Canative, “An owner that makes all the difference”
While scholars have mainly focused their studies on the migration of First Nations to the main Western Canadian cities in the 1970s and the 1980s, very few studies have focused on the phenomenon of the urbanization of the Métis in cities like Edmonton and Calgary. Furthermore, very few studies have analyzed the issue of aboriginal housing in urban areas in a historical perspective. Based on interviews conducted as part of an oral history project on the Canative Housing Corporation, on reminiscences of Herb Belcourt (one of the founders), on primary sources found in the archives of Canative, on reports submitted to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) as well as articles published in the Edmonton Journal and the Aboriginal newspaper The Native People, the author of this article proposes to fill a historical void by concentrating on the history of one of the largest Aboriginal housing societies of the time named Canative. This company was founded in Edmonton in 1971 by three Métis men: Herb Belcourt, Orval Belcourt, and Georges Brosseau. More specifically, the author analyzes how these three visionaries have helped reshape the urban landscape and the politics of the city of Edmonton, ensuring safe and stable housing for Aboriginal people (First Nations and Métis), newly arrived in Edmonton.