Dr. Riva and Université Laval colleague Dr. Vachon of the Living in Northern Quebec research partnership will be hosting a full day of sessions followed by an expert panel examining issues around Arctic housing and community planning (HUM04) at the Arctic Change 2017 conference next Thursday, December 14th in Quebec City. The full day event will take place in room 205 BC. We hope to see you there!

Preliminary Program

Sustainable housing and community planning in the Arctic is compounded by climate change and urbanization. The provision of affordable, adequate, suitable, accessible, culturally-appropriate, and safe housing for people across the Arctic is an important condition for well-being. There is a need for housing, public space and amenities, as well as biotechnical and sociocultural infrastructure designs and solutions that are suited to northern climate and environmental conditions, and to local lifestyles and cultural preferences. These will also have to be flexible and adapted to the demands of a rapidly growing population and a changing climate. The session aims to provide a space for dialogue and knowledge-sharing between different sectors and disciplines. It covers a range of topics related to Arctic housing and community planning, including: construction and design; impacts on health and well-being; energy and infrastructure; planning for an urbanizing Arctic; governance; etc. The day-long session will be followed by a panel discussion on solutions or best practices for housing and planning in the North, with three Inuit community leaders from Nunavut, Nunatsiavut and Nunavik, as well as an architect from a prize-winning Toronto practice.

Session 1, 10:30am – 12:30pm
Room 205 BC

Welcome by Mylène Riva and Geneviève Vachon

Block 1 // Dwelling design and construction
10:35am – 11:35am
Moderated by André Casault, Université Laval

Katherine Kovalcik, University of Waterloo
Architectural lessons on foundation building in Van Tat Gwich’in territory: Foundation typologies constructed within this continuous permafrost region and their reciprocal relationships with people, buildings, and the land

Myriam Blais, Université Laval
Vagabond, nomadic house (imagination + construction + experience)

Sami Tannoury, EVOQ Architecture
Housing design for the Inuit Nunangat communities, a two tier approach: Fast paced (address the housing shortage crisis) and slow paced (research and develop sustainable housing solutions)

Block 2 // Community planning processes
11:45am – 12:30pm
Moderated by Marika Vachon, Université Laval

Alain Fournier, EVOQ Architecture
Inuit Quajimajatuqangit : How involvement of the community of Ikaluktitiak (Cambridge Bay), Nunavut, was key in helping generate the architectural design of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS)

Julien Landry and Laurence St-Jean, Université Laval
Imagining Inukjuak’s future development: A review of Northern planning issues and strategies

Session 2, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Room 205 BC

BLOCK 3 // ENERGY and INFRASTRUCTURE
1:35pm – 2:15pm
Moderated by Geneviève Vachon, Université Laval

Cate Soroczan, Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation
Northern housing: energy efficient design vs. ‘as occupied’ energy use

Nelso Pisco, Government of Nunavut, and Christie Moore, Standards Council of Canada
Standing strong: How standards help reduce the vulnerability of Arctic infrastructure and support climate
resilient community planning

BLOCK 4 // LIFESTYLES AND WELLBEING
2:20pm – 3:20pm
Moderated by Michelle Maillet, McGill University

Marie Baron, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec – U. Laval, Mylène Riva, McGill University, Christopher Fletcher, Université Laval
Housing and community factors associated with healthy aging in Inuit communities in Canada

Camille Pépin, Université Laval, G. Muckle, Université Laval and Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-U. Laval, C. Moisan, Université Laval, N. Forget-Dubois, Université Laval and CHU de Québec – U. Laval, and Mylène Riva, McGill
University
Household overcrowding and psychological distress among Nunavik Inuit adolescents: a longitudinal study

Mylène Riva, McGill University, Karine Perreault, Université de Montréal, Christopher Fletcher, Université Laval and P. Dufresne, McGill University
Moving to a new house in Nunavik and Nunavut: Assessing the impacts on changes in housing conditions, health, and well-being

Session 3, 3:30pm – 5:00pm
Room 205 BC

PANEL // SOLUTIONS FOR ARCTIC HOUSING AND COMMUNITY PLANNING
Moderated by Paul Parsons, Kativik Regional Government of Nunavik

Panelists:

Olivia Ikey, Vice President, Qarjuit Youth Council, Nunavik
Ms Ikey is an Inuk from Kuujjuaq. In her region and on a national level, Olivia advocates for youth and Inuit rights, fights against suicide, facilitates reconciliation and decolonization work with youth and newcomers, promotes Inuit identity and culture, and works as the Vice President of the Qarjuit Youth council, the new regional youth body. In September 2016, Olivia received an award for the advancement of Inuit Youth in the region from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. She hopes to continue to find new and innovative ways to help her people succeed in bridging the traditional and modern worlds.

Jimmy Main, Nunavut Housing Corporation
Mr Main is a regional director for the Nunavut Housing Corporation. He is a life-long Nunavut resident and has been employed with the Nunavut Housing Corporation for 16 years. His office oversees the operations of the Local Housing Organizations in the Kivalliq region which is comprised of 7 communities (1,700 Public Housing units & 300 GN staff units). MAIN is a recent graduate of the Government of Nunavut’s Hivuliqtikhanut – Senior Manager Series Leadership program. He is also a past Hamlet councillor and current a member of the local District Education committee for his
home community of Arviat, Nunavut.

Kate Mitchell, Nunatsiavut Government
Ms Mitchell is First Minister of the Nunatsiavut Government, and was elected to the position by members of the Assembly in May 2014. The First Minister oversees the running of the Nunatsiavut Executive Council, and acts as the Minister of the Department of Nunatsiavut Affairs, responsible for: (a) implementation of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement; (b) the administration of justice and the legal services required by the Nunatsiavut Government; (c) eligibility and enrolment of Beneficiaries of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement; (d) the management of Nunatsiavut Government public property; and (e) housing for Inuit.

Mason White, Lateral Office, Toronto
Mr White is a founding Partner at Lateral Office, Toronto. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech and his Master of Architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design. He is an Associate Professor at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, & Design at the University of Toronto. He has taught at Harvard University, Cornell University, Ohio State University, and UC Berkeley. WHITE previously worked at Moncaelli Press (New York), Machado Silvetti Associates (Boston), and Panter Hudspith (London) before forming LATERAL OFFICE. He is convinced that there are new roles for architecture out there that we do not know because we are not looking, really looking. WHITE is the recipient of the 2008-09 Arthur Wheelwright Fellowship from Harvard Graduate School of Design and the 2012-13 Howard Friedman Visiting Professorship in the Practice of Architecture at UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design.