Partners in the housing system

Housing Development Takes Many Partners

Building housing requires several pieces to come together: land availability, financing, municipal servicing, development approvals, construction, operations, and long-term supports. These pieces often come together across three broad phases: planning, building, and operating.

Different partners bring different mandates, resources, and expertise to each phase. Partnerships help connect these pieces and make projects more achievable. The City’s role is strongest in the planning stages, where it helps guide growth, regulate land use, coordinate infrastructure, support approvals, and work with partners.

Why Partnerships Matter?

No single organization can meet Whitehorse’s housing needs alone. The Government of Yukon has historically played a major role in land development and housing delivery. Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, along with their development corporations, are increasingly advancing housing and land development on settlement lands. Private builders and developers contribute by building homes and, in some cases, planning subdivisions such as Valleyview South. Non-profit organizations and other housing providers also play an important role by developing and operating affordable, supportive, and non-market housing.

From 2011 to 2024, 65% of building permits issued by the City were for multiple housing, such as apartments, duplexes, townhouses, and multiplexes. This shows that more diverse housing types are being added to Whitehorse’s housing system. The City helps enable this through the Zoning Bylaw while other governments, First Nations, non-profits, and private-sector partners are gaining expertise in constructing and operating multiple housing projects.

A Spotlight on the City of Whitehorse

The City does not build housing directly. As a municipal government, its role is to help create the conditions for housing by planning, regulating, enabling, partnering, and advocating for community needs.

The City helps support housing development by:

• Planning areas for future growth on sites with existing uses, as well as in new development areas.
• Guiding how many and where different housing types can be built through the Whitehorse 2040 Official Community Plan and the Zoning Bylaw.
• Enabling complete communities, where homes are close to services, transit, parks, schools, and jobs.
• Planning, maintaining and renewing infrastructure such as roads, water, and sewer services to support existing neighbourhoods and future growth areas.
• Offering development cost charge reductions and/or grants for the development of rental housing, supportive housing, and those undertaken by non-profit and non-governmental organizations.

The Housing Action Plan will focus on actions within the City’s role. It will also show where progress can be achieved by working with First Nations, other governments, non-profit organizations, the private sector, and the community.