The oilsands, the housing crisis next door and a new partnership to bring about change – CBC

Sep 11, 2024

Finding suitable housing isn’t easy in Conklin, Alta., but new homes are coming soon

When you live without direct power and running water, everyday tasks take far longer than they need to, says Darlene Richards.

Washing her hair, for example, is a lengthy process that involves first heating up water in a kettle that is plugged into an outlet at her trailer, which in turn is plugged into an outlet at her mother’s cabin.

“You’re steady busy,” said Richards, who lives in a trailer with a built-on addition in Conklin, Alta., a hamlet with a primarily Métis population, located 155 kilometres southeast of Fort McMurray. “It’s a struggle.”