Experience First Nations Event Excellence in 2026
Press Release
Jan 30, 2026
Every year, the First Nations Market Housing Fund (FNMHF) travels across the nation to grow their impact in empowering First Nations communities with the tools needed to secure homeownership on reserve lands. In 2025, the blog reflected the advantages of networking at these events. For 2026, the Fund acknowledges the thoughtful work of their many upcoming hosts. Indigenous staff and organizations are creating excellent, sustainable event experiences, and we look forward to meeting and sharing these experiences with you.
The Aboriginal Financial Officers Association (AFOA) is one of the Fund’s allied organizations, sharing an interest in enhancing self-determination through self-management, finance, and governance. The Fund returns to the AFOA National Conference(opens in a new tab) this February 10-12, 2026, to continue sharing knowledge that fosters the wellbeing of First Nations communities. In 2025, FNMHF CEO Travis Seymour led a session exploring how on-reserve homeownership reinforces leadership and governance.
Participants have the opportunity to start their day with a Sunrise Ceremony. It’s led by Anishinaabe Elder David McPherson on the two full-program days of the conference.
Hosted in Halifax in 2025, this year’s conference is in Montreal. This distributes economic impacts across different areas of the nation and welcomes individuals and groups with limited budgets to attend when the conference is held closer to home.
The Fund will attend the annual invitation-only event, Our Gathering, kexwkexwntsút chet, tə sq̓əq̓ip(opens in a new tab), February 18 to 20, 2026, in Vancouver. Offered in partnership with the First Nations Leadership Council(opens in a new tab), Indigenous Services Canada, and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, First Nations leaders and administrators across British Columbia will have access to over 40 exhibitors while networking and engaging in key policies and priorities. Let us know if you’d like to meet.(opens in a new tab)
Our Gathering, kexwkexwntsút chet, tə sq̓əq̓ip limits in-person attendance to two guests per BC First Nation, while offering hybrid opportunities to other invitees. While this can reduce hosting expenses, it also tightens the size of the gathering for cozier networking. The hybrid model ensures people with busy lives and commitments can still make an impact.
With roots at a small gathering in 2003, a working group of First Nations officially launched the First Nations Housing (FNH) Community at their premier conference in 2019. Now, the First Nations Housing Conference(opens in a new tab) (FNHC) is the largest and longest-running event dedicated to First Nations housing in Canada.
The FNHC annual Builders Challenge(opens in a new tab) animates the event with hands-on projects relevant to First Nations housing. In 2025, they expanded their educational and experiential impact by adding First Nations Youth to each team.
This year, the Fund will be in attendance as teams compete in mould and rot remediation–keeping dreams, not mould, alive. The event runs from February 24 to 26, 2026, in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Let us know if you’d like to meet.(opens in a new tab)
The Fund is staying up to date with the latest developments in First Nations housing and infrastructure in BC by attending the BC First Nations Housing Managers Association(opens in a new tab) (BCFNHMA) Regional Housing Forum(opens in a new tab) in Prince George, March 2 to 3, 2026. Hosted in communities across the province, these events are hosted by the First Nations Housing & Infrastructure Council(opens in a new tab) (FNHIC) and the BCFNHMA. According to the BCFNHMA website, “the forums are an opportunity to collaborate, learn, and build capacity to support safe, sustainable, and culturally grounded housing across BC.”
Recognizing that each community has distinct needs demands responsive support and approaches. Hosting regionally defined opportunities to engage with housing management, funding opportunities, and infrastructure is key to ensuring that Indigenous communities’ voices are heard. Networking with neighbours offers capacity-building insights into challenges and solutions specific to the region.
The Fund plans to return to BC from October 14 to 16, 2026, for the annual Leading the Way(opens in a new tab) conference. Over 700 participants from First Nations, Tribal Councils, and Indigenous Health Authorities gather to learn about the services and supports available from organizations established under the First Nations Fiscal Management Act(opens in a new tab) (FNFMA).
Conference co-hosts(opens in a new tab) include the First Nations Financial Management Board(opens in a new tab) (FMB), the First Nations Finance Authority(opens in a new tab) (FNFA), and the First Nations Tax Commission(opens in a new tab) (FNTC), all of which were formed when the Act came into effect on April 1, 2006. These institutions develop practical, modern-day tools and support their adoption by First Nations governments. Now, over half of all First Nations from all regions within the Canadian state are either participating or signatory to the optional FNFMA and the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management. Let us know if you’d like to meet while we’re in BC.(opens in a new tab)
Sharing duties between the three FNFMA institutions, the FMB, FNFA, and FNTC and the Lands Advisory Board(opens in a new tab) (LAB) allows the conference hosts to pool their resources and leverage their strengths effectively. Conference attendees also gather to give feedback on the FMA institutions and the LAB, shaping their future work in achieving shared goals.
March 31 to April 1, 2026, the Fund will gather with Indigenous communities, Chief and Council, Trustees and leading industry experts in the field of Indigenous finance at the National Aboriginal Trust Officers Association(opens in a new tab) (NATOA) Trust & Investment Conference(opens in a new tab). NATOA is an independent non-profit organization, transferring knowledge to grassroots Indigenous Trust communities and enhancing professionalism and accountability among themselves and their professional supporters.
The NATOA gathering offers sponsors the opportunity to engage in economic reconciliation and provide Indigenous Peoples with information toward the financial benefit of future generations. Their 2025 conference listed 28 primarily non-Indigenous business sponsors but also included the FMB.
Ottawa will be chilly for the NATOA conference, but by the time the Waasnode Housing Conference(opens in a new tab) rolls around, the weather in Orillia should be more temperate. Taking place May 20 to 21, 2026, the Fund will join attendees from across over 30 First Nations who are members of four Tribal Councils. The event is hosted by the Technical Services Departments of Mamaweswen – The North Shore Tribal Council(opens in a new tab) (NSTC), Waabnoong Bemjiwang Association of First Nations(opens in a new tab) (WBAFN), United Chiefs and Councils of Mnidoo Mnising(opens in a new tab) (UCCMM), and Ogemawahj Tribal Council(opens in a new tab) (OTC).
The housing conference takes place at a traditional gathering place that’s home to the Chippewas of Rama First Nation(opens in a new tab) (Rama). It is also the site of the Casino Rama Resort, whose tourism generation has increased employment, business opportunities and local services since it was established over 20 years ago. Leased to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), it’s one of three casinos on First Nations land in the province. Supporting this event space contributes to social investments, like the Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital expansion and the site’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The excitement ramps up in summer 2026, when the Fund will travel to the Manitoba Indigenous Games(opens in a new tab) (MISG) at Norway House Cree Nation(opens in a new tab) from July 8 to 12. The Games will then travel to Sagkeeng Anicinabe Nation(opens in a new tab) from August 10 to 15, while the Fund continues on to the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Annual General Assembly (AGA) in Ottawa, July 14 to 16, 2026. Founded by the Opaskwayak Cree Nation(opens in a new tab) (OCN) in 1999, the event is now stewarded by the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council(opens in a new tab) (MASRC), the Indigenous sport body of the province of Manitoba under the Aboriginal Sport Circle(opens in a new tab).
While the Fund looks forward to meeting athletes, coaches, officials, their supporters, and sport enthusiasts in Manitoba this summer, the entire roster of events contributes to the Fund’s objective of engaging communities and fulfilling its mandate. The Fund welcomes opportunities to engage with you about its services and upcoming initiatives. See the complete list of events at a glance on the FNMHF calendar.
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