As natural disasters ravage Indigenous land, uninsured residents struggle to rebuild

Ashes fly into the air as Ron Bellerose sifts through the rubble of his destroyed home.

A bunch of coils are all that remain of his mattress, while a charred stove and fridge stand nearby. There is nothing left of the 63-year-old's house in East Prairie Métis Settlement in northern Alberta after a wildfire tore through the community last month, destroying his home and 13 others.

Bellerose comes back every other day to clean up and work on the property.

"It's unbelievable," he said. "You want to cry … you can't put it in words."

He fled after a mandatory evacuation order with some clothes and nothing else. He's been living in a hotel in High Prairie, approximately 35 kilometres northwest, and is wondering how to rebuild his life.

Recovery is likely to be difficult — Bellerose did not have insurance for his belongings and said he was given a long list of reasons years ago on why he was denied.

"They said because we didn't have a proper fire department, we're too far away from the fire hydrant and the High Prairie Fire Department is too far away. By the time they get here, there'll be nothing left to salvage," Bellerose said.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada told CBC News that homeowner policies for houses in Indigenous communities are possible to obtain, but admits they can be difficult and expensive.

There are active discussions with the federal government about how best to cover First Nations, particularly in relation to catastrophic losses related to climate change, said Craig Stewart, vice-president of climate change and federal issues with the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

"Indigenous reserves are a special case. They're going to need special attention and certain solutions," he said.

Common problem

Alberta NDP MP Blake Desjarlais recently visited East Prairie Métis Settlement to see the damage himself. He understands the experience of wildfire firsthand. In 2003, as a child, he was evacuated from Fishing Lake Métis Settlement because of a wildfire — an experience that left him traumatized.

There is a long history of First Nations and Métis people being uninsured, he said.

Desjarlais wants to see more investment in climate-resilient infrastructure and emergency preparedness. He's also a proponent of having a publicly funded insurance program for houses in Indigenous communities, saying it could go a long way.

"We need to just offer them the resources and tools and partnership to build a resilient, publicly administered insurance program that's going to make sure that they're not left behind," he said.

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The difficulty is that Indigenous land is owned by the community, which complicates matters when it comes to insuring individual homes. To purchase insurance, at minimum homeowners must obtain a certificate of possession or band council resolution. The Insurance Bureau of Canada says they must be able to prove they own the property and have a financial interest.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada added insurance is always available but clients might need to shop around.

"It's urgent that the [federal government] think through — together, in collaboration, using insurer expertise — think through solutions. Because it's not going to get any better, unfortunately, for Indigenous communities facing these threats," Stewart said.

'Just a question mark'

When massive rainstorms hit Vancouver Island in November 2021, Raymond Tony Charlie was unfazed.

The home he'd built for his family in 1985 was on high ground. In his 70 years, he'd never seen floodwaters from nearby Bonsall Creek come anywhere near his house, nor had he seen the phenomenon known as a "king tide," which is an exceptional high tide rise.

But both those things happened. Charlie, his wife, Lorraine, and the rest of his family, including his son and two grandchildren, had to be rescued by boat.

Charlie, an elder of the Penelakut Tribe on Vancouver Island, and his family, were put up at a Best Western Hotel by the Red Cross, where they expected a short stay until the waters receded.

Then his house was declared uninhabitable because of damage from the flood. When the Red Cross disaster relief ended, his tribe arranged for rooms at the Thunderbird Motel in Duncan, B.C.

It's where he and his family remain to this day.

"The Thunderbird Motel is fine for sleeping and that's about it," said Charlie. The room he shares with his wife is jammed with garbage bags filled with the clothing and personal possessions they were able to salvage.

Their house was financed by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), which also provides insurance during the term of the mortgage. But once it was paid off, the insurance was no longer valid.

Charlie said he was unaware his home insurance had lapsed when the mortgage was paid off. And 19 months later, he is still waiting for some sort of timeline or resolution.

"I'm just hoping that, sometime, I will be contacted either by the government or the tribe to tell me what the plans are," he said. "Right now, it's just a question mark. No plans are being discussed with us, nothing's been told, we have nothing in writing.

"I just don't know how much longer I can put up with this."

'A lost feeling'

Natalie Clouston, another resident of East Prairie Métis Settlement and whose home was also decimated by the wildfire, did not have insurance for her contents, either.

"It's actually a lost feeling because we did lose a lot of stuff. Like everything," she said.

The settlement owns the community's houses, but chairperson Raymond Supernault said they were told they didn't qualify for insurance because they don't have a fire station.

"The location of our communities is one of the biggest issues. They should have that consideration for how far we live from the municipality right, like High Prairie or Enilda," he said.

Supernault said trying to get home insurance could cost up to $500 a month per house — something that may not be economically feasible for the settlement.

"I think that's the bottom line, is making it affordable for communities."

The Office of the Minister of Indigenous Services said it has been in touch with the Alberta government to co-ordinate how it can support East Prairie Métis Settlement and other settlements impacted by wildfire.

Indigenous Services Canada spokesperson Randy Legault-Rankin said the department is working with First Nations communities to provide them with the tools needed to prepare, prevent, mitigate and respond to natural disasters like wildfires and floods.

He said funding is available through the Emergency Management Assistance Program to help First Nations restore their infrastructure and houses to pre-disaster conditions.

As for Bellerose, he hopes his house will be rebuilt where it once stood and said he hopes things are different going forward.

"We're stuck. I don't know what the plan is right now for insurance or whatever. I guess basically back to the same way … I buy equipment again and I hope the fire doesn't come," he said.

"Same thing I've been doing for the last 20 years — living on hope."