This year has, to put it mildly, been a challenging experience for us at Frontiers Manitoba. We have had some successes and lots of challenges. We hope that through this we will grow and develop policies and practices that will allow us to be more effective in meeting the needs of communities for housing and skill development.
Highlights of 2009:
Standing Tree to Standing House Curriculum:
In past years Frontiers Foundation offered in-house certificates for trainees in the Standing Tree to Standing House Program. This year Brian worked together with curriculum developers at Red River College to produce a 5 course certificate program. Trainees will now be registered students with Red River College and will get a College Certificate upon completion. We will be piloting the new curriculum with Garden Hill. Projects in Collins, ON and Kitcisakik, QB also want to run the course this year. Thanks to Rylan Reed at CMHC for the funding to develop this program. This is a true example of partnership.
Log Cabin Building Course:
In partnership with Mary Robinson of Forintek, Frontiers Fdn. hosted our third annual Log Cabin Construction course with Master Builder Walter Keller. Graduates of this year’s program were from Garden Hill and Wasagamack. The course has created much interest with three of graduates building their own log homes, a father and son team buying a saw mill and one First Nation opening up a new development area for log homes.
A House for Erin
Erin Courchene is a single mom and the only woman participant in the Standing Tree to Standing House course at Sageeng First Nation. Erin participated in every phase of the home construction from harvesting and milling the timber, to cutting the siding. Her instructor Brian Monkman, says that she is a “crackerjack” sawyer. Thanks to the Laurie Guimond and Wendy Chevrefils, Employ-ment and Training staff at Sageeng who have gone above and beyond in providing not only the training allowances, but many of the materials as well. Funding for this project was gratefully received from the Sustainable Development Innovation Fund of Manitoba Conservation and CMHC.
Catch us on APTN
This year television crews from Aboriginal Peoples Television Network video recorded the house build at Sageeng, following it from tree selection, felling, milling, lot clearing, and house construction phase. It will air nationally next year. Here they are video recording Frontiers Foundation’s Lionel Daniels and others building the frame for the foundation.
HOME Works Home Renovation Program
Frontiers Foundation partnered with Manitoba Housing to do major renovations on for northern aboriginal off-reserve low-income home owners in Moose Lake and Cross Lake. Getting this pilot program working in a way that benefits the intended recipients has been a challenge for both Manitoba Housing and Frontiers Foundation. It would be great if we could get it working more smoothly because there are urgent housing needs to be addressed.
Frontiers Foundation National “Standing Tree to Standing Home” Project
Frontiers Foundation received major funding through the Aboriginal Skills Training Strategic Investment Fund, (isn’t that a mouthful?) for a project with Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba sites. We will be working with Garden Hill First Nation. With this funding we will be training up to 30 people to build up to 5 homes. The project officers from Human Resources Canada and First Nations Forestry Project working with us on this are really great and it feels like we are one team moving forward. Through the data gathered in this project Frontiers Foundation will be able to more precisely demonstrate the cost effectiveness and skill development of the “Standing Tree to Standing Home” process.
Lumber Production for Northern Housing:
In spite of letters of approval from CMHC and the Canadian Lumber Standards Association, and fine standing timber all around us, and men who need jobs, and huge need for sturdy affordable housing most lumber and house designs still come from the south. Frontiers Foundation advocates a different approach--One where community residents build skills for building and maintaining homes using as many locally available materials as possible. These houses don’t look like southern bungalows. They are built by the north for the north. We believe this is a better way! Thank-you to those who share this vision and work beside us to make it become a reality.
Thank-yous:
To the trainees and home-owners who put in so many hours working on their homes.
To our volunteers: Mahlon Harvey (accountant), Lorne Pierce (electrician), and Alain Blais.
To our Advisory Committee: Nora Ross, Chairperson, Rylan Reed (CMHC); Trisha Cooling (MHRC); Laurel Ames (INAC); Durwin Chartrand (KTC); Brent Maslow (Apprenticeship); Darcy Wood (AMC); Fred Arnold (Arnold Bros Transportation); Rev. Stan McKay (elder); Gerald Brahniuk (First Nations Forestry Program); and Rebecca McKay (Manitoba Conservation) We would also like to acknowledge the past contributions of:
Kurt Penner (Aboriginal and Northern Affairs), Dwayne Rewniak (Manitoba Housing) and Jocelyn Baker (Manitoba Conservation) for getting us started.
To our funders and donors: Manitoba Aboriginal and Northern Affairs, Manitoba Housing & Renewal Corporation, Manitoba Conservation, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, First Nations Forestry Program and Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Aboriginal Human Resource Development and First Nations Employment and Training and Housing Capital programs, and Woodmizer Canada.
And last but not least to the Board and Staff of Frontiers Foundation National Office for their assistance in working through our growing pains.
On a Personal Note
Frontiers Manitoba Director Laurel Gardiner and family returned from their trip around North America. Brian Anna, Jerry and I toasted 2009 on a beach in Florida.
Jerry, Kaylie and I were able to do some volunteer work, seeing the Brad Pitt environmentally friendly houses in the still devastated Ninth Ward in New Orleans, then on to Mexico where we helped build a cement block church with residents and other volunteers. Volunteering is a really meaningful experience. This fall Jerry is challenging his electrician ticket and hopefully will be a volunteer electrician for us at Frontiers Foundation.
Brian would likely tell you that he is so busy with Frontiers Foundation that he has no personal life and that is pretty close to true. But on the times he does manage to steal away he goes to the home he built with self-milled lumber on Monkman Island, and still hosts their annual wacky golf tournament which is indeed an uproarious event. Brian and Anna had their first grandchild this fall.
Lionel says to tell you that he really enjoys working for Frontiers Foundation, it is very challenging but worth it. I think that just about sums up the year for us at Frontiers—challenging but worth it!
We want to wish you an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas and a challenging but worth it New Year. That is how people grow. All the best to you in 2010!
Laurel Gardiner, Brian Monkman, Lionel Daniels