SLAAMB had the honour of being invited to the NAN Housing Summit, which took place on November 15-16, 2022 at the Best Western Nor’Western Hotel in Thunder Bay.
The summit serving as the platform for the formal launch of the NAN Housing Strategy, showcased a comprehensive plan consisting of seven stages. These stages encompassed various vital aspects, such as advocating for inclusive housing systems, addressing the health impacts of housing, emphasizing appropriate and sustainable design and materials, integrated infrastructure planning, improving funding structures, governance and policy reform, and capacity development and training. During the event, several engaging discussions and panel sessions were held on a range of topics including: exploring the Rapid Housing Initiative (RH1) by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, delving into tendering procurement and project management, providing updates on health transformation efforts, promoting integrated approaches to governance and community planning, examining current and future housing trends in NAN First Nations, and presenting SLAAMB’s own successful Carpentry Apprenticeship Training Program in Hudson, ON. In our presentation, we highlighted the recent training sessions emphasizing the importance of SLAAMB’s trades training initiatives for our First Nations people in the northern region, acknowledging the scarcity of certified tradespeople available. We received recommendations and addressed questions from the attendees of the summit, focusing on areas such as furnace and wood stove safety maintenance. We recognized the significance of this training as fire rescue services are not readily accessible in our communities up north. Overall, SLAAMB’s participation in the NAN Housing Summit provided a valuable opportunity to showcase our commitment to empowering First Nations individuals through trades training and address critical housing issues. We are grateful for the platform to share our successes, exchange ideas, and collaborate with fellow attendees in our collective pursuit of enhancing housing conditions in the NAN region.