This story has been updated to reflect the new completion date and the awarding of the renovation contract.

The contract to renovate Aspen Apartments has been handed out.

According to , three companies were in the running: Arcan Construction with a bid of $3,398,950, while Chinook Construction came in at $5,725,000. Northern Industrial Construction bid $4,951,909.

On Friday, the contract was awarded to Arcan Construction.

Originally, the GNWT awarded Stantec Architecture a contract to provide architectural and engineering services for the building's modernization project. That contract costs $474,628.

Stantec is not providing construction services, said Adedipe.

Aspen Apartments is situated next to the homeless encampment on a GNWT-owned parking lot. The GNWT has been trying to get those living there off that parcel of land for weeks, as the territorial government says whoever's doing the renovations will need access to it.

The original deadline for people to leave the encampment to leave was Sept. 9.

"There was never an intent to relocate any encampment, as an entity, to another location, or to prioritize residents at the downtown encampment over any others awaiting more permanent housing solutions," Adedipe added. "Our objective is to ensure that there are enough shelter spaces to accommodate the unhoused population before winter arrives."

Aspen Apartments was built in 1978 and originally used as federal staff housing. The move to turn the units into affordable housing, managed by Housing NWT upon completion, was announced in 2023. 

The original completion date when work was to be done was 2026, but Adedipe told SA国际影视传媒 on Friday that the completion date is now fall 2025.

"Housing NWT will confirm the schedule with the contractor in the coming weeks," she wrote.