Oki everyone, we would like to clarify misinformation that has been circulating regarding the lease agreements that were recently mailed to rental tenants. The new agreements are simply needed to replace the old leases that have been used by the Nation for the last 20 years. The old agreements contained several errors and outdated sections, and need to be updated.
Specifically, we want to address and respond to the following concerns:
Will Housing collect rental arrears from my distribution payment?
No. We recently sent out a notice stating no rental arrears will be collected from the December distribution. The new lease agreement does not mean we will collect arrears from the distribution payment.
Will I be evicted if I don't sign?
No.
That being said, we want to assure you that your homes are your homes, and we simply needed to update the leases. We rely on rents to have budget available to maintain the homes we have on the nation. When rents don't come in, we are more limited in the amount we can spend on skilled trades and materials do repair and renovate your homes. So, we encourage you to pay your rent so we can better serve the community.
Lastly, we have been working on a new housing strategy which is telling us that the nation is growing, and there is an increasing pressure to build more housing. Our research is telling us that Siksika will need to build 950 new homes in the next 10 years based on predicted demand. We need to increase funding and skilled trades to build more homes every year year to close this housing gap. Currently, we have only built between 10-20 homes per year which is not enough to meet the rising demand. Please support the Nation in trying to meet this goal.
We will plan an open house in January to meet with housing staff, and we plan to hold more engagement on housing with the Nation throughout 2023 and into the future.
If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to us at housing@siksikanation.com or call 403 734 5200
