Blog
Housing guides for Nations.
Practical guides for First Nations housing managers, band councils and Métis settlement staff: planning around the winter road, the approvals behind a project, keeping homes in service, and using housing data. Each one is researched from official sources, listed at the end of every post.
Short on serviceable land? How additions to reserve work
A plain guide for councils running out of buildable lots: how an addition to reserve works, how long it takes, and how to plan housing around it.
On-reserve housing approvals: from BCR to move-in, step by step
The six approval gates behind an on-reserve housing project, in the order they come up, with the federal rules behind each one and a one-page checklist.
How do you link housing to your community and land use plans?
Housing projects stall when the community plan, land use plan and capital plan disagree. Here is what each plan should say about housing and how to keep them in step.
Planning Accessible Homes for Elders and People with Disabilities
What ISC care programs and CMHC's RRAP cover, what the 2025 building code says about adaptable homes, and a practical design checklist for Elder housing.
How do you cut heating costs in remote and northern homes?
Most heat leaves a home through air leaks, basements, walls and windows. Here is how to spec, heat and fund more efficient homes in diesel-reliant and northern communities.
Housing after a wildfire or flood evacuation: what to plan for
From the first 60 days of an evacuation to rebuilding damaged homes: how EMAP's housing rules work, and the housing pieces every emergency plan should include.
CSA A277 explained: who inspects a factory-built home?
CSA A277 moves part of the inspection into the factory, but not all of it. Here is what the plant covers, what your inspector still checks on site, and the paperwork to ask for.
Fire safety in First Nations homes: alarms, codes and funding
What the National Building and Fire Codes require for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, who is responsible for them on reserve under ISC policy, and a practical checklist for housing managers.
How do you site new homes away from flood, fire and thaw?
How to read flood maps, assess wildfire fuels out to 100 metres and screen for permafrost before you choose lots for new homes, plus who funds the hazard studies.
Indigenous Housing Data: What It Says and How to Use It
What the 2021 Census, the Auditor General and the AFN say about First Nations, Métis and Inuit housing need, why their numbers differ, and how to build your own case.
How do you write a community housing policy on reserve?
What a First Nation housing policy should say about allocation, waitlists, rent-to-own, ownership, arrears and leases, and how to draft, approve and update it.
How do you build a housing maintenance program on reserve?
Homes on reserve last their full life when maintenance is planned, funded and checked. Here is how to build that program, step by step, from primary federal sources.
How can members own homes on reserve? Market housing explained
Why lenders need extra security on reserve, how the First Nations Market Housing Fund's Credit Enhancement and capacity development work, and a readiness checklist for council.
Métis Housing vs On-Reserve Housing: Who Decides, Who Pays?
Métis Settlement land, planning and housing money run on different rules from reserves. Here is who holds the land, who decides and where the funding comes from.
How can a housing project build local trades and jobs?
Every housing project contains trade hours. Here is how to turn them into registered apprenticeships, local jobs and a housing department that can maintain its own homes.
How do First Nations plan youth and transitional housing?
Transitional housing is a time-limited home with support built in. Here is how a First Nation defines the program, counts the need and lines up capital and operating funding.
Why Do Airtight Homes Need an HRV? A Housing Manager's Guide
Airtight homes need mechanical ventilation. Here is what CMHC, NRCan, ISC and the building code say about running, servicing and explaining HRVs.
Servicing lots on reserve: water and wastewater before homes
A plain guide to servicing new housing lots on reserve: the water and wastewater options ISC recognises, how it decides what to fund, and how to plan servicing before homes are ordered.
Winter road season planning: a month-by-month calendar
The winter road sets your delivery date. Here is what a housing manager or council needs to decide each month, and how to plan for late freeze-up, early thaw and weight limits.
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