September 19, 2002

Family Services and Housing Minister Tim Sale today officially announced a new, innovative northern model house designed to respond to the challenges of the northern climate as well as meet the needs identified by northern residents.

"We are developing housing that will benefit the needs of a broad spectrum of Manitoba’s population including northerners, Aboriginals, seniors and those with disabilities," said Sale. "The northern model house flows from the Northern Housing Strategy and the partnerships we have forged with northern and Aboriginal organizations as we strive to strengthen families and build communities."

The northern model house will feature panellized housing technology which has benefits over traditional building methods and allows for ease of construction, energy efficiency, durability and mould resistance.

The City of Thompson is providing the lot for the new home and Manitoba Hydro will ensure that Power Smart technologies are used and that the home will be certified R2000. Manitoba Hydro will also monitor the performance of the house to assess the effectiveness of the new technologies. Design features in the new home will offer improved accessibility for people with various types and levels of disability related to mobility. Construction of the northern model house is expected to be completed in November.

"Our government’s Northern Development Strategy recognizes that housing is a priority issue for northerners," said Transportation and Government Services Minister Steve Ashton. "I am very pleased that we are proceeding with the development of innovative technologies for Northern Manitoba and look forward to working with our partners to help meet the housing needs of northerners."

"Power Smart/R2000 homes provide occupants with standards for energy efficiency, a healthier living environment and superior home comfort that are on the leading edge of the home building industry while having less impact on the environment," said Manitoba Hydro President and CEO Bob Brennan. "The Power Smart program benefits northern residents and all Manitobans with durable, energy efficient, comfortable housing, while ensuring that future energy needs will be met and that Manitobans continue to benefit from low electricity rates."

Sale noted that finding alternative construction methods for housing was identified as a priority at the Building Consensus Forum held in Thompson last year. The forum gathered input from northerners on the Northern Housing Strategy which the province is continuing to develop. The forum, and subsequent followup, were done with the support and participation of these northern organizations: the Manitoba Metis Federation, the Northern Association of Community Councils, the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and the Northern Urban Industrial Communities.

Housing needs in northern and remote communities has been identified by the provincial government as a priority in its Northern Development Strategy. In addition to housing, health, transportation, employment and training, and economic development are also identified as priorities.

"Innovative solutions, such as the northern model house, help us to better meet the housing challenges of northern regions," said Sale. "We look forward to continue to work with all of our partners on this important initiative."

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• Housing in Northern Manitoba, particularly in remote northern and Aboriginal communities, represents one of the most critical areas of community need.
• Poor and/or inadequate housing has been linked to a broad range of problems that adversely impact the overall health, development and sustainability of communities.
• Housing has also been identified and confirmed as a priority by northern members of legislature in the development of a Northern Development Strategy.

• The Department of Family Services and Housing is developing a Northern Housing Strategy to improve housing conditions in the North. This strategy is comprehensive in scope and recognizes the relationship between housing, health, education and economic development, while emphasizing the need for a community driven approach.
• One of the major goals of the Northern Housing Strategy has been to increase the level of control and participation of northerners in all aspects of housing for their communities.
• Accordingly, partnerships have been formed with the five northern organizations: the Northern Association of Community Councils (NACC), Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF), Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) and Northern Urban Industrial Communities. These partnerships have helped garner community input as well as approval and support for proposed initiatives under the Northern Housing Strategy.
• In order to allow communities, stakeholders and key players to provide input and participation in the development of the housing strategy, a Northern Housing Forum was held in May 2001 in Thompson. This forum was planned by a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) consisting of representatives from Family Services and Housing and the five northern organizations.

• As part of the development of an action plan subsequent to the forum, the TAC reviewed several alternative construction techniques. The need to do this was warranted due to comments at the forum regarding the various long-standing issues and problems related to the use of conventional building methods in the north. The TAC selected Panellized Housing technology as a promising technique that would be suitable to the living conditions in Northern Manitoba.
• In order to demonstrate the viability of Panellized Housing technology, a model house will be built in Thompson where northern residents can have ready access to view the technology and become familiarized with it and its housing application in the North.
• The benefits of Panellized Housing technology include:
• improved energy efficiency over traditional construction methods;
• ease of installation making it faster and simpler to assemble on site; and
• design for strength and durability.
• The use of Panellized Housing technology in the North will facilitate a community-based holistic approach to northern housing in the following ways:

1. Improved health in communities because:

• The increased volume in homes being produced will reduce the overcrowding which has adverse impacts on social and physical conditions.
• Better indoor air quality will be achieved with Panellized Housing technology.

1. Improved training and employment opportunities because:

• As semi-skilled labour is required to erect Panellized homes, there will be increased employment opportunities.
• Skilled labour is still required to undertake interior and exterior finishing, therefore there may be training opportunities available in those areas as well.

As part of the followup action plan to the forum, steps are being taken to address the issues raised by the resolutions passed at the forum. Those federal and provincial government departments and organizations with links to any of the forum resolutions were forwarded copies of those resolutions with a request to identify a liaison to work with the Department of Family Services and Housing in reviewing and analysing them.