origin...

annualreport

20142015

CONTENTS

Message from the President-Chief Executive OfficerCommunities of Native Alliance of QuebecMessage from the MP for Roberval-Lac-Saint-JeanMessage from the MNA for RobervalMessage from the National Chief and National Vice-Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal PeoplesFor an effective recognition of the aboriginal peoples of Quebec and Canada, Camil GirardMessage from the Director of Building OperationsMessage from the Supervisor for social community interventions Message from the Male Supervisor for Building Operations Message from the Female Supervisor for Building Operations Message from the Legal Counsel Message from the Supervisor for Foremen 2015 Goals, Conclusion and AcknowledgmentsPourvoirie du lac HuskyKisis TechnologiesMembers of the Board of Corporation Waskahegen

Corporation Waskahegen112, avenue de l’Église, bureau 204Dolbeau-Mistassini, QC G8L 4W4Tel.: 418 276-7551 | Fax: 418 276-8302E-mail: corpo@waskahegen.com | Website: www.waskahegen.com

Copyright – Bibliothèque nationale du Québec and National Library of Canada, 2015

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Origin...

To understand the present, it’s important to know our history. Both to trace the footprints of our ancestors and also to see the signs of how our land has evolved, making us what we are today. With this in mind, we’re pleased to present our latest annual report.

The origin takes us to the very essence of our roots, to a starting point. A place, certainly, but also a nation, an environment and a reality. So this word speaks to us because it reminds us that we can refer to it and find the source of everything.

Native heritage in Quebec is rich and diverse. As mentioned by Camil Girard, who incidentally has written an excellent text in this report, going beyond the recognition of fundamental rights, the concept of alliance and shared sovereignty between the Native population and the erstwhile French and English rulers serves as a framework to understand the scope of the negotiations that have been going on for many years.

For the past 43 years, this is how Corporation Waskahegen has been involved in a tangible way for the well-being and autonomy of off-reserve Natives in Quebec from the perspective of recognizing their ancestral rights. It manages and administers a housing stock of more than 2,000 units in some 117 areas across Quebec, has no less than ten branches to cover the vast territory and offer a panoply of services (employment, training, community social intervention, architecture, habitat improvement programs, construction project management and economic development). All this with the sole objective of ensuring a better future for off-reserve Natives.

Like Corporation Waskahegen, this year’s report throws light on the origin and the nature of the bonds that linked different nations from their very first contact while reinforcing the concepts of authenticity, hospitality and mutual aid that prevailed. In short, it paints a picture of the distinct and free Native character by revisiting the past.

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The cover of the report also highlights this reality: the land, a witness to rich Native history and footprints evoking the cohabitation that is possible between two peoples and the desire for progress.

Year after year, Corporation Waskahegen, through its dynamism and convincing results, reminds us to what extent its presence is a neces-sity. The game hasn’t been won yet, but there is hope that one day the origin of our people will finally be recognized and we will then be able to take control of our own destiny and development.

To conclude, I’d like to express my most sincere thanks to the whole Corporation Waskahegen team, which has been working tirelessly to make sure that the people we serve have the best possible services, as well as our partners who share our goals and help us achieve them.

Gilles BérubéPrésident-directeur général

President-Chief Executive Officergilles bérubé

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First Nations have a rich and impressive heritage. From our shared social, political and spiritual identities to our common colourful cul-tural baggage, our 400-year-old history has a unique origin.

For 43 years now, Corporation Waskahegen has been engaged in ef-forts to offer services and develop initiatives to promote the growth and well-being of off-reserve Natives. In brief, it acts as a lever to improve the living conditions of a number of people.

By offering quality services where housing, employment, training, economic development and community social intervention are con-cerned, it provides the basis of an autonomous community and a more prosperous society.

Corporation Waskahegen is proof that hard work and perseverance produce results. So, I would like to offer my congratulations to a team that works tirelessly for the well-being of people in need.

My best wishes for the continued success of your mission!

The Honourable Denis LebelMP for Roberval – Lac-Saint-JeanMinister of Infrastructure, Communities, and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec

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I am pleased with the publication of Corporation Waskahegen’s 2015 annual report. In over forty years, the Corporation has grown, and like the members of the Native Alliance of Quebec, has taken root in several regions of the province. Today, it provides quality housing at an affordable price to more than 2,000 off-reserve aboriginal house-holds. By doing this, it offers an adapted and original solution to an all too common problem and serves as a key element in ensuring a good quality of life.

It was only possible because good people believed in this idea. They worked hard for years to provide not just a roof, but also a living environment to hundreds of their compatriots and families. For all these people, this home is a mark of shared cultural identity and heritage.

So, I would like to thank the people behind this success as well as those who are contributing to its continuity today. They are show-ing the path to follow, the path of pride and solidarity. Reading this report helps us understand the scale and value of the work done, for which they deserve our wholehearted gratitude.

Philippe CouillardPremier of Quebec and Minister Responsible for the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Region

MP and MNAdenis lebel AND philippe couillard

MP and MNAdenis lebel AND philippe couillard

On behalf of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, we are pleased to celebrate the hard work and dedication of Waskahegen Corpora-tion, now in its 42nd year of operation. Our congratulations goes to Waskahegen on its anniversary, and our sincere thanks goes to everyone whose efforts help to ensure that the lives of Aboriginal Peoples living off-reserve in Québec are improved through the cor-poration’s programs in housing, employment assistance, economic development, labour market development and so much more.

This year’s theme, origins, reminds us of the importance of our roots as first peoples and of our connection to the land which is the origin of all things. It is in reflecting our origins that the work of organiza-tions like Corporation Waskahegen becomes so important to Ab-original people. By integrating the teachings of our ancestors, we see how to build programs for a prosperous future. By understanding the land from which we come, we understand how to treat the world around us.

At the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, understanding our origins informs how we approach issues today and build for tomorrow as well. The question of identity is a significant part of our work and the essential question that we will put before the Supreme Court of Canada in the case of Daniels v. Canada in the coming months.

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How we understand our own identity as Aboriginal people speaks to our ties to our communities, to where we come from, to our origins. And that identity will define how we move forward, both as individu-als and together as members of our communities.

To Corporation Waskahegen, we send a heartfelt thank you for re-minding us of the importance of our common history and how we will build a common and prosperous future.

Betty Ann Lavallée, CD (Ret’d)National Chief

Ron SwainNational Vice-ChiefCongress of Aboriginal Peoples

Chief and Vice-Chiefbetty ann lavallée and ron swain

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Camil Girard is an aboriginal rights expert. There is a lot to learn from his latest works. Here, we reproduce an excerpt from the book Nistassinan, Notre Terre. Alliances et souveraineté partagée du peuple innu au Québec, published by Les Presses de l’Université Laval, 2014 authored by Camil Girard with contributions by Carl Brisson.

For an effective recognition of the aboriginal peoples of Quebec and Canada Camil Girard, associate professor, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and Groupe de Recherche sur l’Histoire (GRH-UQAC)

The recognition of the fundamental rights of Natives in the current nego-tiations with the Innu people is almost an extension of principles similar to those that existed at the time of the first contact with the French in 1603 and those that the British preserved in the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The French and British Crowns wanted to enter into a partnership with the Natives of New France and Canada to establish a viable colony and develop a distinct economy based on respect, sharing as well as peaceful and harmonious coexistence.

To enable these principles to be applied safely, they were affirmed through a nation-to-nation alliance with the Natives.

The current negotiations between the Canadian and Quebec govern-ments and the Innus have been going on for more than thirty years.

To arrive at a negotiated agreement between the parties, it is important to take a long-term perspective with welcoming and collaborative relations contrary to the dominant discourse that has built up since the first contact in the 16th century to the present day. It is against the backdrop of the long-time occupation of their territories and the relationships cultivated from the very first intercultural encounters in Quebec that the history of aboriginal peoples must be analyzed for the recognition of their fundamental rights.

This work is centred round the hypothesis that beyond the concepts of discovery and conquest, lawmakers had to develop ways to manage and use territories based on the customs and needs of all the actors involved with the Crown, including aboriginal peoples.

So, we think that these management methods necessitated various forms of intercultural alliances on the ground that helped forge relations with aboriginal nations and other actors in the territories. Special alliances and treaties fell into place, which mixed both Euro-pean and aboriginal customs.

For aboriginals and more so for those of us of European origin, it is important to build intercultural spaces with a new shared in-tercultural history through which old sources can be reread. This will help us revisit our colonial (15th and 16th centuries) and national (19th century) histories.

Founding alliances… based on the recognition of the rights of aboriginal peoples in New France

In Quebec, the Innus (Montagnais) were the first allies of the French and they never ceded their territories situated in what is now the north-east of Quebec. The Crowns could have only affirmed their presence in these territories of the King’s Estate with the alliance of the aboriginal peoples on those lands.

In this work, the concept of alliance and shared sovereignty between the aboriginal peoples and the Crowns serves as the framework to understand the scope of the recognition of Innu rights on their Territory in north-eastern Quebec (Nitassinan/Nistassinan). In this respect, the first contacts with merchants in the 16th century, the first alliance in 1603 with the Montagnais (Innus) and their allies and the first great Commission of King Henri IV in November 1603 defined the nature of the relations that France established with the aboriginal peoples in New France.

This idea of a nation-to-nation alliance that endured during the French regime would have a considerable impact on the manage-ment of aboriginal peoples’ territories, in particular in Quebec and especially in the north-east, the Innu territory. France, then England after the Conquest of 1760, would scrupulously respect the “Indian” territory.

The situation changed radically with the creation of the United Province of Canada (1841 – 1867) and the Dominion of Canada in 1867. The policy of creating reserves (from the 1850s) and the Indian Act (1876) affirmed the implementation of a policy of expro-priation of lands, extinguishment of individual and collective rights and the assimilation of aboriginal peoples.

Historian and professorcamil girard

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From allies under previous regimes, they became marginalized minors under the guardianship of the new country being created, Canada. It is in this context of discrimination, especially towards aboriginal women who married non-Indians, that terms such as “Indians on reserves,” “non-status Indians,” and “off-reserve Indians,” which are now sub-sumed into the Native Alliance of Quebec (NAQ), appeared.

As pointed out by Sylvain Ross, Innu leader from Essipit, in the pref-ace of the work: “How is it that 400 years later, the status of Natives – and as far as I am concerned, that of Innus – went from Allies to wards of the State? That in the eyes of mainstream society, they are no longer indispensable, but rather undesirable? That today we treat our once commercial partners like minors reduced to the status of beggars?”

Drawing inspiration from the words of Robert Bourassa, we may conclude that Canada and Quebec should understand very clearly that whatever is said or done, Natives are and will be always, distinct and free peoples and Nations who are able to take their destiny and devel-opment into their own hands.

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Aboriginal valuesSince its inception, Corporation Waskahegen/Habitat Métis du Nord has always subscribed to traditional aboriginal values in its manage-ment and relations with its clients, employees and partners.

In 2014, with this spirit of respect, mutual assistance and commitment, the Corporation Waskahegen/Habitat Métis du Nord team continued to make all the efforts necessary to offer its off-reserve aboriginal clients the best possible housing conditions.

Apart from these aboriginal values, each member of the team stands out by their openness to the clientele by showing empathy and fairness. Each supported the other (clients and colleagues) to enhance collective well-being.

TeamworkManaging 2,000 housing units across 117 municipalities in Quebec is no easy task. To do this, we rely on a management team that is always available and in contact with our 36 employees working in 10 branches spread out over six regions.

Regions BranchesAbitibi-Témiscamingue Rouyn-Noranda

Val d’OrOutaouais Maniwaki

MansfieldQuebec City Montréal

Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean, Chibougamau-Chapais

Dolbeau-Mistassini

Côte Nord Sept-Îles Baie-Comeau

Gaspésie Mont-Joli

To continue on the path of collaboration, this year, all the mem-bers of the management team responsible for housing participated in the drafting of the property management report. Their role is crucial because they support and supervise employees in provincial areas, which helps us respond to our clients’ expectations and also to meet the requirements of our main partners and financial backers, which are the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ) and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

In this report, you will be able to see the results obtained by the entire Corporation Waskahegen/Habitat Métis du Nord team for the benefit of our clients who really need them.

Salient facts and statisticsHousing conditions have changed for the better since the inception of Corporation Wasakahegen/Habitat Métis du Nord, but there is never-theless room for more improvement.

The following are salient facts and statistics on off-reserve aboriginal housing. According to an article published by the National Collabo-ra-ting Centre for Aboriginal Health with the title Housing as a social determinant of First Nations, Inuit and Métis health:

Housing for Aboriginal people must be considered within the • context of demographic pressures. The Aboriginal population in Canada is young, increasingly urban and growing at a rate nearly six times faster than the non-Aboriginal population;Almost half of the Aboriginal population (48%) consists of chil-• dren and youth under the age of 24. While there have been im-provements over the past decade in the availability and quality of housing for Aboriginal people, these improvements have so far failed to keep pace with these demographic pressures.

Director of Building Operationsmartin voisine

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Also, according to the study conducted by Axe management in 2008 on off-reserve aboriginal housing conditions:

91% of annual household incomes are below $30,000 in tenant • households;74% of tenant households that do not have the opportunity to re-• side in a Corporation Waskahegen/Habitat Métis du Nord spend more than 25% of their income on housing;54% of households have pressing housing needs.•

A household is said to have pressing housing needs if its residence does not conform to at least one of the acceptability standards (quality, size and affordable rent) and if 30% of its income before taxes is not enough to pay the median rent of acceptable housing in the area (reference: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation).

Despite Corporation Waskahegen/Habitat Métis du Nord’s positive reports year after year on housing, in the light of the foregoing salient facts and statistics, it must be admitted that there is much work to be done to make more quality and affordable housing units available for off-reserve Natives.

New housing unitsFor two years now, Corporation Waskahegen/Habitat Métis du Nord has been working in collaboration with the SHQ, through the Accès Logis program to add 36 new housing units. In 2014, we made progress on two files concerning housing units to be constructed in Maniwaki and Déléage, which should start taking shape in 2015.

In the short term, we would also like to create 28 other housing units in the municipalities of Saint-Félicien (Saguenay- Lac-Saint-Jean), Sherbrooke (Estrie) and Rouyn-Noranda (Abitibi-Témiscamingue).

After the addition of these 36 new housing units, we would like to capitalize on the momentum and add even more housing units for off-reserve Natives.

Performance indicatorsCorporation Waskahegen/Habitat Métis du Nord managers have always administered the housing stock in the most economical way possible. We have always made it our duty to contribute to the improvement of the use of public finances. Our management has always been and continues to be conscientious and responsible.

Because we benefit from the financial collaboration of provincial and federal institutions (SHQ, CMHC) for the management and mainte-nance of our housing stock, we must show our partners our skill in managing public money. Some performance indicators enable us to show our effectiveness, particularly, our accounts receivable and bad debts.

Accounts receivableIn 2014, we ended the year with $70,233 in accounts receivable. It is one of our best results in 15 years.

Bad debtsWhere bad debts are concerned, we had $106,260 in 2014. This is also one of the best results we have had since the year 2000.

For the past few years, we have had excellent results on these two per-formance indicators. Our greatest pride is that we are succeeding in maintaining accounts receivable and bad debts at low levels while re-maining available to our clients. We are trying hard to find solutions, in partnership with our clients who have difficulties paying rent, so that they can keep their housing unit. In this way, we are respecting the traditional aboriginal values of respect, mutual assistance and com-mitment.

Vacant housing unitsAnother indicator remains important for us, which is vacant housing units. We pay special attention to make sure that our vacant housing units are made ready for occupation in the shortest delay possible. Ac-cording to the established procedure, our sub-contractors must make this task a priority.

Since 2010, we have maintained a monthly average of 62 vacant hous-ing units, which represents 3.1% of all our 2,000 housing units. To understand the results obtained clearly, we must consider that our housing units are spread over 117 municipalities across Quebec. We concede that it’s a large territory and this reality is a constraint because our sub-contractors must sometimes travel long distances to carry out repairs to make the unit ready to be rented again.

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And if we stopped judging and remembered what happened…

I have been a community social worker for Habitat Métis du Nord for 10 years now. For many, I’ve gone from the wicked social worker who would judge them and take their children away from them to the kind social worker who offers them solutions and assistance to understand society, keeping in mind their values, beliefs, habits and family.

In my opinion, we must begin by understanding before judging. If we do a little bit of research on all that the Natives have gone through, from residential schools to the massive adoption plan that they were victims of in the 1960s because of which many of them were divested of their cultural identity and communities saw their children being snatched away from them…. Ask yourself this: would you go back with your eyes closed to this system and would you encourage your children to turn to it to look for resources or help without any misgivings? That’s why it is important to have a team of six social workers who know the aboriginal reality and who work for the same goal, which is to improve their quality of life through our organization.

We are the bridge, we represent accessible assistance, a first-contact resource and a lesson in trust and mutual respect. All this has the effect of not only helping, but also of preventing many social, eco-nomic and cultural problems that Natives are unfortunately con-fronted with.

In conclusion, what must be remembered, in my opinion, is that we must learn to understand. When we understand, we save time. And as the old saying goes, time is money, but for our clients, time is also children, life and the future.

Véronique BérubéSupervisor for social community interventions

Supervisor for social community interventionsVéronique Bérubé

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Community centresCorporation Waskahegen/Habitat Métis du Nord offers community services at two centres: the le Pavillon Mawandoseg, which celebrated its 9th anniversary, is situated on Pincourt Street in Quebec City and offers its services to 100 households in the neighbourhood; and the Maison de Quartier de la rue des Rondiers in La Tuque, inaugurated on June 2, 2014, which serves 32 households.

The La Tuque centre is currently running in the form of a pilot project for a year. Given its success attributable to project leader Mélissa Lauzon, we expect it to continue next year.

Community centres fulfil the same mission, which is to develop a place of belonging for the community by offering a venue for meetings and various activities. Several steps have been taken to do this: collective kitchen, sports activities, gardening, storytelling, spirituality, job search, etc. Members can enjoy many educational and prevention workshops: addiction, intimidation, dropping out of school, management of emotions, good habits and aboriginal customs.

Special activities have been conducted to teach members about aboriginal origins: cooking game, spirituality and symbolism, natural remedies and aboriginal storytelling evenings.

These projects were started to respond to demand with the invaluable help of the Native Alliance of Quebec and the neighbouring com-munities.

With community organizations, regional businesses and generous citizens as partners, members contribute to cleaning, repainting and decorating community centres and organizing activities to provide a warm and convivial environment.

Their success is growing and the survival of our community centres is linked to the amazing involvement of their members and the con-tinued efforts of employees there.

Dominic GagnonMale Supervisor for Building Operations

Male Supervisor for Building Operations dominic gagnon

Annual visitsRemembering one’s origins, culture, traditions and perpetuating them by transmission to future generations is a good way of influencing one’s community so that it practises the traditional aboriginal values of tolerance, sharing, concern for the community, openness to others and respect for the living environment.

In 2014, 1,767 housing units were visited as part of our employees’ annual visits out of a total of 2,004. The remaining 12% will be prioritized next year. The aim of these visits is to ensure that our tenants live in a safe and healthy environment which was the original founding wish of Corporation Waskahegen for off-reserve Natives. We also check the physical state of our housing stock and we ensure that the law is respected.

Shelter Enhancement Program (SEP)Corporation Waskahegen has been offering shelter enhancement programs for the Société d’habitation du Québec from the begin-ning. It is with the Emergency Repair Program that we started helping the first few aboriginal families.

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In 2014, we had a new turn. The Quebec government’s budget was developed with a view to fixing public finances. No budgetary enve-lope was allocated for the Réno Village program and the Emergency Repair Program. So, these programs are being studied and we are waiting for directives from our managers.

Where the Residential Adaptation Program (RAP) is concerned, which helps people with reduced mobility through the joint work of our inspectors and occupational therapists from the area to adapt their homes, the SHQ now allocates budgets based on the file in question. They can be hired depending on budget availability. So, there is no certainty about the time it would take for us to execute these files because they can be postponed until the next program at any time.

So, we regret having to keep the assistance that we were able to pro-vide through these programs for so many years in limbo.

Patricia Lebeuf Female Supervisor for Building Operations

Female Supervisor for Building Operations patricia lebeuf

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Legal CounselNowadays, individuals and businesses are subject to laws, norms and regulations in their daily lives. Western society has a judicial system to make people respect established laws and punish illegal actions. At Corporation Waskahegen/Habitat Métis du Nord, like in most busi-nesses, the lawyer or the legal department is in charge of ensuring that activities take place within the law.

But at the heart of our organization, the mission of the legal depart-ment is much broader and distinguished by its relevance, origins and goals.

Origins (or a little bit of history)When the Europeans first arrived in America, aboriginal societies had been living on the continent for a long time and they were or-ganized and had already adopted rules of conduct. For the Natives, these rules represented their values and beliefs, which could not be violated, even if they were not written. Some of these rules were common to all First Nations. The following are a few examples:

Family: children are considered assets, loved deeply, given • attention and tenderness and subject to few constraints. Each member of the family – mother, father and children – are equal. Elders represent memory and wisdom.

Community life: sharing and giving are a necessity. Only a • few possessions such as jewelry and weapons are individual. Everything else is common and contributes to the survival of the group. Hospitality is an obligation. Managers: managers are spokespersons and coordinators and • must continuously demonstrate their compliance with the rules of community life, particularly by offering hospitality regularly and giving generously. Conflict resolution: consensus is the method used to resolve • conflicts; elders listen to and guide opposing parties towards a solution.

In fact, the majority of these regulations still hold true for Aborigi-nals. Even though they must adapt to Western laws and regulations, their conduct continues to be guided first and foremost by their deep-rooted values and cultural mores.

Now, this “aboriginal code of conduct” is sometimes difficult to reconcile with the legal and organizational framework governing today’s society. For instance, for a people to whom hospitality is an obligation, the legal concept of “undeclared occupant” is difficult to explain. This means Corporation Waskahegen/Habitat Métis du Nord’s legal department must ensure that laws are respected and also explain and justify them to their clients.

Belonging and goalsAt Corporation Waskahegen, we have made education and aware-ness, rather than automatic punishment, our priority. We recommend regulations and mediation rather than litigation. In fact, we make tools available to help people apply rules while respecting aboriginal values and culture. By basically working in this way for and with the people, the legal department ensures that it remains effective, but also culturally sensitive, accessible and empathetic.

From many points of view, last year was one of accomplishments for the legal department. We settled several important matters, updated tools and documents used by employees, consolidated the team and developed the Legal Guide.

So, we can say that more than ever we are a responsible aboriginal legal department which is proud of its roots and faithful to its ori-gins

Josée BérubéLawyer, Legal Counsel

Lawyer, Legal Counseljosée bérubé

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Major construction works and building health check reportAt the beginning, more than 40 years ago, Corporation Waskahegen only had a few housing units. Over the years, without forgetting its humble beginnings, it has become what it is today with a housing stock of 2,000 units for off-reserve Natives.

Since then, several aspects of the preventive management of our housing units have changed. Today, we have managers with a lot of experience under their belt. Budgets have also increased proportionally with time.

For 2014, we have around $4,800,000 for major works. Despite the large sum, there are gaping needs and we think it is essential for the provincial and federal governments to maintain their contribution at the same percentage for the next seven or eight years.

As at the beginning, we invest each dollar in our RAM budget (major works) as judiciously as possible. That’s why it’s important to target the work to be done properly and set the right priorities. The search for new contractors at competitive rates by our foremen helps greatly in the efficient use of the budget. It is out of respect for our origins that we need to act in this way. Over the years, the advent of com-puters has brought us many tools with which we can optimize the maintenance of our housing stock.

The main tool that we have been using to plan our budgets for coming years is the building health check report. Each building and its units are visited by a certified inspector every five years. The report consists of observations from various priority levels, thus revealing the state of the building. With the help of this tool and the expertise of our foremen, we manage to keep our budgets well balanced.

Several events can be stumbling blocks to the execution of major works. For instance, in remote areas, a shortage of contractors can affect the cost. Other important factors that are out of our control have an impact on the budget and these are disasters and urgent repair works that are unforeseen. Like the founders, who had to overcome many obstacles, we too must constantly show flexibility and re-evaluate our priorities.

At the end of the day, our foremen and technical team have to constantly find new solutions to achieve our common goal, which is to maintain the housing stock in the best possible state by investing the budget at our disposal.

Sébastien DesrosiersSupervisor for Foremen

Supervisor for Foremensébastien desrosiers

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2015 Goals

Tenant guideWe plan to amend our tenant guide for the coming year. Several items in the code of conduct for each tenant must be added and/or revised to promote better understanding among clients so that they get along well as neighbours, keep the housing stock in a good state of repair and respect the laws in force. This tool is a compendium of building regulations and is an integral part of the lease signed by the tenant.

Occupational health and safetyFor the past few years, we have been part of a prevention mutual group. We believe that the health and safety of our employees is important. That’s why we have committed to taking the necessary measures to protect them.

Each year, our prevention mutual group (ACCISST), processes member files. After this evaluation, taking into account the efforts made to apply our “Occupational health and safety policy” and our effective collaboration, we earned the “SELECT” grade. It’s the highest performance level in the five existing grades.

Obviously, for 2015, we would like to maintain our highest stan-dards. This recognition reflects the importance that we place on our employees.

New housing unitsAs we have seen in the salient facts and statistics section, the housing needs for off-reserve Natives are constantly growing and the supply does not meet the demand. This is why we will continue our efforts to add new units to our housing stock.

IntranetThis year, the management team finished its Intranet project. The old software did not give us the freedom to make the changes we wanted. So, we worked in collaboration with COGIWEB to find a solution to this problem.

For a few months, we have been using more versatile software that responds better to our goal of being able to make changes and/or revisions ourselves. We believe we have completed more than 50% of the work. We hope to be able to present this pedagogical tool to board members in 2015 so that it is online the following year.

Conclusion and acknowledgementsAgain this year, Corporation Waskahegen/Habitat Métis du Nord has fulfilled its mandate in style by offering the best housing condi-tions to off-reserve Natives. This positive report is not a product of chance and could not have been possible without the contribution of several actors who had the well-being of Natives at heart.

Thank you to all our employees for their commitment, board mem-bers for their involvement and dedication, Native Alliance of Quebec (NAQ) volunteers for their support and our government partners (SHQ and CMHC) for their collaboration. Without the support of each and every one of you our mission would not be accomplished.

Thank you for giving hope to our clients who are often beset with social and/or financial problems. Your contribution is essential and will help them have a better quality of life. I recognize in each one of you the traditional aboriginal values of RESPECT, MUTUAL HELP and COMMITMENT. WELL DONE!

Martin VoisineDirector of Building Operations

2015 Goals, Conclusion and Acknowledgements

pourvoirie du lac husky

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Nature in its savage state!

That’s what the Pourvoirie du lac Husky has to offer. Its sprawling territory in a splendid setting with breathtaking landscapes will enchant you for sure.

The Pourvoirie du lac Husky is known for its thousands of acres of savage forest and countless lakes. Whether it’s for fishing, hunting or a family holiday, in summer or winter, it’s a dream destination.

Different types of packages with a European or American plan are available. Regardless of the length of your stay, you’ll be delighted with the quality and abundant natural beauty of the site.

Activities for everyone and for all seasons:• fishing;• hunting;• walking;• canoeing;• quad biking;• snowmobile rides;• snowshoeing;• etc.

Accessible by vehicle, Husky Lake is situated on the 50th parallel, 200 km north of Dolbeau-Mistassini in Lac-Saint-Jean. The headwater lake is the source of the 8km-long Mistassini River, which promises you an extraordinary fishing experience.

Break free from the everyday grind before it gets to you and connect with aboriginal traditions. It’ll be a vacation you’ll never forget!

Pourvoirie du lac Husky112, avenue de l’Église, bureau 204Dolbeau-Mistassini, QC G8L 4W4Tel.: 418 276-7551E-mail: info@lachusky.comWebsite: www.lachusky.com

kisis technologies

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Kisis Technologies has the expertise and the industrial materials nec-essary for the manufacture of durable torrefied wood that is durable, aesthetic and outstanding in quality.

The torrefied wood made with Kisis Technologies’ know-how is a top-notch product which offers an affordable solution, considering all the other good products on the market.

The technological process used is clean and does not release any polluting waste into the environment. So, the materials remain com-pletely natural because no chemicals are added. This is why Kisis Technologies can call its thermo-transformation and streamlining process as well as its finished products environmentally friendly.

The thermo-transformation of wood is a procedure in which heat is used to extract the humidity from wood and enhance its quali-ties. This material has numerous uses (urban furniture, garden design and furniture, exterior wooden facing, shower, bath, wall cladding, floor covering, sauna, etc.) and enables Kisis Technologies to fulfil its mission, which is to maintain a dominant position in the world of thermo-transformation by offering a top-notch torrefied wood product while committing to respect the following values: quality, service, and respect.

So, the sky’s the limit!

Kisis technologiesUsine 330, 7e AvenueDolbeau-Mistassini, QC G8L 1Y7Tel.: 418 276-1582Website: www.kisistechnologies.com

board

Gilles BérubéPresident-Chief Executive Officer

Fernand ChalifouxVice-president

Jean Jolicoeur Clerk-treasurer

Denis Larche Director

Sylvain SassevilleDirector

Roland NormandeauDirector

Raymond BouchardDirector