K'ATLODEECHE/HAY RIVER RESERVE - Chief Roy Fabian is nearing the end of his patience over the NWT Housing Corporation's empty houses on the Hay River Reserve.

Chief Chief Roy Fabian: frustrating to see vacant NWT Housing Corporation units on the Hay River Reserve. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

In fact, Fabian said K'atlodeeche First Nation (KFN) band council may ask the corporation to move the seven houses off the reserve.

"They're no good here," he said.

Fabian said five new houses and two older homes in need of repair are vacant, some for several years.

The chief said the problem involves complicated legal issues over land related to reserve status – basically who actually owns the land – and the corporation's eligibility requirements for potential homebuyers.

Fabian said the corporation's criteria changed in 2007 and since then no one has qualified as buyers – either they do not make enough money or too much.

As for the land issues, he said they include the problem that mortgages are not available on the reserve and KFN can't lease land to band members because they already own it.

Fabian said KFN has tried everything to resolve the problems.

"We're up against a wall here," he said.

The chief said it is frustrating because there are homeless people on the reserve, and other band members want to return to the reserve but can't because of the housing issues.

Fabian suggests one solution might be to return to the pre-1990 situation in which the First Nation received block funding and took care of its own housing needs, including construction and setting criteria for potential homeowners.

Currently, KFN is the contractor which builds the homes for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Stephen Pretty, the corporation's communications manager, said one challenge is land tenure related to reserve status.

As for the empty units, Pretty said five of them haven't been completed by the contractor – the KFN – and some work has been unfinished for several years.

"We're trying to get the contractor to finish those off," he said.

KFN band manager Keith Marshall said only minor things remain to be done on a couple of houses.

Marshall added that fact is irrelevant to the ownership issue, since people still won't qualify as buyers once the homes are completed.

As to whether the corporation's ownership criteria inhibits house sales on the reserve, Pretty said, "I'm not aware there's an issue with criteria in allocating those houses."