First Indigenous-led city housing project will support needs of elders in Toronto, chief says

The first Indigenous-led rental housing project developed for the City of Toronto will provide a nurturing environment for elders and respect cultural traditions, said the chief of the Missanabie Cree First Nation on Monday.

The nation, which has its own development company, is the driving force behind the project at 140 Merton St., near Yonge Street and Davisville Avenue.

Once complete, the building will be the first city-owned property to be leased and operated exclusively by an Indigenous organization and not-for-profit entity, the City of Toronto said in a news release Monday. 

"Our elders are the keepers of our stories, languages and traditions," Chief Jason Gauthier told reporters shortly after a blessing ceremony at the site.

"Providing them with a safe, respectful and holistic environment is not just a responsibility, it's a duty." 

The building will feature 294 residential units for Indigenous elders and non-Indigenous seniors, with approximately a third of these units being designated as affordable housing, the city said in a news release.

It was not clear at Monday's event how many units will be reserved for Indigenous elders. CBC Toronto has reached out to the city for clarification. 

Gauthier led Monday's ceremony alongside members of the Missanabie Cree First Nation and city staff. The event was held to celebrate the completion of the project's financing. 

The building will eventually be 29 storeys tall, according to city documents posted online. It will include a ceremonial space, smudging room and indoor and outdoor communal areas, Gauthier said. 

"For over a century, our people have navigated the challenges of displacement and the long road towards reclaiming our rightful place within these lands," he said. 

"Today we take a significant step towards that journey." 

Construction is expected to begin in late summer or early fall, said Doug Rollins, the city's director of housing stability services. It may take around two years before residents begin moving in, he said. 

Rollins said financing to date has been from the federal government, but the city is continuing to look for partnerships.

Existing tenants will be accommodated, city says

Currently, 140 Merton St. is home to a two-storey building that is being used as a senior care centre. The city said the new building will include 2,150 square metres of community space to be subleased back to the city to accommodate the existing tenants. 

Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik said the project is part of the city's efforts to address the affordable housing crisis but is also a way for the city to "honour our commitments to truth, justice and reconciliation." 

"We know all too well that Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by the housing crisis, which is why we are grateful to be partnering with Indigenous housing providers," she said. 

A Statistics Canada report from 2021 found that many Indigenous people in Canada live in "inadequate housing," particularly those living in remote or northern communities. 

More than one in six Indigenous people lived in crowded housing considered not suitable for the number of people living there, the report said.

Its authors also found Indigenous people were almost three times more likely to live in a dwelling in need of major repairs than the non-Indigenous population in 2021.