The housing issue in Nunavik concerns everyone. Everyone is affected. The KMHB is facing significant challenges. I will mention a few of them.
We are currently 1,030 homes short of meeting housing needs. So we are facing an issue of overcrowded housing, along with the social problems that can cause.
The housing access system is no longer adapted to the needs of tenants or to their reality. Of course, the system supports the less fortunate, while young people who work and live orderly lives are at a disadvantage. That is a problem and a criticism we hear every day from people we see on the street.
There are no roads between the south and the north or between communities. The only way to travel between communities is by plane at the whim of Mother Nature.
We hope to conclude longer-term agreements with governments over the next few years. Some of the benefits would be our ability to ensure better planning for construction projects and reduce costs thanks to a higher purchase volume. We could start building homes earlier in the season, prepare surfaces—pads, as we call the plots on which homes are built—a year in advance. That would give the pads time to stabilize after a winter.
Ground warming and permafrost thaw are becoming more significant every year and are increasingly influencing the stability of the ground and, in turn, existing and future builds. So longer-term planning would help us reduce expenses related to home renovations, since the pads would be more stable and would cause less damage. Longer-term planning would also help us further develop, with our partners, community urbanization, and conceive and design homes that are better adapted to the Inuit way of life.
Let's talk about the coming years. With the arrival of our new executive director, Marie-France Brisson, the KMHB is reinvigorated and is turning the corner. The KMHB's main objectives for the next few years are focused on the same theme—communication.
We want to improve the lines of communication with our tenants, and develop a stronger and more reliable connection in order to create a relationship of mutual trust, but also give them a say in the matter.
Client service will be our priority. We also want to create lasting connections and rebuild a trusting relationship with the tenants. We will work on improving information flow between various departments of the KMHB in order to provide an improved service.
We are developing a housing allocation grid project to better meet the needs of the people and accommodate them.
The more human aspect of housing will be among our concerns, so that we can build while taking into account Inuit cultural identity.
We also intend to develop a strategic plan to define our action plan for the coming years.
Those are the major objectives that will guide the KMHB over the next few years.
Thank you.