Northern Access Round : Supply Chain Solutions for Northern and Remote Housing

The Northern Access Round is looking for ways to reduce the time, cost, and risk of obtaining resources for building and maintaining an adequate supply of northern and remote homes. Northern and remote housing is at risk of rapid deterioration, and inefficient supply networks significantly hamper new home development. The supply chain in northern and distant areas has to deal with various issues that make getting supplies and resources difficult. The Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Inuit Nunangat (Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, Inuvialuit settlement territory), Northern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador are all part of the Northern regions. According to various criteria, this round will include all villages that identify as northern or distant.

What Is the Northern Access Round?

“The Northern Access Round: Supply Chain Solutions for Northern and Remote Housing” announced the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Impact Canada as the third round of their Housing Supply Challenge. In Round 3, the CMHC aims to support supply-chain solutions that minimize the time, cost, and risk of obtaining all of the materials and resources required to construct, operate, and maintain housing in northern and remote areas.”

The Northern Access Round is looking for ways to reduce the time, cost, and risk of obtaining resources for building and maintaining an adequate supply of northern and remote homes. The Northern Access Round has a budget of up to $80 million to invest in and implement supply chain solutions. The cost of building, operating, and maintaining houses in northern and distant areas will be reduced by improving the supply chain. Northern and remote housing is at risk of rapid deterioration, and inefficient supply networks significantly hamper new home development.

What Are the Effects of the Supply Chain on Housing Supply?

1. Remote construction sites that receive faulty or damaged materials cannot return them or acquire replacement supplies on schedule or within budget, lowering the quality of housing.
2. In northern and remote projects, the danger of unforeseen catastrophes is significant, resulting in high contingency funds for developers, leading to the high cost per square foot.
3. The cargo capacity of aircraft capable of servicing small gravel airstrips is limited in landlocked (fly-in, fly-out) settlements, restricting the supplies and equipment available for construction.
4. With climate change, the window for ice road transportation is shrinking, and marine freight is similarly confined to a short seasonal operation.
5. Long before construction, planning, and budgeting are required.

What Are the Solutions to Improve Efficient and Affordable Access to Materials in the North?

• Access to building materials and resources is improved through transportation and logistical solutions.
• capacity and training solutions that address the high cost and limited access to training delivery and new approaches for youth and students’ local
• community-driven solutions that reduce dependency on the supply chain solutions to improve climate adaptation
• locally appropriate techniques capacity and training solutions that address the high cost and limited access to training delivery
• new approaches for youth and students
• alternative methods for financing land development and construction technology solutions that improve or expand existing infrastructure 
• innovative approaches to materials, including new material development, community warehousing
•  economies of scale innovative approaches to materials, including new material development, community warehousing, and economies of scale

Objectives of the Northern Round

For the Northern Access Round, there are three goals:

1. Reduce the time, expense, and risk of obtaining necessary materials for homes in remote areas.
2. Demonstrate an impact on the construction or maintenance of adequate housing supply.
3. Ensure that northern and distant areas benefit directly.

What Is the Eligibility?

Professionals and organizations in the following fields are encouraged to apply:

1. Professionals in the supply chain
2. Organizations that are both for business and non-profit
3. Governments, organizations, and groups of indigenous peoples
4. Post-secondary institutions in Canada
5. Governments are in charge (provincial, territorial, Indigenous, municipal, local, and regional)
6. Teams made up of a diverse group of people
7. All applicants must be members of a legally recognized organization.

Individuals, communities, and organizations from the north and south, particularly Indigenous governments, organizations, and groups, are eligible to apply for funding under the Northern Ideas Development Program.

Fill out an application for one of the following options:

• You’d like to learn more about a supply chain solution.
• You have a problem with which you’d need assistance in identifying potential solutions.

What Is the Timeline for this Round?

For the Northern Access Round, we have $80 million in funding.

There are multiple stages to this task. You will receive cash to prototype your initial concept and implement the final solution if your solution is chosen.

The first stage is the application (which opens on February 23, 2022)

Applicants create and submit their applications.

The dates are February 23, 2022, and June 23, 2022.

Shortlisting and Evaluation

After reviewing all entries, the panel will select a shortlist of eligible applicants for prototype development funding.

The dates are June 23 – August 20, 2022.

Stage 2: Development of the Project/prototype

Each shortlisted project will be awarded up to $250,000 to develop/prototype its solution before receiving final approval.

September 20, 2022, until September 20, 2023

Evaluation at the End

The panel will assess the prototyped projects and choose the winning entries.

From September through November 2023,

Implementation Is the Third Stage

The remaining monies from the $80 million pool for implementation are shared among the winning solutions.

March 2025 – November 2023

How to Apply?

There are also support programs available to assist you in completing your application. Applications must be filed through the application portal of Impact Canada.

Apply Now

Support Program Details

All applicants, including those in the Northern Ideas Development Program, are encouraged to contact Evergreen for general information on the application process, web tools to assist with application development, and online activities to create relationships and collaboration. In the addition, Evergreen can assist you in navigating the applicant portal.