Funds to fix houses lacking, chief says; INAC offers assistance to repair 14 of

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Funds to fix houses lacking, chief says; INAC offers assistance to

repair 14 of 26 mould-infested homes

Timmins Daily Press - Timmins,Ontario,Canada*

Posted By Peeling

http://www.timminspress.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?

e=769524 & auth=+Peeling

A solution to the mould problem for 14 Fort Albany houses is in the

works, but the First Nation still seeks aid for repairs to 12

others.

Mushkegowuk Tribal Council, the governing body for several Northern

Ontario First Nations, sought the help of Indian and Northern

Affairs Canada to fix the houses riddled with mould.

A few families had to be relocated because the mould grew to toxic

levels.

Out of the 26 homes damaged by the mould, Health Canada identified

14 that posed a health risk to occupants and require immediate work.

INAC has, in response to that assessment, granted the community

$568,000 in capital funding to fix up the 14 mouldy homes, according

to ministry spokeswoman Bertrand.

A tour of the homes in July by an INAC engineer showed the five-year-

old buildings, in most cases, were constructed without eavestroughs,

did not contain weeping tiles and had broken sump pumps. These are

considered key components to protecting homes from water damage and

toxic mould buildup.

Mushkegowuk Tribal Council Grand Chief Stan Louttit said the council

has taken the stance that all 26 houses need INAC funding for

repairs.

" Our position is that there are 26 units that need attention and we

need to continue our lobby efforts to fix up all of those houses

that are in bad shape, " Louttit said.

Another meeting between the council and INAC has not yet been

scheduled, but Louttit expects one soon.

However, Bertrand wanted to make it clear that INAC is not

responsible for building or maintaining homes in First Nation

communities.

" These homes were commissioned and built by the First Nation, "

Bertrand said. " INAC was not involved in the conception, design,

finance, construction or maintenance of the houses.

" INAC does not build or maintain homes on reserves. Everyone has a

role to play and typically INAC and Canada Mortgage and Housing

Corporation provide funding for the First Nations, but it's the

First Nation's responsibility to manage that funding. "

Bertrand explained that the tribal councils are responsible for

making sure homes built in the communities live up to housing

standards.

Both Louttit and Bertrand said Fort Albany would apply for a loan,

likely from a bank with the assistance of INAC, to pay for the rest

of the repairs to the mouldy homes.

Mushkegowuk has estimated fixing all 26 homes would cost a total of

approximately $1.3 million, which is based on the figure of $50,000

per home, a cost which has been associated with similar work done in

other First Nations such as Kashechewan, Attawapiskat and Moose

Cree.

INAC is prepared to take three steps to help Fort Albany with the

mould problem, said Bertrand.

The first step is an independent assessment of the mouldy homes.

Fort Albany will hold a public meeting to address the results of the

assessment.

The second step is the $568,000 in capital funding.

Finally, INAC representatives will join members of Fort Albany First

Nation, Mushkegowuk Tribal Council, the Canadian Mortgage and

Housing Corporation and the Ontario First Nations Technical Services

Corporation to form a working group to address the mould issue in

Fort Albany. The aim of the group is to help avoid similar mouldy

home issues in other First Nations.

Bertrand said INAC provides Fort Albany with $849,000 in capital

funding annually, which can be used for housing and infrastructure

repairs.