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Take a look at the revolutionary housing developments Canada's First Nations are building on ancestral land

Aerial rendering of the future Sen̓áḵw development in downtown Toronto
The Sen̓áḵw development in central Vancouver

Courtesy of the Squamish Nation

  • Canada's First Nations are constructing dense new housing in the country's most expensive city.
  • Canada faces a severe housing affordability crisis and the projects aim to help solve it. 
  • Take a look at three of the ground-breaking developments. 

Canada's First Nations are breaking new ground with several major housing developments in the city of Vancouver.

Like the US, Canada is facing a severe housing affordability crisis, in large part driven by a shortage of homes — and Vancouver has some of the highest housing costs in the country. These projects represent major strides in addressing disproportionate housing burdens on Canada's Indigenous communities, as Business Insider recently reported, as well as efforts to build generational wealth for tribe members.

One project minutes away from downtown Vancouver, being built by the Squamish Nation, will include 11 towers and 6,000 housing units. The Nation won back the 12 acres of land the project sits on about 20 years ago after their ancestors were forced off the land in the early 20th century.

In another set of projects, three First Nations -  the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples - have come together to develop six pieces of land in Vancouver and its surroundings. Acquired over the past decade, the value of the land sits at $4 billion, according to Brennan Cook, vice president of the MST Development Corporation, the real-estate company representing the three First Nations.

"What they're doing here is groundbreaking, it really hasn't been done elsewhere," Cook recently told Business Insider.

Take a look at these projects and the future of housing in Vancouver.

This rendering of the Sen̓áḵw development under construction in Vancouver shows what it'll look like when completed.
Aerial rendering of the future Sen̓áḵw development in downtown Toronto
The Sen̓áḵw development in central Vancouver

Courtesy of the Squamish Nation

The first three towers in Sen̓áḵw are scheduled to be completed by November 2025.
Close-up of a Sen̓áḵw development tower with hanging patios covered in green foliage
The Sen̓áḵw development in Vancouver

Courtesy of the Squamish Nation

Altogether, the development will have 11 towers with 6,000 housing units.
One of the Sen̓áḵw development towers
The Sen̓áḵw development in Vancouver

Courtesy of the Squamish Nation

As the land belongs to the Squamish Nation, rather than the Canadian government, speedier permits were granted for construction.
View of the Sen̓áḵw development across the city's False Creek
The Sen̓áḵw development sitting across the city's False Creek

Courtesy of the Squamish Nation

The 12 acres the development sits on originally belonged to the Squamish Nation, before they were driven off the land in 1913.
View of the Sen̓áḵw development across the Burrad Street Bridge
View of the Sen̓áḵw development across the Burrad Street Bridge

Courtesy of the Squamish Nation

Source: CBC News

The Squamish Nation won the land back in 2002.
The Sen̓áḵw development when its completed
The Sen̓áḵw development in central Vancouver

Courtesy of the Squamish Nation

Mindy Wight, the CEO of the Squamish development group, described the project as "a modern Squamish village."
Aerial rendering of the Sen̓áḵw development
The Sen̓áḵw development in Vancouver

Courtesy of the Squamish Nation

Jericho Lands is another First Nations-led housing development being planned in Vancouver.
Rendering of the Jericho Lands development featuring public parks and glass-tower buildings
Jericho Lands development

Courtesy of MST Partnership and Canada Lands Company

The 90-acre development is slated to house up to 18,000 people.
Parks and public walkways in the Jericho Lands development
Jericho Lands development

Courtesy of MST Partnership and Canada Lands Company

The building process will occur in phases and is expected to take 20-30 years.
A public walkway with gray stones and multiple trees in the Jericho Lands development
Jericho Lands development

Courtesy of MST Partnership and Canada Lands Company

Jericho Lands will be situated in Vancouver's West Point Grey neighborhood, known for its mountain views and popular beaches.
View of the mountains in the future Jericho Lands development
Jericho Lands development

Courtesy of MST Partnership and Canada Lands Company

Source: Vancouver.ca

Heather Street Lands is another development led by the MST Partnership between the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.
Rendering of the Heather Street Lands development
Heather Street Lands

Courtesy of MST Partnership and Canada Lands Company

The project sits on 21 acres and will have 2,600 homes.
A gazebo and green space in the Heather Street Lands development
Heather Street Lands

Courtesy of MST Partnership and Canada Lands Company

Heather Street Lands will be located near Queen Elizabeth Park, the highest point in Vancouver.
A walkway with public art in the Heather Street Lands
Heather Street Lands

Courtesy of MST Partnership and Canada Lands Company

Source: Vancouver.ca

The development will offer 99-year leases, instead of selling any property outright.
Aerial rendering of Heather Street Lands
Heather Street Lands

Courtesy of MST Partnership and Canada Lands Company

With that strategy, the hope is for Heather Lands to be an "economic engine" for the tribes leading development, explained Brennan Cook, the vice president of the MST Development Corporation.
A rendering of a waterway flowing through the Heather Street Lands development
Heather Street Lands

Courtesy of MST Partnership and Canada Lands Company

Read the original article on Business Insider


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