Challenge Statement

“IMPROVING COMMUNITY WELL-BEING”

Our community will develop an affordable Net Zero Energy Housing Program, offering culturally appropriate designs, using smart technologies, innovative building techniques and alternative energy systems in order to address the housing shortage crisis, the poor-quality and costly construction of houses in Eastmain and Indigenous communities across Canada.

Summary

As our Challenge Statement says, the Cree Nation of Eastmain (CNE) is committed to improving the quality of life and the well-being of its members. As a remote Indigenous community, CNE, like other Indigenous communities across Canada, is faced with a critical housing shortage, compounded by poor quality and costly construction.

Housing is inarguably the foundation of a strong, healthy community without which communities struggle with various social, environmental and health issues. Through local consultations, CNE has determined that high construction costs combined with the high costs of home operation and maintenance, the result of inappropriate construction materials and techniques, are significant barriers to homeownership in Eastmain.

Smart technologies, sustainable building practices and alternative energy systems are the cornerstone of CNE‘s plan to develop, in collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders, an affordable, culturally-appropriate Net Zero Energy (NZE) housing program, for new and existing housing, to respond to its housing crisis. The NZE program is designed to encourage openness, transparency and transferability.

Through capacity-building, job creation and encouraging community participation, our NZE program will foster prosperity and a sense of pride in the community and in the culture, becoming a model for Indigenous communities across Canada.