Rents set to rise for rural Yukon government employees

Rents are about to get more expensive forrural Yukon government employees in staff housing.

The Yukon Housing Corporation says employees will soon pay more for renting or leasing staff accommodation.

The new changes will first affect teachers living in the communitybecause the Yukon Teacher Association has ratified its new collective agreement.

The government will raise the rent by 2.2 per cent annually.

Government employees will be given three monthsnotice before the new increase goes into effect later this year.

The president of the Yukon Employees Union, Steve Geick says rent won't go up for unionemployees until there is a ratified agreement completed.

He says rent increases for union employees will match the negotiated monetary increase.

Geick says the union's hands are tied because the policy hasn't been touched in quite some time.

"It's not a good thing for anybody to have to pay more rent," said Geick. "But also anywhere else in the private sector landlords can raise your rent. But there is a cap on it."

'Complex and difficult to do'

"It hasn't been changed in twenty-five years, I think because it is very contentious and complex and difficult to do," said Eva Wieckowski director of client relations with Yukon Housing Corporation.

For new employees, Yukon housing says their rent will be comparable to private rental housing.

"For example in Dawson City, you would pay $1,000. In Watson Lake it would be $725 for a one bedroom unit. Those are two examples," says Wieckowski.

The new policy includes a requirement for employees to report the fair market value of government housingas a taxable benefit.