Question Period Note: Attawapiskat Land Acquisition

Canada is committed to closing the housing gap for Indigenous
people, and supports construction, renovation and capacity
development for First Nation housing.
• Since 2016, Canada has provided Attawapiskat with over $11
million for lot servicing, construction, and renovation of homes
in the community. We continue to work with the First Nation to
find innovative solutions to increase its housing stock.
• Indigenous Services Canada is also working with Attawapiskat
and Ontario to advance an addition to reserve, which will
facilitate on-reserve housing and infrastructure development.

On April 10, 2023, Radio-Canada published an article entitled “Attawapiskat Wants More Land
to Build New Housing.” The article details how Attawapiskat First Nation, an isolated community
in the James Bay region, does not have enough space to build housing for its community
because the reserve is landlocked and only about 1.29 square kilometers. Community members
hope to expand this area to more than 3 square kilometers. Chief Sylvia Koostachin-
Metatawabin notes that the lack of adequate housing has contributed to issues such as
homelessness, mental health issues and the opioid crisis, among others.
ISC continues to work with the Attawapiskat to find innovative solutions to increase its housing
stock. The solutions may include densified housing plans, multi-unit and multi-story dwellings,
additions and renovations to existing units or tiny homes on a sub-divided smaller lot. Through
the Expression Of Interest process in May 2022, Attawapiskat was invited to submit a proposal
for housing projects to address its immediate housing needs. ISC will follow up with the
community to explore their interest in providing a submission within the Expression of Interest
Guidelines.
The addition to reserve process was formally initiated in spring 2016. During Ontario led
stakeholder consultations, a winter road used to access a diamond mine operated by DeBeers
Canada (north of the community) was identified by Ontario as provincial interest that required
ongoing guaranteed access until the mine was closed. DeBeers Canada funds the First Nation
to operate and maintain this winter road to the mine. Attawapiskat maintains that the winter road
in question was a former trap line and traditional route and therefore DeBeers should not be
awarded third-party interest in that piece of land.
In response, Ontario proposed a two-phased process that would exclude a one square
kilometer winter road corridor used by the DeBeers mine, and funded until 2019 at $1
million/year, until the mine is fully decommissioned and is free and clear of all third party
encumbrances (now anticipated for 2024). The winter road access is required to remove
materials and equipment from the mine as it is decommissioned and Ontario has insisted that
the road access be excluded on that basis.
The addition to reserve process is currently at an advanced stage and can proceed relatively
quickly if Ontario and the First Nation agree to the terms of the land transfer. Chief and Council
continue to advance this process through the legal system.

If pressed on Additions to Reserve
• All parties are working diligently to expedite and complete the
additions to reserve process for Attawapiskat.
• Additions to reserve is a First Nation led, multi-year process
requiring the participation of multiple stakeholders. Each
addition to reserve takes approximately 2 to 8 years to complete.
• ISC has committed $32.2 million through Budget 2021 to
address the existing inventory of additions to reserve,
strengthen First Nation capacity, and develop modern digital
solutions to enhance on-reserve land management.