Saskatchewan Indigenous communities call for more housing funding

The federal government's budget plan includes $4.3 billion to help improve Indigenous housing. However, Heather Bear, the fourth vice chief of FSIN, says that's not enough.

In response to the Canadian government’s 2022 budget plan, some Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan are calling for more funding for housing.

On Thursday, the federal government released this year’s federal budget plan, allocating spending amongst a number of different sectors.

The budget includes preparation to spend $4.3 billion to help improve Indigenous housing and other reconciliation efforts. However, Heather Bear, the fourth vice chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), says that’s not enough.

Prior to the budget’s release last week, FSIN released a statement calling for $15 billion from the federal government for First Nations housing, both in urban cities and in First Nation communities. Bear says this amount is just enough to simply cover the essentials.

“I can see the the devastation when it comes to housing, the shortage, the lack of renovations…the crisis is real,” Bear said. “This is something that really needs to be addressed and prioritized.”

Bear says this housing crisis is occurring in many Indigenous communities, which includes harsh living conditions such as poor water and sewage quality and overcrowding, where households of up to 15 to 20 people are forced to fit in a house meant for five.

Detailing an unforgettable moment, Bear describes a time she toured one northern Indigenous community. Packed in one very tiny home, she recalls 17 children lining up for one bathroom before school.

“You can’t even imagine those kinds of conditions in this day and age…if people could take a moment to really imagine if that was them and their family, I think maybe people would think different.”