Split in Zone 4: Housing registry causes feud

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A dispute over the transfer of a housing registry from Metis Urban Housing to the Metis Womens Council of Edmonton is causing anger and dissent within Zone 4.

A housing registry based in the Edmonton friendship centre began operation July with a grant of $29,000 from the Alberta Housing Corporation. However, Zone 4 Vice-President Ben Courtrille says the registry should have gone to an organization within the zone and even to the regional office itself.

"It should go to that office, with a person hired to do that task specifically," says Courtrille in a letter to Alberta Housing a copy of which has been obtained by Windspeaker.

"No one seems to be considering the people for whom the service was designed. What should happen is that the service should be evaluated and steps should be taken to ensure that it does what it was supposed to do," says Courtrille.

However, Metis Urban Housing Manager, Larry Desmeules, says the board of the Metis Association had been informed that the housing corporation could not "cope with the work load" of the housing registry and had given approval to transfer the service to another Native agency.

"The registry had only been temporary," says Desmeules. "We felt Frances and Thelma (Hegedus and Chalifoux) would do a good job."

Contacted in her office, Chalifoux said she felt the Zone 4 leadership was "paranoid" and overly concerned over what she termed a "wee piddly amount of money."

Chalifoux explained that the registry had been transferred to her organization, the Metis Womens Council of Edmonton early last month after the council submitted a proposal to Alberta Housing.

"We took the time to submit a proposal with a detailed work plan. Zone 4 did not submit a proposal and now they are criticizing and attacking what we are trying to do here," she said.

The housing registry employs one full time staff member and one part time person. Frances Hegedus, a former Metis Urban Housing employee manages the program from the Edmonton friendship centre. Hegedus, who is suing Metis Urban Housing says her lawsuit is personal and is in no way connected with the criticism coming from Zone 4 executive.

"The Metis Urban Housing Board met about a year ago and said they felt they couldn't do the registry justice and so they relinquished it," said Hegedus.

Desmeules points out that since the removal of the registry the two organizations have been working closely.

"We (Metis Urban Housing) held the program for seven years and we decided to get out of it. It is that simple," he said.

However, Zone 4 Director, Ron LaRocque says he is unhappy with the decision to transfer the registry and points out that according to a Metis Urban Housing board meeting the registry should have been transferred to an organization within Zone 4.

"Approval was given for the transfer by Mike Woodward not by the proper officials of the zone," said LaRocque.

Alberta Housing Corporation official Siona Monaghan confirmed that no proposal had been received from Zone 4. "We only received one proposal," said Monaghan. "And that was from the Metis Womens Council of Edmonton. They felt a more central location would help prospective tenants."

Monaghan says she is aware of the political difficulties in within the zone but added that the decision was essentially unpolitical.

"We gave the registry to an organization that proved they could do the job. And they are the only Native housing registry in the province," she added.

Chalifoux and Hegedus say they are "sick and tired" of the attacks coming from the zone and add that they intend to continue the registry.

"We are helping lots of people find decent homes," said Chalifoux. "And we are not just connected with Metis Urban Housing, we place people in all kinds of homes, including Edmonton Housing and other housing corporations."

The registry already has helped more than 20 families find homes and complain there is a lack of housing for Native people in the city of Edmonton.

"t is very difficult, especially for single mothers and single people. Many of our people are forced to live out on the street," said Chalifoux.

Chalifoux who is chairperson of Metis Urban Housing's tenents association says the Metis Womens Council was formed as an offshoot of Local 1984. The council later incorporated and now has a board of directors and between 250 and 300 members, many of whom are non-Native.