SASKATOONEXPRESS - August 11-17, 2014 - Page 1
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3330 8th St. E. • 705 22nd St. W. • 1204 Central Ave. 802 Circle Dr. E. • 519 Nelson Road
Volume 11, Issue 31, Week of August 11, 2014
Saskatoonʼs REAL Community Newspaper
O
Joanne Paulson Saskatoon Express
n the river side of the Whitecap Dakota First Nation, four new houses are rising rapidly above the grassy prairie. They are not mansions, as so many new rural homes are in today’s Saskatchewan. They are three-bedroom, two-bath, 1,200-square-foot family residences. Yet they are massive, symbolically, for the First Nation. These four houses are the first primary residential homes on any Saskatchewan First Nation open for sale to everyone: people do not have to be band members, nor aboriginal, to buy in. It was a scant few months ago when Whitecap Chief Darcy Bear and developer Joe LaPointe, also owner of insurance and investment firm All-Sask Financial, discussed the possibility of adding all-market housing to a reserve that desperately needs accommodation. “One of the nice things about doing business out here is you are not stifled with the bureaucracy,” said LaPointe in an interview. “They get things done, properly, quickly, efficiently.” Despite few promotional activities thus far, two of the houses are sold: one to a couple from Moose Jaw, and another from Major, Sask. LaPointe says deals are pending on the other two. All four homes should be ready for occupancy by early 2015. Another six will go under construction in the spring, said LaPointe, fulfilling his obligation to develop 10 lots on the reserve. A potential phase-two development is under discussion with Whitecap, and options exist for commercial and retail development in the future. A 1999 change in the Indian Act has allowed for this kind of development on First Nations land, but the First Nations themselves must take the first step. The Indian Act, says Bear, was structured to hold back First Nations, “created to segregate First Nations from society and the economy. “That led to some legislative changes, such as the First Nations Land Management Act (FNLMA) . . . which has allowed us to create our own land code. Our land code is our land law.” First Nations must signify their interest in adopting the FNLMA, and it’s a slow process due to limited federal funding, said Bear. In the first round of acceptance, 14 First Nations were ratified. Whitecap came in on the second round in 2002, when 34 were accepted.
CP90190.H11 Chenise
Houses mark milestone Whitecap, developer build homes for all
Developer Joe LaPointe, left, and Whitecap Chief Darcy Bear stand in front of a house nearing completion on the Whitecap Dakota First Nation. The house is one of four open to all buyers. (Photo by Joanne Paulson)
“This is all ratified by the community,” noted Bear. “Eighty-nine per cent of the (Whitecap) members voted in favour of being part of the FNLMA.” When you look at how the economy works, it’s all about real estate, added Bear. While First Nations cannot sell reserve land, they can issue long-term land
leases and pursue development on that basis. “On commercial we can do a 49-year (lease) and on residential, 99 years,” said Bear. “In both cases they’re renewable. Technically you have the land in perpetuity.” Over the years, Whitecap has engaged
in a number of processes and pursued several agreements with other institutions and governments to support its development. Among the processes was creating a land use plan, which involved bringing in an outside party to assist with zoning and development standards. (Continued on page 4)
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