APNQL Regional Meeting on Housing: Innovative Approaches

The Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL) welcomed us to the Laviolette Complex in Trois-Rivières on September 28 at a regional meeting on Indigenous housing. Although the previous two days covered issues ranging from finance and housing management to governance and service delivery, the third day explored the topic of innovation. The assembled panel aimed:

"To exchange with others about our common situation and committing to improve it."

Geneviève Vachon and André Casault, professors at Université Laval’s School of Architecture, addressed four main ideas: designing with communities, building together, investing in youth to train indigenous architects, and migrating beyond the economic paradigm of habitat. On the outset, many agreed and expressed their desire to actively address and involve Indigenous youth in issues of land use, community planning, and housing design, encouraging them to become real actors of change. Wendy Pollard, architect and consultant at CMHC, shared her vision of innovation as practiced in her daily work experience. In conclusion, Adeline Basile, director of housing and real estate at the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit, expressed the necessity to valorize and support personal and collective initiatives. According to her, the future of FN communities demands that all assert themselves as members of a nation, of a community or as individuals, in all authenticity.

Download the allocution of Wendy Pollar here