Changing lives, one house at a time

June 2022 – In Indigenous communities across Canada, the idea of a home to call your own is a distant dream for many people. But in six Indigenous communities near Cenovus’s operations in northern Alberta, it’s quickly becoming a reality. Dozens of families have already moved in to new homes built as part of the Cenovus Indigenous Housing Initiative, or are about to. The $50 million initiative is a collaborative effort between Cenovus and the six communities to address one of the biggest problems facing Indigenous Communities today – a chronic shortage of adequate housing. The program is expected to result in about 200 new homes built over five years. To find out how we’re changing lives, watch our latest video.

The Cenovus Indigenous Housing Initiative was launched in January 2020. The first year was largely spent working collaboratively with the communities to determine how the houses could be built offsite, delivered and then handed over to waiting families. Now, all that upfront work is paying off with construction activity hitting full stride and communities taking delivery.

As part of the initiative, Cenovus also launched a 24-week construction and trades readiness program in partnership with Portage College. The program, which teaches home construction and maintenance skills to members of the participating communities, is working towards its second graduating class in September 2022.

The six participating communities are:

• Beaver Lake Cree Nation
• Chard Métis (Local 218)
• Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation
• Cold Lake First Nations
• Conklin Métis (Local 193)
• Heart Lake First Nation