Leader remembered

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Metis Urban Housing Corporation (MUHC) paid tribute to the late Larry Desmeules by naming its building after him during Metis week.

A crowd of 200 people listened to memories of friends and co-workers of Desmeules, who was the corporation's first manager in 1983.

Andy Collins,founding president of the corporation in 1982, related that the Metis Nation initially hired Desmeules on a contract basis for three months which led to purchasing the first 10 units in the spring of 1993.

Today, the Metis-owned corporation owns 880 units across Alberta, providing low- and moderate-income families with affordable housing.

The corporation bought existing properties, brought them to decent living standards and rented them out to Aboriginal families. Tenants have to pay, on average, $350 for rent and a fixed electricity fee of $60, said MUHC executive director Gordon Watson.

However, the program was discontinued in January 1994. Once the province took over the social housing program from the federal government, the corporation bought no additional homes, explained Collins.

"I'm still politically fighting for it in Ottawa," said Senator Thelma J. Chalifoux.

"I was a very first employee of Metis Urban Housing," she added. "He (Desmeules) and I worked very closely together throughout years. Larry Desmeules fought for houses. He always had a dream, he always knew that the way to get out of poverty is to have a decent home. To make sure children are at school, you must have a decent home," Chalifoux recalled.

"(Desmeules) cared about people. He understood that being a Metis you help one another. He was a great leader, a real visionary, but he also had a heart for people. He was willing to talk, to help without expecting anything back from you," said Pearl Calahasen, minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.

Desmeules was president of the Metis Nation of Alberta from 1987 to 1993.

Collins visited Desmeules about 10 days before he died in 1993. Desmeules told him, "I've been a leader for my people. There is no better feeling than that."