Yellowknife, N.W.T. -Finding affordable housing in the North can be chore and a new report from the Conference Board of Canada has recognized that.

It said the high price of building materials, energy and low vacancy rates are just three factors driving up costs.

Anja Jeffery is a board spokesperson and was just recently in Yellowknife.

"You have the capitals in the Territories where the market is red hot and it is very difficult to get appropriate housing if you don't have a lot of money upfront. Then you have communities with very little critical mass, where you do not see a private housing market developing, simply because people do not have the capacity or the ability to buy into the housing market."

Jeffery pointed out projects where private builders have constructed public housing and kept government involvement to a minimum. 

Jeffery said that this appears to be the way of the future when it comes to building affordable housing.  

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