A new 20-unit affordable housing project in Sault Ste. Marie Monday has been built in Sault Ste. Marie in order to support low-income Métis households locally.
The new two-bedroom townhomes on Patrick Street will rent for $1,055 per month, excluding the cost of utilities, as part of a $7-million pilot project funded by the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) through the Canada-Métis Nation Accord, a broader agreement reached by the National Métis Council and the federal government.
The housing project is a first of its kind for the Métis governmental body in Ontario.
“Housing is a human right. It’s a fundamental right that all Canadians have, and unfortunately the reality is that for many Métis, there’s a shortage of affordable, safe, appropriate housing,” said MNO President Margaret Froh during the ribbon-cutting event. “We’re absolutely committed to addressing those gaps and working with our leadership, working with our communities to create the kind of beautiful space that you see here behind me today.”
A housing needs assessment carried out by MNO found that nearly half of low-income Métis households in the Sault were living in core housing, a two-stage socioeconomic indicator which identifies households living in unsuitable, inadequate or unaffordable housing.
“For us, we know that the housing crisis in Sault Ste. Marie didn’t start 10 years ago — it started 172 years ago, when the order in council was passed and evicted us off our river lots,” MNO Region 4 Councillor told those in attendance for Monday’s unveiling. “It began intergenerational cycles of homelessness, intergenerational cycles of colonial violence that pushed us off our lands. We know that was then compounded and made worse in 1968 when one of our villages was burned down in Agawa Bay, using the mechanisms of the day to push us off our lands and created that housing crisis that began for us a long time ago.
“For us, making these investments in this historic community are particularly important for us.”
Three housing units on Patrick Street are ready to live in now, with the remaining 17 units anticipated to be completed by the end of summer.
Future MNO infrastructure projects will eventually see affordable housing being built in Kenora, Midland and Toronto.
“We will continue to work to push all levels of government in this country to be responsive to the needs of Métis people,” Froh said. “Métis rights are human rights. Métis rights are rights that are protected under that UN declaration of the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Métis rights are protected under Section 35 of our Constitution Act.”
Prospective tenants can access the rental application via the Infinity Property Management website, or by contacting [email protected] or [email protected].