All Things First Nations - CF help, protests, solutions, residential schools, etc. (merged)
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QV
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This was my first thought also.
Brad Sallows
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I doubt many of those homes or properties are owned outright by the residents. Ownership matters. Plenty of owners let the condition of their properties deteriorate; less custodial motivation exists in renters or other non-owning occupants. Those conditions aren't unique to reserves.
Quirky
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And so it begins?
Also archived here https://archive.is/gHbWP
Indigenous groups protest across Ontario against fast-track infrastructure laws
First Nations leaders say both levels of government are denying them a say in energy and mining projects that could impact their communitieswww.theglobeandmail.com
Multiple Indigenous consultations need to end. Doug Ford was right, they can't keep blocking resource development and extraction then comeback with hat in hand asking for handouts. If there was a way to gamble on projects not happening in Canada, that would be about the only way we could ever make money from our resources at this rate.
perhaps they aren't unique but they certainly appear to be prevalent in greater numbers than in other groups. Take a drive down through the Brantford area and take a look at the prosperous farms on reservation land. do they own them. Why doesn't every individual own his own place. We, the people have certainly spent enough over the years. Harper had the right idea; to force the leadership to be accountable. But the chiefs fought that one and Justin caved to buy a few votes. So it is either their leadership or government mismanagement that keeps them in squalor.
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Isn't it some kind of qusi ownership? A little while ago there was a story about a FN fella who sold his house on the reserve for like $1200 to buy drugs - but the ownership wasn't fully his.
Agreed people who dont fully own something will be less likely to take care of it. Still when I look at the big picture I cant imagine seeking consultation about national level infrastructure from anyone that turns a blind eye to those homes. Not a lot of credibility.
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The Haisla houses all look nice and they have their own municipal crews going around making sure things are working. It's the attitudes of the leadership that changes the way the Reserve operates.
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They might, but I doubt it, but I don't really know. Each treaty stands on its own terms. Typically, FNT lands are held in trust by the Crown but Six Nations was a little different because they were displaced loyalists from the American Revolution and allies in the War of 1812. It was also much earlier than the 'numbered treaties.
It's encouraging that some bands are taking a more leadership role in housing. There are really no building codes on a FNT and even if it argued the federal Code applies, I doubt the government bothers or even has Code enforcement personnel. Besides, I can guess what the response would be if some bureaucrat tried to tell a Council that a building can't be occupied because of deficiencies.
The real problem is in remote/fly-in territories. Building materials have to be trucked in during the winter then environmentally stored until spring. Then it's up to the FN to have its own trades or wait for a GC to round up trades to fly in. I like the idea of more modular houses, but even they can get pretty beat up on the ice roads.
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These have the look & feel of remote FN places I've seen in Ontario, but I can't tell for sure which reserves these are from - if one is from the Wpg Free Press, I'll assume MB. Remember, like many here like to point out, the media doesn't focus on success stories, which is why there may be more pix like these out there on MSM than the successful places people say they've seen themselves. Why so much money? Yeah, it ain't a perfect, seamless system, but there are some decent reasons - see below.
While Six Nations is a honkin' reserve with it's own history (similar to the Mohawks near Kingston coming here after helping the Brits south of the border during the war leading to tomorrow's U.S. holiday), the reserve property at Six Nations is still held, like other reserves, in trust by the Crown. As a larger, more bureaucratically robust FN, they are more active in their control of the land than other communities, but in most places, there's always somewhere in land processes where INAC/ISC/AANDC has to stick its beak in.
Also, reserves like Six Nations, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Nipissing near North Bay or even Fort William near Thunder Bay near urban areas ( pick these only because I know them - there are others in similar circumstances across Canada) very generally tend to have better housing because 1) more people are employed in jobs "in town", and 2) they have easier and cheaper access to building materials and trades.
On code in particular, if memory serves, the Ontario Building Code is the tends to be the standard on reserve in Ontario, but it's an adopted standard - Ontario doesn't tend to enforce it. That may have changed since I left the public service, though.
That's part of the messy stew that is sucky housing in a lot of remote FNs. Sometimes hear about some of this following fatal house fires, like this ....
Introduction | Ontario Chief Coroner’s Table on understanding fire deaths in First Nations
This report examines fire deaths in First Nations communities in Ontario from 2008 to 2017.
And the cost of shipping those things up the winter roads (in Ontario, big heavy stuff like fuel and building supplies gets shipped up during the winter when you can drive across lakes and rivers - which is also why climate change is VERY trackable in the shrinking season when heavy trucks can make the trips).
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So one of the great issues with the Indian Act of Canada is that Treaty lands can not be split into private ownership. So in a nutshell...as a status person living on reserve...you can NOT own your own house. This also has huge implications as it affects not just the land ownership but also the ability to have collateral for loans and/or build up personal credit which creates a separate but significant challenge for many.
In addition there may be challenges - depending on the community - regarding who gets control of the housing...and often friends and family get the nice places while the rest of the community is on the outs. Then compound the problem especially on more isolated communities over insufficient work to justify full time tradesman to keep maintenance up or paying a large premium to get work done....which further erodes the budget set based often upon national or provincial average costs...not remote work costs.
Despite the bad news above there is however a nuance that some First Nations have started to develop...mostly the larger 6 Nations communities...where they are issuing fixed term leases for lots on the reserve to band members. Because you have a lease, now you can qualify for a mortgage, and now folks are building something that can not be arbitrarily taken away next band election. This would be similar to folks building within Jasper National Park (you have leased land within the Park - not title ownership) or the more common band initiated business partnership leases for gas stations/hotels/casinos/industrial yards....
This is all my understanding of the situation and if someone that knows more about the specifics proves me wrong I'm happy to admit errors. Just something that's been pointed out to me in past.
OldSolduer
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Short answer:
It depends on the particular band. And whoever the chief and his/her minions are.
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How housing is allocated probably varied between councils. I have a friend who lives on a southern Ontario FNT. He had a house, but moved into his mother's house after she passed as it was his right under the way they do things (I don't know what happened to the house he moved from). His wife is not FN and they are under no illusion that, we he passes, she will be kicked off the the territory.
The government is essentially the landlord; the band councils are the property managers. In terms of repairs, condition or upkeep, the landlord doesn't care and neither do the property managers by and large. Even if they did, they often don't have the financial means to do much about it.
Where did all the land claim/reparation money go? we will never know. A lot lawyers got rich. Some distributed it to members (both on and off territories). On some, I see public buildings like community centres, band offices, etc. that were likely built at least partially from those funds. A lot of FNs are getting into business partnerships for infrastructure and resource development so I imagine so of it has gone to fund those.
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On the ground, it sometimes plays out a bit like this ...
The landlord gives the property manager money to manage the properties, expects them to collect rent, and when the property managers don't, the landlord's message is: "we fund them - it's the property managers' responsibility to implement."
The property managers' messaging, meanwhile, is "hey, our people are too poor to pay rent, and the landlord doesn't give us enough to do decent work."
There is similar housing in Haiti. the leadership there is corrupt as well
Halifax Tar
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Membertou in Sydney, NS is a great example of a prosperous reserve. Honestly it's probably the nicest part of Sydney.
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My understanding is a bit different. Someone on reserve can own the house if they buy or build it, but they can't own the land it's on. This is why it's hard to get a mortgage - banks are leery about lending money with no security other than a building you may or may not be able to tow away from land the loan holder doesn't even own.
Small-single-or-no-industry town issues cubed when you can only fly in and out of a community in the summer, for sure.
I vaguely remember one of the better-off FNs in AB (maybe with access to oil money or jobs from oil?) had that kind of agreement in place. Good to hear!
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I'm working on a wildfire as we speak dealing with First Nations. Some are doing okay....others are in pretty rough shape. A lot is dependent upon local priorities and in some cases creating alternate income streams.
Unfortunately the local economy is very depressed in this area and there is virtually no employment to be had. Much of the town I remember from 15 years ago is closed down and people are gone...except for the First Nations. And their youth is leaving for the city lights too....
Great people and some incredible stories if a person has time to have a coffee.
Elsewhere in the province some are on a definite upswing and are running multi-million dollar business empires outside the reserve to create income streams for their band. Some are into resource development (i.e. own oil wells or part of a pipeline), others business services, others hotels. Key is that they are independent businesses and not employment programs so while community members may be offered an entry position they have to work to keep the job or a different employee will be found regardless of background/ethnicity. Unfortunately some are still self centered and are rough....drugs/gangs/corruption....pick your battle.
More importantly I think is that for each community that starts to show success....they become a role model for other communities. If those no good so and so's next door can do it...so can we as we're better than them. Competition between bands is also showing that some are able to maintain their traditions and culture while doing business in an European world.....which addresses some of the legacy effects of residential schools and fears of losing what culture is left.
I sure don't have the answer especially as the situation is so different in different corners of the province through culture, treaty obligations of the crown and economic situation locally. But I do appreciate the change of attitude within some communities and the hope they represent for not just their community members but often become a local employer as well increasing everyone's prosperity.
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Consulting on a project. The chief lamented they had no fire protection. I told him, that the these big companies would love to help them start a volunteer fire department and supply a couple of special equipped pickup trucks. All they had to do was to get the volunteers. He kind of looked down, mumbled a bit and changed the subject. The problem is that the people on the Reserves generally don't volunteer and don't get involved, waiting for "Someone else" to do it and then being ungrateful when they do come. Another Band told me they had 40%+ unemployment and not enough staff to review all the referrals we sent them. I suggested they have a day where they put soup and coffee on and get some of these people into the band office and look at the referrals and talk about them. It would be good for them, the band, us and the proponent. Again nothing happened.On code in particular, if memory serves, the Ontario Building Code is the tends to be the standard on reserve in Ontario, but it's an adopted standard - Ontario doesn't tend to enforce it. That may have changed since I left the public service, though.
That's part of the messy stew that is sucky housing in a lot of remote FNs. Sometimes hear about some of this following fatal house fires, like this ....
Remote communities face a multiple-whammy of little/no fire department (not enough $ according to the formula - litigation in play as I type), BIGLY expensive to build (think up to almost 5x the cost per square foot -- $140-400/sq foot average in Ontario outside-of-Toronto urban vs. ~$650/sq foot on remote FNs according to CBC), as well as a range of band government capability re: maintaining homes they own.Introduction | Ontario Chief Coroner’s Table on understanding fire deaths in First Nations
This report examines fire deaths in First Nations communities in Ontario from 2008 to 2017.www.ontario.ca
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Some bands are full of go-getters and go like crazy, while I've also heard stories like these too - the mileage varies tremendously from the best FNs to the ones needing the most help.
