Conklin celebrates arrival of new homes from program launched by Cenovus

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Martha Desjarlais can finally take a deep breath.

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For years, Desjarlais lived in a home in Conklin filled with mould. Constant flooding, harsh winters and trouble finding people who will do home repairs in an isolated hamlet meant the 50-year-old home was falling apart. Just thinking about the home makes her dizzy and want to pass out.

That recently changed when Desjarlais was one of the first few Conklin residents to move into newly built homes that were paid for by grants from Cenovus Energy and the Alberta government.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for 15 new homes in the hamlet, located more than 150 kilometres southeast of Fort McMurray, was held Friday. Eight more homes will arrive by the end of the year.

“I’m happy I’m out of there. The smell, the mould, it was getting to me,” said Desjarlais in an interview. “My new home is so beautiful. I have a kitchen with an island, and a nice closet in my bedroom. It’s beautiful. It’s just so beautiful.”

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The homes are part of a $50-million program announced by Cenovus in early 2020 to build 200 new homes in Conklin, Janvier, Chipewyan Prairie First Nation, Cold Lake First Nation, Beaver Lake Cree Nation and Heart Lake First Nation.

The Conklin homes were also sponsored by a $4.4 million grant from the Alberta government’s Indigenous Housing Capital Program. Cenovus has so far funded 161 homes across six communities. By the end of 2024, Cenovus will have also funded 36 new homes in Janvier and on the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation.

The Cenovus program also planned to have local residents graduate from Portage College’s construction program and build the homes themselves. There were 18 graduates in 2021 before Cenovus discontinued that part of the program. Community leaders prioritized pre-built homes and were more interested in house maintenance services. Indigenous Services Canada already provides funding and training for housing and maintenance jobs.

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Cenovus CEO Alex Pourbaix said in an interview he first visited Conklin in 2018 to meet with Indigenous leaders. As he toured the area, he saw were people living in poorly-built shacks, old campers and crowded homes in communities close to lucrative oilsands operations.

Pourbaix was shocked and became convinced Cenovus needed to help. As Pourbaix spoke with some of the new tenants on Friday, he admits it was hard not to get emotional.

“Living conditions are always going to be a challenge in some remote communities, but I feel we’ve really reduced the challenges around living conditions and accommodations,” said Pourbaix. “When you can put families in stable housing that are warm, dry, safe, I think you’ve gone a long way to tackling a lot of the other challenges that these communities have.”

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Scott Duguid, CEO of the Conklin Resource Development Advisory Council (CRDAC), estimates more than 75 per cent of people in Conklin lived in unstable housing when he took the job in 2023. Most homes reporting serious problems with mould, plumbing, heating and structural integrity.

Housing is not Conklin’s only problem. The community also has problems treating addictions, fighting crime, improving food security, encouraging economic development and accessing health care.

A lack of suitable housing options in the isolated hamlet has made treating these problems increasingly difficult, said Duguid. The 2021 municipal census puts the hamlet’s population at 178 people, a 22 per cent drop from 2018. Most residents are Métis.

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“I was flabbergasted when I saw all this data when I took the job,” said Duguid. “A lot of people are in rough shape or in trailers or sharing housing, so there’s going to be a need.”

The new homes are fully furnished and part of a CRDAC-run social housing program. People will pay rent, although Duguid hopes to eventually develop programs that will lead to home ownership. For now, priority is given to people living in the most hazardous living conditions.

Duguid says Conklin needs at least 35 new homes to resolve most local housing problems. The next housing issue will be sheltering elders, and keeping aging residents in Conklin instead of sending them to homes in Fort McMurray or Lac La Biche.

The CRDAC also has grants for a community greenhouse, and is trying to get better supports for health care and addictions support.

“This time last year there was pessimism in the community, people wondering if this is actually going to happen. As the units arrived in August and September, the feeling was ‘Oh my gosh, this is real,’” said Duguid. “People are starting to feel hopeful now.”

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vmcdermott@postmedia.com

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