1. Chief Lance Haymond October 30, 2017
Moving Towards First Nations Care and Control of Housing and Infrastructure
National Housing and Infrastructure Forum
Chief Lance Haymond
October 30, 2017

2. Government of Canada‘s Commitment
"Improve housing and infrastructure for First Nation communities"
The Government of Canada is engaging with First Nations and other partners to develop an effective long-term approach to support housing and infrastructure, and to contribute to a broader National Housing Strategy. (Budget 2016)

3. Regional Engagement Sessions
An opportunity to influence the reform
Quebec session held Sept in Trois-Rivières
±100 FN participants
• ±25-30 Chiefs and councillors
• ±70-75 technicians and managers

4. How We Did it?
Session planned according to the context specific to First Nations in Quebec
– Data on housing needs
– Regional Tripartite Housing Committee (RTHC)
– Chiefs’ position on housing
Aligning with the content of the Winnipeg Forum

5. Day 1 (inform and prepare the participants) – State of the situation
How We Did it? (cont.)
Day 1 (inform and prepare the participants)
– State of the situation
– Contextualization (by the RTHC)
• Funding and finance
• Governance and delivery
• Skills and capacity
– Summary of the national position (FN only)
– Summary of the regional position (FN only)

6. Days 2 and 3 (INAC’s Engagement Session) – 4 themes
How We Did it? (cont.)
Days 2 and 3 (INAC’s Engagement Session)
– 4 themes
• Funding and finance
• Governance and delivery
• Skills and capacity
• Innovation
– Panel presentation & group discussion on each theme

7. How We Did it? (cont.)
Our own set of questions
Funding and Finance (example)
What are the current roadblocks to preventing housing stock development in your community and how do you see overcoming them?
Governance and Delivery (example)
What would be the manner and structure that FN would consider and prioritize to manage housing and infrastructure effectively and sustainably?

8. How We Did it? (cont.)
Our own set of questions
Skills and Capacity (example)
What factors and tools do you consider necessary to manage a healthy and sustainable housing and infrastructure system?
Innovation (example)
It’s 2027 and the new housing reform introduced in 2017 has been wildly successful. As you walk around your community and into your workplace, you see these signs of success. What do you see?

9. What We Heard
Funding and Finance
– Accessing financing tools and access to capital which doesn’t impose restriction to First Nations (e.g. ABSCAN)
– Elimination of Ministerial Loan Guarantees
– Significant increase in investments
– Funding by provinces
– Sharing resource revenues

10. What We Heard (cont.)
Governance and Delivery
– Do not replace bureaucracy with more bureaucracy
– Separation of politics and administration
– Collaboration/networking/resource sharing/ break isolation
– Allocation is a thorny issue
– Reluctance to move too fast in the process. Go for a process that leads to a solution from a community level upward

11. What We Heard (cont.)
Skills and capacity
– Training for leadership, senior management, homeowners and members
– Language barrier
– Institution has to be regionally based (not nationally)
– Organization has to have the ability to give certifications
– Obstacle to skills development: Housing Managers are overburdened with duties

12. Report from the session Draft strategy Approval by Chiefs in Assembly
Next Steps
Report from the session
Draft strategy
Approval by Chiefs in Assembly
Influencing Housing and Infrastructure Reform
Implementation

13. Meegwitch! / Thank you!