Advancing Equitable Housing in Northern and Indigenous Communities: A Case Study of the Northern Village of Pinehouse

Abstract

Affordable housing has been a challenging policy issue since the entrance of colonial policy to the region that is now called Canada. Providing affordable and culturally appropriate housing in Northern Saskatchewan has complex and layered challenges, many of which urban regions and even other rural regions do not face. These challenges include a lack of infrastructure, extreme climates, a low capacity to build and maintain homes, and racist and paternalistic legislation. This research aims to explore the challenges and opportunities for equitable housing in Northern Saskatchewan. The methods used in this research consisted of two phases. The first was a broad scan of equitable housing in Northern Saskatchewan, focusing on energy efficiency, using semi-structured interviews. This initial phase revealed that, in many cases, energy efficiency was not seen as a priority by the first-phase interviewees involved in housing in Northern Saskatchewan due to the overwhelming housing needs. Based on feedback from phase one, the second phase was a case study of housing projects in the Northern Village of Pinehouse, a Metis community of over 1000 people approximately 500 km north of Saskatoon, the largest city in the Province of Saskatchewan. This community is home to many housing projects and developments directed by community members, and many of these projects have focused on energy efficiency and sustainability. This second-phase research consisted of semi-structured interviews with those involved in the housing projects in Pinehouse. The goal of the second phase was to explain the housing outcomes that Pinehouse has produced, learn about their processes for building and implementation, explore what makes these housing projects equitable, advance a deeper understanding of northern housing challenges, and investigate what hinders and enables equitable housing in the northern context. Via the interviews and community engagement, three drivers and three barriers of equitable housing in Pinehouse were revealed. The drivers were community cohesion, self-determination, and proactive planning, and the barriers were interjurisdictional governance, cost, and urgency. These insights led to policy recommendations from the research, as well as directly from the community.