Radio FNNBOA Podcasts
Radio FNNBOA is a new take on housing.
“Home on the Rez”
Home on the Rez is a series of podcast episodes about housing in First Nations communities. Home on the Rez explores how some First Nations communities are successfully addressing their housing challenges. The episodes feature in-depth interviews on a range of subjects on First Nations housing.
We are now on our 3rd season.
All are available, free of charge, to download.
Each podcast is 15 minutes.
Each file is a downloadable MP3 file of about 18mb per file.
The podcasts are co-hosted by Jennifer Francis and Mick Favel. Jennifer and Mick are journalism students in the Indigenous Communication Arts (INCA) program at the First Nations University of Canada. Jennifer is from Kahkewistahaw First Nation and Mick is from Kawakatoose First Nation on Treaty Four Territory in Saskatchewan.
Season 3
Episode 1 – A Bad Mix: Indigenous Communities and Covid – 19
As Coronavirus or covid-19 spreads throughout Canada and other countries, heath authorities are concerned about the potential spread of covid 19 in Indigenous communities. The first case was in Nunavut and as of June 30 2020 there were 300 people with covid 19 residing in Indigenous communities. Many of the Indigenous communities have unequal health systems making many of our communities especially those in remote areas more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Other Indigenous communities have access to health professionals. In other cases, some remote communities are more self sufficient than others and rely on a traditional way of life: living off the land, hunting and gathering, accessing the land. In these cases, the communities were able to control the spread of covid 19.
In this podcast we want to focus on how Covid 19 has impacted our communities. We have two incredible people who can provide us some insights about how covid 19 has impacting our communities.
Interviews:
Dr. Tom Kovesi is a Pediatric Respirologist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
Mr. Gord Cooke, President of Building Knowledge Canada
Episode 2 – Rehabbing our homes
Residential illicit drug activity is a cause of concern for First Nations and Indigenous communities. Tenants and owners are vulnerable due to potential health and safety risks to future occupants.
In First Nations communities where the Council owns homes and members reside in them, some homes may be contaminated or damaged due to the production or smoking of illicit drugs, especially methylamphetamine (meth, ice, crystal meth) and/or cannabis (marijuana, THC).
After a home is vacated what should the Council do to repair these homes?. This is a huge issue for not only First Nations but for landlords and Hotel operators. We want to focus on how to rehab a home that has been contaminated by illegal drug use.
To provide some insight on this issue on how Councils should respond to a home where occupants were smoking illicit drugs we talking today with Mr. Dean May the owner of Makyken Hazmat Solutions. Mr May’s company specializes in illicit drugs remediation for residential and commercial buildings. We will also be talking with Mr. John Kiedrowski our executive producer who with his criminology background provides us with more information.
Interviews:
Mr. Dean May, Owner and Chief of Operations, MayKen HazMat Solutions, Calgary.
Mr. John Kiedrowski, President, Compliance Strategy Group.
Episode 3 - Rent. This is Not the Musical
Tenancy fees, or rent, are a vital source of revenue for many Aboriginal communities, helping to pay for repairs and maintenance to Chief and Council owned homes. Rent can be used as a revenue stream to purchase new homes. However, implementing a system to collect a tenancy fee, or rent, is one of the most common challenges facing many First Nations.
When tenancy fees or rent are not charged or these fees are not paid, many communities have little or no additional finances to make repairs to the homes. For many Chief and Council, tenancy fees or rent are the most important source of income used to maintain homes and invest in new housing.
In this podcast we want to look why the paying rent is so controversial among many communities’ members.
To bring some understanding to the payment of rent we are talking with two people who know this topic very well.
First Derek Cameron, Director of Housing for Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation in Saskatchewan whose community have implemented a rental program and Roxanne Harper a consultant from Turtle Island and Associates Inc who works with communities to establish a rental program.
Interviews:
Mr. Derek Cameron, Director of Housing, Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation
Ms. Roxanne Harper, Vice President, Turtle Island and Associates Inc.
Episode 4 - Construction Matters: No more Disposable Homes
Over the years, several reports and studies focused on problems with deteriorating and inadequate housing in First Nations communities. Much of this deterioration is the result of many factors, such as the houses that are too small and therefore overcrowded, with inadequate and dilapidated kitchens and washrooms or homes are not built to building codes.
Research provided by the First Nations National Building Officers Association found that the average home only lasts eight to 10 year in First Nations communities. Because homes only last several years, they have been referred the construction of houses as “disposable homes”.
One way to fix this issue is to include building materials that will last longer. Another words it is to build homes that include the life cycle. That is to design and build homes that use better construction materials which takes into consider when building the walls, roof or installing cabinets doors or windows or purchasing appliances.
This podcast focuses on what has been one of the challenges of construction in Indigenous communities: how to make our homes last longer.
We interview Mr. Bruno Di Lenardo is an Evaluation Officer for National Research Council Canada. NRC is responsible for the development of the National Building Code and evaluating some construction materials. We are also talking with Mr. Tex McLeod who has been working for over 30 years on energy efficiencies and the construction of homes. Both have experience in working with our communities.
Interviews:
Mr. Bruno Di Lenardo, Evaluation Officer, Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) , National Research Council Canada
Mr. Tex McLeod, Consultant on Energy, Housing and Indoor Air Quality.
Episode 5 – Disabilities in our Communities
Recently, the Canadian government introduced “An Act to Ensure a Barrier-free Canada (Accessible Canada Act) to fulfill its mandate to introduce federal accessibility legislation. This legislation will have impact on Indigenous communities. However, what does disability mean to our communities and how will it impact our communities. For example, some buildings have platform lifts or ramps leading to the outside of buildings, but are they built to code. The concept of disability means different things to different communities.
In this podcast we are talking with Mr. Neil Belanger (Maluu’m Amxsiwaa) the Executive Director of the British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society (BCANDS). Neil will tell us how persons with disabilities are impacting our communities especially the homes where they live.
Interview:
Mr. Neil Belanger (Maluu’m Amxsiwaa), Executive Director, British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society
Episode 6 - How to become Sherlock Homes
While Sherlock Holmes is a fictional private detective, First Nations communities have Building officers act like building detectives to make sure new homes are built to national building code and other building standards. The building officers also play a much greater role by inspecting renovations and providing estimations for repairs to homes. No doubt these jobs are very unique. In today’s podcast, interview Lisa Montour who is a building officer for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake in Quebec.
Interview:
Ms. Lisa Montour, Housing Inspector, Mohawk Council of Kahnawake
Season 2
Leaving your home for a career is not easy for everyone. This is especially difficult for people who become famous and must leave the reserve. Ms. Ashley Callingbull the First Indigenous and Canadian won the Mrs. Universe in 2015. She talks about what is was like leaving home and what she looks forward to coming back home to Enoch, Alberta.
Interview: Mrs. Ashley Callingbull, former Ms. Universe, Actress, model and philanthropist
Episode 2 – Breathing Better Air in our Homes
First Nations and Inuit children are disproportionately affected by respiratory infections such as viral bronchiolitis, pneumonia and tuberculosis. Causes for the high rates of infections include poverty, overcrowding, housing in need of major repairs and better ventilation, and increased exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Excellent research and programs are discussed on how to improve the air quality within the homes.
Interviews: Dr. Thomas Kovesi, Pediatric Respirologist and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Ottawa. Mr. Frank Bighead, director, Technical Services and Housing, Prince Albert Grand Council Mr. Vince Genereaux, Housing Advisor, Technical Services and Housing, Prince Albert Grand Council
Episode 3 – Where did the ice roads go?
Indigenous and northern communities face many challenges including how to manage the impacts of a changing climate, the construction of housing, addressing the high and often fluctuating costs of energy, and promoting sustainable development that balances consideration of environmental, social and economic of the communities. Remote and inaccessible communities are particularly vulnerable due to factors of cold climate, aging and inefficient infrastructure, and reliance on diesel for electricity generation and space heating.
Interviews: Dr. John Pomeroy, Distinguished Professor, Department of Geography & Planning, University of Saskatchewan, Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change. Ms. Eriel, Lugt, High School Student from Tuktoyaktuk, Learning Filmmaker, Environmental Activist.
Episode 4 - Indigenous Architecture: Building with Traditional Knowledge
For many generations, buildings were designed and built without the consultation or integration of Indigenous communities. From schools, to housing, to community centres to rinks, few buildings reflected community values and culture. We are now starting to see great interests in architectures that is more sensitive to Indigenous peoples.
Interviews: Alfred Waugh, AIBC, MRAIC, LEED AP, President of Formline Architecture. Eladia Smoke, OAA, LEED AP, MRAIC, M. Arch, B. Env. Des, Principal Architect, Smoke Architecture.
Episode 5 – Building Better in the North
Many northern Indigenous communities are building homes without understanding the building codes and best practice. This podcast talks about building practices in the north and the importance of a Technical Guide for Northern Housing for people designing or building homes in the northern climates. The podcast focuses on the importance of using materials that are best suited to build homes or maintain them in northern climates.
Interviews: Dr. David Fortin, Associated Professor and Director, School of Architecture, Laurentian University. Chris Stove, Housing Operations and Maintenance Advisor, Interlake Reserves Tribal Council.
Episode 6 – Fire and Ashes in First Nations
Fire loss is a major concern in First Nations communities. The per-capita fire-incidence rate in First Nations is 2.4 times the per-capita rate for the rest of Canada. First Nations residents are 10 times more likely to die in a house fire than the rest of the Canadian population. Wildfires are further impacting our communities. In summer 2017, Communities across the country endured an unprecedented number of wildfire emergencies, including numerous evacuations.
Interviews: Arnold Lazare, Member of the Kahnawake Fire Brigade, President & Collaboration Director, Aboriginal Firefighters Association of Canada. Michelle Vandevord, Saskatchewan Emergency & Protective Services, Prince Albert Grand Council.
Season 1
Episode 1 - Our House, My Hockey Stick
Many people leave the rez to pursue their careers. Ted Nolan is a professional hockey player who grew up in Garden River First Nations. He describes growing up on the rez and what it was like living in different homes off reserve.
Interview: Mr. Ted Nolan, Former Professional Hockey Player and Philanthropist
Episode 2 – Community Makeovers
Two communities change their physical housing conditions. Nunavummiut is a community located in the Nunavik region of northern Quebec. The community introduced a unique program called “Pivallianiq.” The program focused on beautifying the living environments of the community. Yale First Nations is a community where there were no housing policies, tenants did not pay their rent, and there was no home maintenance. This episode explores how making some changes resulted in much better housing for community members.
Interview 1: Ms. Laura Lapointe, Pivallianiq Program Manager, Kuujjuaq Quebec
Interview 2: Ms. Crystal Sedore, Housing Manager, Yale First Nation
Episode 3 – Housing Authorities
Episode 3 explores how some First Nations communities are establishing housing authorities. Housing authorities are a housing management organization that may or may not be incorporated, that manages, administers or operates housing on behalf of owners. The owners might include the Chief and Council of a First Nation. However, housing authorities operate at an arm’s length from Chief and Council.
Interview: Mr. Lou Moodie, Chairperson, Nisichawayasihk Housing Authority, Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation.
Many First Nations communities are exploring giving their members a chance to own their own home. This episode looks at what home ownership means and what some of the rewards and challenges associated with home ownership can be.
Interview: Mr. Eddy Davis, Capital Projects, Public Works Manager, Skeetchestn Indian Band
Episode 5 – Building Better Homes
Stories about poor or dilapidated housing conditions on First Nations reserves are a recurring news feature. But that’s not the whole story. This episode focuses on how some communities have found ways to build better housing in their communities.
Interview: Mr. Keith Maracle, Independent Inspector and President of FNNBOA, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
The hosts provide a recap of the 5 episodes and focus on the key points that were discussed by the interviewees on housing in First Nations communities.
The Team:
Jennifer David from Kahkewistahaw First Nation is a researcher, host and producer
Mick Favel from Kawakatoose First Nation is a researcher and host
Lori Deets from Northern Saskatchewan is a producer, researcher, interviewer
Megan Currie from English River First Nation designed the “home on the rez” logo.
Annette Ermine from Cowesses First Nation was the Chase Producer.
Shannon Avison, Assistant Professor of INCA at First Nations University of Canada was the Writer, Editor and Producer.
David Lewis, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Website Administrator
John Kiedrowski, project manager from FNNBOA was the Executive Producer
Acknowledgements:
Funding for these podcasts was provided by Indigenous Services Canada. Special thanks to the FNNBOA Board (Keith Maracle, Vince Genereaux, Seetta Roccola, and Al Lafond) for their support and insights; Karine Tremblay for believing in the project; and to Karen Schwinghamer for her technical insights, logistics and encouragement.