The Northern Teachers Education Program (NORTEP) has been recognized for its efforts to build adequate housing for students.
The Conference Board of Canada recently released a report which names NORTEP’s housing program in La Ronge as one of the best in northern Canada.
Anja Jeffrey is a director with the conference board. She says NORTEP has recognized the link between having a decent place to live and good grades.
The report also finds the high cost of maintaining a house in northern Canada is an added burden when combined with high mortgage rates.
The report states that housing practices that work in other parts of the country do not necessarily work in northern Canada.
Jeffrey adds a one-size-fits-all approach is the wrong way to go and in the past students were sometimes leaving NORTEP due to poor accommodations.
In addition, the report finds about 24 per cent of people living in northern Canada are inhabiting dwellings that require major repairs.