/R E P E A T -- Media advisory - Assembly of First Nations 2017 National Housing & Infrastructure Forum 'Moving Towards First Nations Care and Control of Housing and Infrastructure'/

MONTREAL, Oct. 27, 2017 /CNW/ - The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) will convene a national Housing and Infrastructure Forum to be held October 30 - November 1 in Montreal, Quebec. The Forum provides an opportunity for First Nations leaders and experts to dialogue ways to tackle this area of critical need and showcase innovative models and new approaches in housing, infrastructure and drinking water.

Delegates will discuss the concept of a First Nations National Housing and Infrastructure Strategy, and options for First Nations care and control of housing and infrastructure. This is a long-standing and urgent priority. Census data released by Statistics Canada this week indicates that one quarter of the First Nations population lives in a house that is in need of major repairs, with 44.2 per cent of them on-reserve. Over-crowding was identified as another major problem with one quarter of First Nations people living in crowded housing, with those on-reserves at a rate of 36.8 per cent.

DATE:	Monday, October 30 to Wednesday, November 1, 2017
LOCATION:	Fairmont Queen Elizabeth
	900 René-Lévesque Blvd W, Montreal, QC
The 2017 National Housing & Infrastructure Forum is open to media and to the public.

The full Forum agenda is available online: http://www.afn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Housing-Forum-Provisional-Agenda_EN.pdf

The AFN is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada.  Follow AFN on Twitter @AFN_Updates #CareAndControl.

SOURCE Assembly of First Nations

Alain Garon, Bilingual Communications Officer, 613-292-0857 (cell), [email protected]; Michael Hutchinson, Communications Officer, 613-299-6330 (cell), [email protected]