HOUSING SECRETARIAT

MKO 22nd LEGISLATIVE GOVERNMENT HOUSE
Annual General Assembly Opaskwayak Cree Nation
September 9, 10, 11, 2003

The MKO Housing Secretariat Annual report will be divided in sub sections this year detailing the areas that have been served over the previous fiscal year. Those sections will include Housing, Water and Sewages Services, Roads, Airports, and Communications.

The MKO Housing Secretariat is comprised of a Chief's Committee chaired by Chief Harold Turner. The other committee members are Chief Goliath Harper, Chief Nelson Leaske, Chief Robert Wavey , Chief Ron Evans, Chief Jerry Primrose, Chief John Miswagon. The staff members are Kevin Carlson - Housing Advisor and Ruth Nepitabo the Administrative Assistant. MKO participates in the CMHC Tripartite Management Committee, The INAC Capital Review Committee, The Assembly of First Nations National Housing Committee, The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Housing Committee, Prairie First Nations Housing Committee and Manitoba Association of Native Fire Fighters.

Housing

The MKO Housing Secretariat continued its lobby efforts of the Federal Government. This year has focused mainly on achieving a housing conference to examine new and innovative ways to construct housing. The conference looked at establishing a Housing Corporation and also examined the use of locally produced lumber in First Nations housing as well as creative financing options.

The Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Housing Secretariat continues to lobby that the MKO Housing Database be installed into each MKO First Nation. However it is unique this time that the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has received the funding from Indian Affairs to make this project a reality, however they have yet to take any action. Before the end of the last fiscal year Indian Affairs provided the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs fifty thousand dollars to purchase a housing database from the Swampy Cree Tribal Council for each Manitoba First Nation. However as of September 4th, 2002 no contract has been signed between SCTC and AMC and the reasons for not signing this contract appear to be petty matters, such as survey methodology and licencing fees on the computer software. Once this agreement is signed MKO would then send the computer hard drive from our housing database to SCTC to download a program for each MKO First Nation. We would also secure funds to train the First Nations user on this database from INAC and CMHC. The MKO Chiefs passed a resolution in February to have Indian Affairs recoup the funding from Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and divide it between MKO and SCO. However INAC's Regional Director General has not yet responded to this matter.

The MKO Housing Advisor has been working side by side with the housing technicians from our Tribal Councils and Independent First Nations to generate a program that would have certain fixed parameters, such as, allocation by on-reserve population, fixed deadlines for completed audits and packages (no exceptions) and no Nation to Nation trading of allocations unless both First Nations qualify for the program.

A resolution will be brought forward to this Assembly asking the Chiefs to adopt this model for the Section 95 Program allocation process.

MKO has been strongly advocating for a return to the Remote Housing Initiative of CMHC, which was a one year program that saw CMHC provide the material and transport it to the First Nation for housing. It was then up to the First Nation to construct the houses at their cost. According to a CMHC study this program did two hundred percent better then expected, yet there are no plans from the Federal Government to carry forward with it.

CMHC has played a very active role in developing the August Housing Conference and Ken Taylor has been very helpful in trying to be creative with respect to housing programs. Unfortunately some with in the CMHC team have become very aggressive and unwilling to work with MKO First Nations and have produced very negative reports as to how our Nations are running their Section 95 Projects.

MKO continues to be an active partner with the Manitoba Government, Manitoba Metis Federation, Northern Affairs Community Council and northern Urban Industrial Communities in terms of the northern housing strategy. Resolutions from that conference continue to be action on by the joint Technical Advisory Committee. Thompson saw the opening of the new prototype house in March. The Structurally Insulated Panels (SIP's) house is used extensively in eastern and northern Canada and is proven to be more energy efficient and more durable than conventional stick built housing. The home sat as a tour facility over the summer and will have tenants in the fall which will then test the true effectiveness of this home. What remains to be seen is the cost of constructing these houses and whether the manufacturing facility could be built on an MKO First Nation. A demonstration house is also being constructed in the Grand Rapids First Nation and should be complete by October 2003.

As well the Federal - Provincial housing program returned this year with homes being constructed in South Indian Lake, Wabowden and Cormorant. This program provides a grant which would pay approximately 50 percent of the house and the tenant would have to secure a mortgage with a bank. This program is not available on reserve. However most of the take up will be by MKO First Nation members in northern communities.

Water and Sewer

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Housing Secretariat has a seat at the Capital Review Committee of Indian and Northern Affairs within the Manitoba Region. The committee is chaired by Mary Blais, the Associate Regional Director General of INAC and MKO's representative is Chief Jerry Primrose. While the committee was meeting quarterly in the past, the last three years have only seen one meeting at the beginning of the fiscal year. The INAC Capital Budget for Water and Sewer is from Gathering Strength funds and last fiscal year it totaled $10,087,500. INAC has a plan to revamp this committee and tie it in with committees that function on the national level. A presentation will be made at the housing conference by Indian Affairs on this initiative.

Many First Nations such as the Sayisi Dene, Red Sucker Lake, God's Lake and Barren Lands First Nations continue to wait for the installation of water and sewage services. MKO had to become actively involved in negotiations with the Barren Lands First Nation and Canada and Manitoba with respect to their water and sewage project. The two levels of government spent a lot of time and energy pointing fingers and blaming each other for regulations. It appears that the project is back on track now after Grand Chief Flett coordinated a meeting between Chief Halkett and INAC along with Manitoba Aboriginal Affairs.

MKO forwarded a resolution to INAC Minister Robert Nault in August of 2001 requesting that the Gathering Strength program be extended for five more years with the resources attached to ensure each MKO First Nation is fully serviced at the end of that period.

MKO also pointed out to the Minister that the cost of retrofitting the houses for water and sewer was seriously draining a First Nations' ability to address the housing backlog as the majority of the band base capital gets spent on retrofits and half of one year's band base goes towards the overall project. Minister Nault committed to reviewing this area as he did not want to see major capital projects putting further debt onto a First Nation. He did mention that in Ontario it is the Provincial Government that pays for the renovations. So far there has been no significant response from the Minister on these matters.

Roads

The MKO Housing Secretariat has been involved in roads in three main areas, existing provincial roads into a First Nation, existing winter roads into First Nations and new road development in both permanent roads and overland winter roads.

MKO recently appointed Chief Philip Buck to a transportation committee here in Manitoba. Chief Buck noted that after his first meeting it was clear that southern Manitoba residents have no idea on the need for improved transportation networks in the north. They also believe that because more residents live in the south that is where the money should be spent. This committee held transportation panel hearing in the north during the week of September 23rd in The Pas, Flin Flon and Thompson as well as the St. Theresa Point First Nation. It is imperative that as many First Nations leaders and citizens get out and express their views and desires for northern Manitoba roads during these forums.

In the area of new road development we have facilitated discussion with the inland lake region of Keewatin Tribal Council and the Island Lake Tribal Council to discuss with the province of Manitoba a new winter road network leading to their areas from the Norway House First Nation. In particular for the Island Lake region adding this road to their network will lengthen the shipping season and quality of life for their citizens. The existing winter road will be maintained while the new overland winter road is under development. The possibility of this road being turned into a permanent provincial road is now being discussed with the Government of Manitoba. The link into the Manto Sipi Cree Nation should come off of God's Lake this winter and be moved overland with one bridge installed over the God's River. Some construction began last winter and the majority will be completed over the next winter season.

As well a bridge was installed over the Cochrane River this winter to remove the need of having the winter road into the Barren Lands First Nation have to use the Reindeer Lake crossing. These two First Nations should have a much safer winter road this year with the above noted improvements.

The Island Lake Tribal Council First Nations must look seriously at a new route into their region as last years road failed and Canada will not offer compensation to these communities as they were offered the option to come in from Norway House. Community meeting, mapping and planning must be undertaken immediately so that supplies make it into these First Nations this winter.

Airports

New airport terminals were opened in God's River and Oxford House last spring and some work is continuing on existing infrastructure in other First Nations.

The Indian and Northern Affairs Regional Capital Plan continues to show work for the development of a new airport to service the Wasagamack and St. Theresa Point First Nations on the mainland in that region of the Island Lake Tribal Council, however anyone living in the region can tell you that after all of these years of talking and meeting the media they are no closer to landing planes on the mainland of that area as of yet. The project has also grown by millions of dollars due to the necessary bridges and roads in the region to service the airport. MKO has urged Indian Affairs to come back to the table directly with the Chiefs to speed up the process.