Cree family of 20 left without housing after fire, with some living in shacks during winter
Situation illuminates broader housing crisis for Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Sask., leadership says
A family that lost its home to a fire in July has been living without permanent housing on a Cree Nation in Northern Saskatchewan ever since.
Elders Maryanne and Gordon Ballantyne lived for 30 years in the same home in Pelican Narrows, about 415 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon. Their granddaughter Mikayla Renas said 18 other family members were staying with them before the fire, because of a lack of housing within Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.
After the home burned down, the family members were left camping on their own property. The elderly couple, both in their 70s, stayed in an uninsulated trailer with their youngest grandchildren and great grandchildren. Other family members slept in tents or shacks.
They didn't have running water or heat, except for wood burning stoves they also cooked on.
After snowfall in November, temperatures began to drop drastically. Some community members started to worry about the family being homeless in such conditions. One woman posted a video of Gordon warming up in his truck. It was the last straw for Renas, who lives in Edmonton.
"I broke down. I cried. I was really, really angry," she told CBC. "I stood back for a very long time and it took that video for me to say, 'No more.'"
Other videos showed her cousin, Marshal Jonathan McKenzie, with a broken leg, waking up to snow surrounding his sleeping bag in a tent/shack. In another, McKenzie showed a pile of trash and said they were using garbage cans to go to the bathroom.
McKenzie said they were running low on logs for their four wood burning stoves and showed where the ashes were burning through the tarps on one structure keeping seven of them dry. They were borrowing power from a neighbour, which was not reliable or available to all of them.
"My worst fear is one of them waking up in the morning and in one of the tents, somebody isn't responding," Renas said, "It takes one night to freeze to death and that is a possibility."
In an emailed statement from Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN), Vice Chief Justin Halcrow said the community has secured the family a ready-to-move home but has been delayed in getting it delivered because of "logistical and safety challenges."
He said the company contracted to transport it fell through. Having been unable to successfully book a new moving company, the delivery timeline was pushed to January 2025.
"Despite these setbacks, PBCN has worked diligently to support the family," he wrote.
Housing crisis in Pelican Narrows
Both the family and PBCN leadership say the situation demonstrates a broader housing crisis in Pelican Narrows.
The band says it has more than 3,900 members and only 335 housing units, leading to "chronic overcrowding and limited infrastructure."
PBCN called a state of emergency in 2023 amid community violence. In an open letter to Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this year, Chief Karen Bird called for a multi-pronged approach to enhance community safety and health care.
"We've reached out time and time again with plans and pleas detailed and clear, but the echoes of our cries for help have been met with silence," Bird said in February.
Now, because of safety concerns, it's been hard to find crews that will agree to work in the community, "hindering progress not only on this project but also on other housing and infrastructure initiatives critical to the community," Halcrow said.
In a written statement to CBC, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) said officials are "aware of the situation concerning the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation communities and are committed to continuing to work with leadership."
"Indigenous Services Canada regional officials have been meeting regularly with PBCN leadership to discuss various issues, including housing and mental health and wellness in the community," the statement reads. "Housing is a fundamental need, and First Nations should have access to adequate and safe housing.
"The Government of Canada recognizes that improvements are needed."
ISC said it has provided PBCN more than $15.9 million in funding for housing since the 2021-2022 fiscal year, "which leadership is responsible for allocating between their various communities." The federal government department said PBCN receives about $2.5 million annually for capital projects, including housing.
PBCN is set to receive about $4.9 million in 2025-2026 and more than $5.8 million in 2026-2027 to allocate between its communities for future housing, according to Indigenous Services.
Some family members receive temporary housing
As an interim solution, PBCN has moved Maryanne and Gordon Ballantyne, and the small children who are in their care, into a mobile home with heat, water and power. The windows are boarded up, but Renas is just happy they have a warm place to sleep.
"I was really excited and relieved. I felt hopeful that they're finally going to get what they deserve," Renas said.
Despite the small win, Renas said the work is not done. Her other family members are still living in shacks on their old property.
"Let's hope that they get a place to stay or there's something done for them because it's cold out there," she said. "It's frustrating."
Renas is calling on PBCN to help her cousins find housing, and fulfil its promise of getting her grandparents permanent housing in January.
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