Discussions

having watched the news and seen the conditions that  
Canadians and their children are living in, I cannot understand why we are sending money out of the country when we need to put our own house in order, we already have homeless and hungry people living here and they need help, surely they should come first.

Do you have a link for the mold in housing problem. I know with rentals no landlord wants to let mould issues persist as it is costly to remove. It also depends on the type of housing. Is it rentals or government housing? If so I have seen a lack of respect for these properties as it isn't theirs, it's a rental. I have seen people not use exhaust fans when cooking, showering, etc as it "takes the heat out of the house" that they pay for. Thus mold starts.

I believe the OP is referring to recent articles regarding mold in on-reserve housing:  
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-first-nations-housing-1.5006284  
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/cat-lake-first-nation-mould-1.5009079

You can't fix mould with money, have YOU tried that?  
 
The number 1 cause of mould in a house is human activity. If you keep your house clean, no matter what your social or economic status is, you can prevent mould from growing in your house.  
 
For example, I live in a mobile home built in the 70's, and the previous owner removed the exhaust fan from the bathroom, and built an unheated addition. What his has essentially done is create an environment favourable for the growth of mould, especially in winter. But, with some very simple methods, we've been able to prevent it from growing.  
 
There's some very valuable information on the CMHC website that deals with combating mould in the home...none of which requires a great financial investment.

I've worked construction, and I used to be a landlord myself, so I've got some first hand experience in dealing with mould.  
 
From the landlord perspective - a lot of people are just filthy. I don't buy the whole "they don't own it" argument. It's not an excuse. It's still their home when they're renting, and I can say that as a young man just going out on my own, the two places I had rented were left in better condition when I moved out than when I moved in.  
 
As a landlord I can attest to how people would disconnect the bathroom fan because it made the bathroom feel "cold" after a bath or shower...(unless they wanted to have a smoke in their non-smoking apartment). I've seen people who NEVER wipe down their bathroom, then complain that there's mould growing on the mould-repellant silicone on the tub surround.  
 
But I've also seen the results of poor construction in homes. Shoddy insulation and vapour barrier installation that leads to moisture in the walls. Poor air flow that leads to moisture and mould growth above ceilings and in attics. Poor installation of bathroom vents... etc. etc.  
 
From my experience - if you want mould-free insulation when constructing, spend the extra money and go sprayfoam from a reputable installer. The sprayfoam has a better R-value per thickness, it seals everything up tight, and it actually adds to the structural integrity of the building.  
 
Otherwise - it's all a matter of having a bit of self-respect and keeping your home clean to keep the mould out.  
 
Of course this is all IMHO...

I had a feeling it was linked to reserves. Melvinsfan I agree with a lot of the points you made. I always left a rental in better condition. When you click on the links one has to wonder why they allow their homes to get in that condition in the first place. Holes in walls, windows need replacing. The one person said they have been waiting 18 years for a home. Heck I have been waiting all my life for a home until I paid for it. And now being almost paid off 17 years later the house still is in great condition. When we moved to Manitoba we stayed in Manitoba housing for a couple years to get on our feet. They replaced all the windows and doors. Within the first month many homes had the screens ripped out, screen doors ripped off their hinges, windows busted. I am sorry but if you are not going to respect a home then you have no right to be living in it. Having a house in an utter mess, crayon all over the walls, holes knocked in them, etc. Mold is the homes least problem. The tenant should be held responsible.

They pulled apart a wall on CBC news. It didn't have a vapor barrier. These homes are garbage from day 1.

If they opened up a wall only to find no vapour barrier, then this home wasn't built to any code.  
 
I don't know how things are done on reserves, but anywhere else, it's the building inspector's job is to make the contractor accountable. If the building inspector lets stuff like that fly, then the building inspector should be held accountable.

While cleaniness is part of the issue for some homes (and unfortunately reserve housing has the reputation of not being well-cared for), we're reasonably clean people and we've had mould issues from moisture in this house and unsuitable construction. So yeah, if they're built with no vapour barrier there's going to be mould in the walls especially up north where it's so cold.

a little TLC and maintenance would go a long way, the drywall was smashed in a couple of the pictures, I would say that's the tenants doing that no one to blame but themselves , a new weather stripe on the door, simple fix for the maintenance team, my house is heated with wood and 2 oscillating fans, drywall is fine maybe look in the mirror instead of blaming others

When were those houses built? I wonder if all of that drywall was already replaced at some point, possibly due to damage, holes punched/kicked in it, etc. If it was replaced by an occupant, maybe they removed the vapour barrier and didn't replace it. You never know. It may not be the contractor's fault at all.  
 
However, I used to live in a mobile home that was built in the early '70s. That home had no vapour barrier in it at all, but it also did not have any mould issues either. It was heated by a forced air gas furnace and had a gas stove. It had an exhaust fan in tthe bathroom and a range hood/fan in the kitchen. They both worked. I wonder what type of heat is in those houses? Air circulation and getting the moist air out is key, IMO.

One article I read said up to 18 people living in a 3 bedroom home. Just so many factors. These communities I imagine don’t have easy access to materials to repair their homes like we do. Boil water advisories etc. We can’t imagine the struggle they face for clean water, washing clothes, getting groceries, going to school, finding a job and keeping warm in winter and comfortable in summer. We simply can’t imagine. Did find an interesting article from Buffy Saint Marie from 2015 we need to think outside the box to start solving these problems. https://m.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/05/27/buffy-sainte-marie-first-nations-housing_n_7424652.html

Did not intend this to be a site to denigrate reservations  
notice lack of response to concern about our homeless living on the streets together with the need for foodbanks to ensure that help is available for those in need.

According to Article 81 of the Indian Act (yes , it's still called that) the Band itself is responsible for creating and enforcing their own laws, including those that cover construction standards of buildings.

lies the number one problem, they don't care what kind of housing they build on a reserve! Shame on the contractors!

The contractors are only building what they were told.

So the accountability lies with the Band Chief and Council.  
 
So take the issue to Chief and Council.  
 
It's really hard to offer solutions to ongoing mould and damage issues without coming across as racist in these situations, so I apologize to anyone in advance who may be offended. It's not my intention...  
Here goes:  
 
-Stop constructing with stick frame and drywall for band-owned homes.  
-Train and begin a mentoring program for band members in construction and trades  
-Offer the option of "ownership" to band members through long-term leases of reserve property (50 year or 100 year)  
Allow band members to build equity in their own homes... Maybe look to Habitat for Humanity as a guide  
 
The idea to have no planning district with strict codes intrigues me. It opens up construction ideas to a multitude of options, and the community can set up its' own regulations regarding construction materials and practices. It's a blank slate! Natural materials make for healthier homes. It's an engineer's dream really. But to do it right would have to start with the people in the community.  
 
Complaining only goes so far, and throwing money at the problem doesn't get to the root of it. Invest the money in solutions and see what happens. Train the youth. It worked for the Osoyoos band...  
 
Edited by Melvinsfan, 2019-02-08 19:37:25

are you saying that the contractors were told to build substandard housing?