Registration Opens

Traditional Welcome

Opening Remarks from the Conference Co-Chairs

Audrey DeMarsico
Lawyer
Nelligan O'Brien Payne LLP

April Martel
Chief
Katlodeeche First Nation

CROSS COUNTRY COMPARISON

Examining How Funding, Resources and Strategies are Being Implemented

April Martel
Chief
Katlodeeche First Nation

Michael Sadler
Executive Director
First Nations Housing and Infrastructure Council (FNHIC)

Provincial Homelessness Action Plan: Real World Strategies for Combating Housing Shortages and Homelessness

Cliff Grant
Indigenous Strategic Initiatives
Aboriginal Housing Management Association

Indigenous people living off reserve are experiencing homelessness at alarming rates. During this session, delegates will examine real-world initiatives to reduce poverty and homelessness for Indigenous people in urban settings.

• Community intervention program where the person feels welcome
• Re-Socializing with family and the community
• Developing programs for people to be reintegrated in the community – education, culture programs, employment strategies
• Overcoming barriers of homelessness in an urban setting
• Itemizing the criteria which lead to successful repatriation to a nation
• What does successful reintegration into a community look like and how can it be repeated

Morning Nutrient and Networking Break

INTERACTIVE SESSION

Energy Efficiency Mentorship Opportunities and Building Indigenous Capacity for Energy Efficient Housing

Tom Welfare
Program Lead, Energy Efficiency projects
Fraser Basin Council

Investment in energy-efficient housing is often considered the foundation for sustainable and resilient communities. Our audience will gain insight into the various co-benefits of energy efficiency and how the Energy Efficiency Mentorship Program supported Indigenous housing in a manner that empowers Indigenous mentorship and innovation.

A Holistic Approach to Community Scale Renovations. Accessing Funding and Planning Multi-Year Housing Upgrades

Karim Abraham
CEO
Kambo Energy Group

Gain insight on planning and implementing housing projects that empower community leadership to deliver housing renovations at scale. Showcasing successes from Nations throughout BC, our audience will learn about available funding and capacity to improve housing conditions and reduce energy bills for residents.

How to Access Affordable, Indigenous-Led Housing: Funding Options, Process and Strategies for Success

Todd McBride
Director, Development Manager
Lu’ma Development Management

• Providing an overview of a number of the housing funding options available to First Nations and other Indigenous groups
• An overview of the process for applications for the options available
• Strategies to support the development of the best possible proposal and project

Afternoon Networking Luncheon

Fundamentals of Heating and Cooling Systems for First Nations Housing Projects

Daniel Booy
Founder
Altum Engineering Ltd.

• District energy systems vs. single building energy systems
• Heating-only systems vs. heating and cooling systems
• Heating and cooling system types: hydronic vs. forced air
• Fuel types for various system options, with a focus on carbon emissions discussions
• Asset management planning for renewable energy system success
• Procurement, inspection, and testing best practices: the role of a commissioning provider
• Post occupancy evaluations
• Monitoring and maintenance considerations

Housing data at Statistics Canada

Housing data at Statistics Canada

Aaron Gorski
Analyst Census, Housing Centre for Income and Socioeconomic Well-being Statistics
Statistics Canada

Zheren Hu
Senior Analyst, Canadian Housing Survey
Statistics Canada

Alexandria Melvin
Research Analyst, Centre for Indigenous Statistics and Partnerships
Statistics Canada

Hear highlights from the Census and Canadian Housing Survey’s (CHS) most recent releases and learn about the data you can use to help address housing challenges.

Nutrient and Networking Break

HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIOS and LIVE ANONYMOUS AUDIENCE POLLING

INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION: Drafting Your Self-Efficiency Template and Supporting a Local Tradesperson Approach to Home Maintenance

Michael Cameron
Dean Community Development
Assiniboine Community College

Stephani Baker
Vice President, Construction
Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver

During this interactive session, speakers will address building a template to becoming self-efficient and work through hypothetical scenarios. Delegates are encouraged to participate in live anonymous audience polling.

• Implementing a workforce and exploring training opportunities
• Dig deep into long-term maintenance funding and determine how you can keep housing units from falling into despair
• Maintenance for homeowners, construction of homes
• Creating a supportive and productive environment
• Showcase skills training through building models
• Managing a home and understanding its foundation to ensure it lasts
• Explore different opportunities offering the Indigenous community trades training
• Encouraging tenants to make small repairs and report damage
• Talks about implementing a bi-law or policy that holds tenants accountable
• Educating members on housing policies and how rent money is reinvested in the community
• Allocating dollars to train individuals to build homes, expand housing and improve living conditions

Closing Remarks from the Co-Chair and Conference Adjourns

Registration Opens

Opening Remarks from the Conference Co-Chairs

Audrey DeMarsico
Lawyer
Nelligan O'Brien Payne LLP

April Martel
Chief
Katlodeeche First Nation

Keynote Address

Brett Sparrow
Councillor
Musqueam Indian Band

FUNDING CASE STUDY

Senákw: Where Innovation and Reconciliation Meet to Tackle the Housing Crisis

Donalene Rapada
CEO
Hiyam Housing Society

Sarah Silva
VP, Real Estate and Development
Nch’ḵay̓ Development Corporation

The Squamish Nation made headlines across the country in 2022 when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $1.4 billion federal loan to build the first two phases of a 6000-unit on-reserve rental housing development in the heart of Vancouver, which will include over 1200 affordable rental units. Learn about how the largest-ever real estate partnership of its kind in Canadian history came to be and the legacy the Squamish Nation is working to build through this transformational development project.

Morning Interactive Networking Session

Accessing Funding for Implementing Infrastructure

Kevin Frigon​
Senior Relationship Manager
First Nations Financial Management Board

• Financing of infrastructure – How to become certified and access long-term fixed rate debenture financing through First Nations Finance Authority.
• Exploring methods from building science
• THROW THIS IDEA AROUND:
• borrowing from the global bond market to have long-loved assets are financed over their life span

Collecting Rental Arrears: How to Structure Collection Programs to Improve Participation and Re-Invest in Community

Audrey DeMarsico
Lawyer
Nelligan O'Brien Payne LLP

• Relying on an effective housing policy with an easily understood rent collection framework
• Employ a tenant relations officer that communicates, educates, and constantly sends reminders
• Lessons learned throughout the transitional period
• Framing rent collection as a contribution to infrastructure building for the community
• Examples of potential consequences for arrears, or failure to comply with a repayment agreement

Networking Luncheon

Conflict Resolution Techniques for the Housing Management Team

Chris Roine
Counsel
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

• Applying traditional forms of dispute resolution through hypothetical scenarios
• Exploring challenges, legal dilemmas, and controversies associated with dispute resolution
• Integrating nation-to-nation principled consensus-building and problem-solving processes
• Building relationship-centered restorative dispute resolution foundations involving Indigenous parties
• Boosting capacity using Indigenous legal and spiritual traditions in dispute resolution
• Implementing a trauma-informed approach when addressing a high emotional conflict situation

Developing Your Community Emergency Preparedness Plan

Sarah Thompson
Disaster Assistance Team Lead
Canadian Red Cross

Gain practical and actionable tools to create an operational emergency preparedness department. Assess your community’s readiness to respond to emergencies independently, to reduce loss both property and population.

• Designing an emergency preparedness plan that highlights the main elements of a disaster including,
• Mitigation
• Preparedness
• Response
• Recovery
• Identifying the course of action when encountering on the following disasters:
• Forest Fires
• Flooding
• Earthquakes
• Tornados
• Understanding the strategies and protocols
• How to identify your hazard identification risk assessment
• How to promote provide clear direction to the community
• Informing the community of industry standards
• Understanding data collection, what it is used for and where to find it
• Data support, tools, mapping, and technology
• Determining best practices to get information out to the community
• Identifying who the on-site point person is for emergency preparedness

Afternoon Nutrition and Networking Break

Case Study

Building Culturally Appropriate High-Performance Affordable Housing in Vancouver

Colin Doylend
Director, Land Development & Acquisitions
Vancouver Native Housing Society

Our audience will gain a deeper understanding of the Vancouver Native Housing Society’s redevelopment of an existing three-storey building, which previously offered 27 affordable rental suites for urban Indigenous singles and families before being irreparably damaged by fire in December 2017. We will uncover how the project will provide the quality affordable housing so desperately needed by the city’s Indigenous community.

Closing Remarks from the chair
Conference Adjourns