into renewable energy and affordable housing. 

Houle, who is both an advocate and a watchdog for housing across the country, agrees, noting that building adequate homes that can withstand the effects of climate change “really does boil down to political will,” especially at the federal level. 

“The price tag [of building housing in Nunavut] is shocking, but the cost of doing nothing is even more shocking,” she says. 

“Governments have legal responsibilities, and they need to prioritize them. And when we talk about the human right to housing, it is really about all available resources as soon as possible. That's really what it means.” 

For his part, Cook says he’s excited for how Qammaq and Iglu will contribute to the quality of life for present and future Qamani’tuaq residents, who he hopes will no longer have to sleep in shifts or live in crowded households or choose between food and heating their homes. 

Shaunavon RCMP received a report of a vehicle rollover at the intersection of a southwest highway last week.

Officers responded to the scene at the intersection of Highway Thirteen and Highway Four around 4:50 p.m. on Friday, February 21.

No injuries were reported and police determined that icy conditions were a factor in the incident.

Anyone heading out of town is encouraged to check Saskatchewan's Highway Hotline for road updates across the province.