Glossary
Housing terms, in plain words.
The approvals, programs, data measures and building terms that come up in an on-reserve housing or community building project. Each entry links the official page it comes from. Rules change, so confirm the details with the program or your ISC regional office.
- Band Council Resolution (BCR)
A record of a council decision made by a quorum of councillors at a duly convened council meeting. Housing projects usually rest on one or more BCRs, for example to approve a site, a project, a tenant selection policy or a loan guarantee application. ISC publishes a standard BCR form.
- Certificate of Possession (CP)
Under section 20 of the Indian Act, a band member is lawfully in possession of reserve land only when council allots it with the Minister's approval; the Minister may issue a Certificate of Possession as evidence of that right. Whether a housing site is band land or held under a CP shapes who must approve the project.
- Designated lands
Reserve land a band has designated, by a surrender to the Crown that is not absolute, usually so it can be leased (Indian Act section 38(2)).
- Land code
Under the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management, a First Nation's land code becomes its basic land law and replaces the Indian Act's land management provisions; roughly two-thirds of the Indian Act still applies.
- Environmental review on reserve
Under section 82 of the Impact Assessment Act, a federal authority must not carry out, permit or fund a project on federal lands, including reserves, unless it determines the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. ISC reviews on-reserve projects it funds or authorizes.
- Capital Facilities and Maintenance Program (CFMP)
Indigenous Services Canada's main program for community infrastructure on reserve, including housing, education facilities and water and wastewater systems, managed through each First Nation's infrastructure investment plan. Its terms aim to protect, maintain and maximize the life cycle of assets.
- First Nations Infrastructure Investment Plan (FNIIP)
The planning document through which ISC assesses a First Nation's infrastructure needs and manages capital funding. It is a planning tool, not a funding program; it is due at the ISC regional office by October 15 each year.
- Maintenance management plan (MMP)
ISC's infrastructure protocol applies to housing funded under the CFMP and expects operation and maintenance to follow a maintenance management plan reviewed and approved by the recipient, starting from an inventory of the assets.
- E-ACRS (Asset Condition Reporting System)
ISC arranges inspections of ISC-funded community infrastructure once every three years. ISC's own evaluation notes that housing units are not subject to ACRS inspections, so a housing department needs its own inspection routine.
- Section 95
CMHC's On-Reserve Non-Profit Housing Program, which provides subsidies and loans to build, buy, renovate and manage non-profit rental housing in First Nation communities. CMHC requires code compliance inspections, each recorded on a Certificate of Building Code Compliance, paid for by the First Nation.
- Ministerial Loan Guarantee (MLG)
A guarantee from Indigenous Services Canada that secures an on-reserve housing loan from an approved lender, alongside a council resolution. ISC publishes BCR forms for MLG applications.
- Addition to reserve (ATR)
A parcel of land added to a First Nation's existing reserve, or land that creates a new reserve, in a rural or urban setting. Since August 27, 2019, additions to reserve are approved by Ministerial Order under the Addition of Lands to Reserves and Reserve Creation Act. Nationally there are no ATR service standards.
- Comprehensive Community Plan (CCP)
A holistic plan, initiated, designed and implemented by the community, covering governance, land and resources, health, infrastructure, culture, social issues and the economy. ISC says a CCP usually takes 2 to 5 years to complete.
- First Nations Market Housing Fund (FNMHF)
A fund created with a one-time $300 million federal investment. It does not lend itself: it offers credit enhancement, backing a First Nation's band guarantee to a lender for members' home loans, and capacity development support.
- ISET Program
Employment and Social Development Canada's Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program, which funds Indigenous service delivery organizations that design and deliver job training services.
- Core housing need
CMHC's measure: a household is in core housing need if its home is not adequate, suitable or affordable and it would have to spend 30% or more of its before-tax income to find local housing that meets all three standards. It does not include reserves.
- Suitability and crowding
Housing is suitable when it has enough bedrooms for the size and make-up of the household under the National Occupancy Standard. Statistics Canada counts housing that is not suitable as crowded; ISC also reports dwellings with more than one person per room, so the two crowding figures differ.
- Adequacy (major repairs)
Housing is adequate when it is not in need of major repairs. In the 2021 Census, 16.4% of Indigenous people lived in a dwelling needing major repairs.
- Winter road
A seasonal road over frozen ground, lakes and rivers. Manitoba's system is over 2,356 km long; sections can close for repairs on short notice, and overweight or overwidth loads need a permit approved by the region.
- Heat recovery ventilator (HRV)
A ventilation unit that exchanges stale indoor air for fresh outdoor air while recovering heat. CMHC advises cleaning or replacing HRV filters every two months.
- First Nations Housing Professional (FNHP)
The certification designation of the First Nations Housing Professionals Association, for housing staff working in First Nations communities.
- CSA A277
The Canadian standard for factory-built modular construction: a certification procedure in which an accredited agency reviews a plant's quality control and inspects its product. Every Herauf unit meets or exceeds CSA A277 and the National Building Code for climate zones 6 through 8.
- Steel skid
The Herauf portable steel skid carries a building from the plant floor to the site and stays under it, so the build does not wait on a poured foundation and the building can be relocated if the community's needs change.
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