Abstract
Current housing systems and policies for First Nations communities in Canada produce a physical manifestation of ongoing colonialism: the house. Examinations of the physical community and house yield an understanding of deeply systematized imperial struggles between Indigenous communities and planning as a discipline. Indigenous families are in crisis as the housing system and Federal planning policies have not allowed for the provision of adequate nor appropriate homes. The recent independent Truth and Reconciliation Commission has begun a civic discussion, accompanied by a new federal government looking to begin a new relationship with Indigenous peoples—here we explore how planning can be a leader in this shift. The ‘contact zone’ is used as an operational lens to examine the ways discourse is used to shape the existing housing system. An interdisciplinary and global approach informs interventions in the existing housing system and policies, creating a community-driven model, and uncovering a reimagined role for the planner.
Highlights
The independent Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, as well as the most recent federal election have brought discussion of a ‘new relationship’ (Liberal Party of Canada, 2015) with Indigenous peoples to the fore of public discussion in Canada
Urban Planning, 2016, Volume 1, Issue 4, Pages 20–31 nize the link between poor housing, mental and physical health outcome gaps, and the ongoing crisis of Indigenous youth suicide (Finlay, Hardy, Morris, & Nagy, 2010; Mushkegowuk Council, 2016; Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, 2015; Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015)
Forty-three percent of homes are in need of major repair because of mold, fire, and structural damage (Statistics Canada, 2015), and “housing problems are most acute in remote communities” (Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, 2015, p. 4)
Summary
The independent Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, as well as the most recent federal election have brought discussion of a ‘new relationship’ (Liberal Party of Canada, 2015) with Indigenous peoples to the fore of public discussion in Canada. The housing crisis facing Canada’s Indigenous population is the physical manifestation of the continued implementation of assimilative policies of Canada’s federal government, from the Gradual Civilization Act through to the Indian Act. Colonialism forced the relocation of Indigenous peoples to reserves and severed communities from their traditional land, while removing Indigenous children from their homes to reside in residential schools disintegrated traditions, language, and culture. The paradigm shifts needed to create a culturally appropriate, wellness-promoting housing system for remote and isolated First Nations communities in the mid-Canada corridor becomes part of the reconciliation project currently underway. The house is a powerful cultural tool, and housing systems should not be reduced to only the creation of shelter or isolated dwelling units, but must be considered as part of a complex network of community assets This conceptualization of housing is not unique to either the Western or First Nations traditions (Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1996). This paper does not suggest one large-scale policy revolution to erase the impact of colonial land use policy on housing in remote Indigenous communities; rather, it explores paradigm shifts that can be made within the planning process that can spark the process of decolonization
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