Six Nations ponders housing project in Brantford

Facing a dire need for housing on and off the reserve, Six Nations is looking into building 490 rental units on a vacant Brantford property owned by the elected council.

The five-acre property on West Street was left to the band council by its previous owner upon his death in 2006.

Six Nations band members and non-Indigenous residents would be eligible to rent the apartments.

Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation, which oversees economic development on behalf of the elected council, is leading the project.

Before construction can begin, roughly 250 tons of soil must be remediated due to elevated lead levels. Six Nations would also need to consult with the City of Brantford and secure funding.

“The remediation of 431 West St. is a critical next step to utilize the untapped potential of Six Nations’ land in the city of Brantford,” development corporation president and chief executive officer Matt Jamieson said in a statement, adding the high-density proposal represents “an innovative housing solution to achieve the highest and best use of the property.”

Any new housing would be a win for band members, said Lily Mt Pleasant, senior manager of housing with Six Nations.

“We’ll take anything we can get in terms of housing, as long as it’s safe and affordable,” Mt Pleasant told The Spectator.

The West Street project would “absolutely” help address a years-long backlog for affordable housing on Six Nations while catering to band members who prefer to live in the city, said Mt Pleasant, who is not directly involved in the project.

“Having a good mix of on-territory housing and off-territory housing is always best to address all the needs within the community,” she said.

“And it would still be considered — even though it’s in Brantford — part of that community, because we have a lot of members that live off-territory.”

In a media release, elected Chief Mark Hill called the proposal “a great step in the right direction to further assist our community members living in Brantford,” adding council “looks forward to the city’s full support.”

The history of the West Street property is not without controversy.

Since it is not technically part of the Six Nations reserve, the land has traditionally been subject to taxation by the city. This caused some tension in 2013, when it was reported that Six Nations owed more than $46,000 in back taxes.

After several rounds of legal wrangling and a move by the city to sell the property, Six Nations paid the tax bill and then sued the city to recoup the money, arguing municipal land held in trust for Six Nations was never intended to be taxed.

In March, the development corporation temporarily stepped back from managing the property to allow elected council and the city to resolve jurisdictional issues.

“We weren’t able to advance any activity on that property, largely because we did not know what the (Six Nations elected) council wanted to do with respect to converting them to reserve lands or leaving them as fee simple,” Jamieson told The Spectator in the spring.

Now, with a possible path forward for the property, the development corporation is again taking an active role.

Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.