New houses in Neqotkuk set to be rebuilt after suspicious fires

In a First Nation community where more than 150 people are on the waiting list for housing, the decision to build four new houses was a welcome one.

But just before construction finished, suspicious fires on a single morning destroyed two of the houses and damaged the other two.

The fires in early May struck houses designated for elders on Tobique First Nation, also known as Neqotkuk.

No one was injured in the fires, which the RCMP confirm are being investigated as arson. 

Our people are forced to live in overcrowded situations, move off reserve or be homeless.- Ross Perley, Neqotkuk First Nation chief

Neqotkuk First Nation Chief Ross Perley said the project was about 98 per cent completed. 

One of the elders getting a house had already moved in some belongings, which were destroyed when the structure was burned to the ground. 

"They were supposed to be moved into by mid-May," Perley said. "They were probably two weeks away from the others moving in and that's when we had the fire."

Rebuilding, repairing

Perley estimated the damage at $400,000, but the homes, which are owned by the band, were covered by insurance.

"Fortunately for us, the insurance is coming in and they're going to pay for the demolition and rebuild.

Perley said people will be able to move into the pre-fabricated homes that only suffered minor damage once the repairs are complete.  

"By the end of summer, we'll have all four elders in the homes."

Need for housing 

The four homes were just the second set of new homes to be built in the community in over a decade. Neqotkuk has about 2,500 members, and about 1,500 live on reserve.

Neqotkuk carried too much debt to get loans for housing for about 10 years.  

"The current climate is fragile as there is homelessness and overcrowding due to Tobique being deprived of housing or infrastructure for housing," Perley said.

The debt was paid off in 2017, and Tobique is again eligible for housing, although it is short of infrastructure.

The first five new houses went up in 2018, on already serviced lots, empty because the houses on them had been burned down in previous years. 

The new homes were for families, and they were the first to be built on the reserve in 16 years.

The elders' homes are part of a plan for a new 10-house cul-de-sac, where there is easy access to water and electricity because there are already older houses nearby. 

Developments to come later won't have that access, Perley said.

"Our people are forced to live in overcrowded situations, move off reserve or be homeless," Perley said. "Tobique currently has a combination of all three scenarios." 

Early morning blaze

The local fire department deemed the May fires suspicious and the investigation continues, according to Fire Chief Jason Moulton. 

He remembers the fire on May 5 well since they were not far from his backyard. 

"It was all engulfed when I walked out my back door to join the fire department," he said.

One of the four burned homes showed damage on the inside, which raised suspicions. 

Neqotkuk First Nation is offering a reward of $20,000 to anyone who can provide information leading to an arrest. 

"I know that the forensics had some evidence that they were testing in their lab," Perley said. "The results of those tests haven't come back yet." 

History of arson

A string of suspicious fires have left several homes smouldering in Neqotkuk First Nation over the last few years.

"There was probably three or four," Moulton said of the suspected cases of arson. 

"It alarms me because we never know if there's anybody inside the units … regardless if people are living in them or not. [It] sort of stays in the back of my mind when we're fighting fire."