Métis nation housing announcement at the MNBC annual general meeting
At the first annual general meeting to be held in-person since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic The Métis Nation of British Columbia announced a new program to help first-time home buyers for its citizens.
The program is a $5-million investment over five years and will launch in 2023. It is in partnership with the Métis Financial Corporation of British Columbia (MFCB)
“I have talked to many Citizens that pay more in rent than would cost a mortgage,” says Lissa Dawn Smith, Métis Nation of British Columbia (MNBC) president in a press release, “This program can help our Métis families build equity that can be passed down for generations.”
MNBC’s board of directors has committed to building affordable housing for MNBC citizens in regions across B.C. Other nations in British Columbia have also raised alarm about Indigenous people being affected by the housing crisis.
As a part of the work they have made land purchases in Campbell River, Fort St. John, Hudson’s Hope, Kamloops, Surrey, Saanich, and Terrace
The B.C. government has also acknowledged the lack of affordable housing in the province and has pledged $1.9 million over 10 years through its strategy to create more than 14,000 new affordable rental homes for low-to moderate-income British Columbians.
“We need to find creative ways to support our Métis Citizens so that they can afford home ownership,” says Walter Mineault, MNBC vice-president and minister of Housing and Homelessness.
“This first-time home buyers’ program is the first step in getting many of our Citizens in homes they can call their own for years to come.”
