Symposium looks at solutions for on-reserve housing issues

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Two hundred and twenty people from First Nation communities across the Prairies gathered in Saskatoon Sept. 21 to 23 to discuss innovative methods for improving a dire housing situation.

The Our Homes ... Our Future housing symposium focused on furthering economic development and asset management for First Nation communities in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Workshops addressed the issues of alternative housing, energy efficiency, effective housing policies, property management and First Nation land development.

One of the strengths of the symposium was that the agenda was set by people at the grassroots level, explained Bud Jobin, co-chair of the First Nations National Building Officers Association (FNNBOA). "Therefore it wasn't something that was being forced on everybody. This was stuff that actually works."

During the symposium Jobin talked about the benefits of the association and its building inspector certification program. "We're offering ... technical expertise to ensure that the band is getting the best value for their dollars and that they are able to take advantage of innovative construction methods and materials," he said.

Vaughn Paul, the executive director of the First Nations Housing Development Corporation (FNHDC), spoke about this new not-for-profit company, which will work to give a much-needed boost to the rate of on-reserve housing construction and to provide financial advice and access to industry and government housing expertise.

To tackle the major issue of property management, the symposium held two workshops, one on managing housing assets and one on developing effective maintenance courses for First Nation communities. Lorraine Bellegarde, a senior advisor for assisted housing at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) said the workshop focused on ways CMHC and other organizations can get information on preventative maintenance out to First Nation communities.

Jobin is familiar with the success of housing maintenance courses. The FNNBOA has found that calls to the local maintenance department have dropped in First Nation communities where new homeowners are taught essential basics such as how a circuit breaker works and how to replace furnace filters. "In fact, one of the communities, they felt that the ... home maintenance training program was so successful they are also requiring that it be mandatory for anyone getting a renovation to attend," he said.

Lester Lafond of Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, which has an urban reserve in Saskatoon, was part of a panel discussion that capped off the symposium. The panel addressed the issues surrounding urban reserve creation, economic development, home ownership and apprenticeship programs.

Lafond, who serves as business advisor for Muskeg Lake, was able to boast at the symposium about the success of one of the band's companies, Cree-Way Gas Limited, which has enabled them to contribute a substantial amount of money towards the construction of a state-of-the-art 30 bed Elder care home on Muskeg Lake's main reserve north of Saskatoon.

"That was something we had on the drawing boards for 21 years and without the success of our businesses here we wouldn't have been able to do it and [would have] continued to wait for government to make a decision on whether they want to help us or not," said Lafond. On the heels of its 16th anniversary, the Muskeg Lake urban reserve has nearly $20 million dollars in assets and the 45-plus businesses on the reserve employ approximately 400 people.

Other panelists included Chief Harry Cook of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band; Keith Hanson of Bridges and Foundations, a project designed to help build partnerships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organizations in order to increase the amount of affordable housing in Saskatoon; and Brenda Wallace of the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership. Greg Carter, director of housing with the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian First Natons, hosted the panel discussions.

Three keynote speakers also addressed the symposium delegates. Priscilla Settee, program director of the Indigenous Peoples Program at the University of Saskatchewan, spoke about housing and shelter as a human right and Chief Sophie Pierre of the St. Mary's Indian Band in British Columbia discussed the role of leadership, government, strategic planning and exercising jurisdiction to create successful economic development for Aboriginal communities. On the spiritual side, Bea Shawanda of the Wikwemikong First Nation on Manitoulin Island shared her thoughts on how to build a nurturing environment for children so that they may have integrity, compassion, self-confidence and a generosity of spirit.