OTTAWA—Leaders in Attawapiskat want the federal government to send in the army to help deliver supplies to deal with the housing crisis, Interim New Democratic Leader Nycole Turmel said Wednesday.
“Moving supplies into this community to alleviate the housing crisis will require an extraordinary level of coordination. Given the extreme weather conditions and the fact that the winter road will not be ready for nearly two months, the community is seeking coordinated logistical help,” Turmel wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday.
“For this reason, they have asked me to convey that they are asking for military support to help in the response.”
Turmel told reporters she made the request on behalf of Theresa Spence, the chief of the community that declared a state of emergency due to a housing shortage that had some families living in garden sheds.
NDP MP Charlie Angus (Timmins–James Bay) said the military has the logistical capacity to get supplies up to the Northern Ontario reserve — where he said the cost of flights is almost prohibitive.
“We could end this crisis very quickly,” said Angus, who has been highlighting the plight of the community in his riding. “All we need is a nod from the Prime Minister.”
Angus said he hoped the Conservative government would realize it made a mistake by sending in a third-party manager as part of its plan to deal with the crisis, which also included advancing half a million dollars for renovations on housing before the winter sets in.
The band council kicked the federal appointee out when he arrived in the community Monday night.
In a letter to Spence, Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan said, “I again cannot stress enough the need to work with the third party manager, our government and our partners to ensure the health and safety of the community.”
He also said the government is prepared to evacuate some Attawapiskat residents until better housing is available. Another solution would be to retrofit a sportsplex and a healing centre as short-term accommodations, he wrote in the letter.
“Unlike the NDP, we are focused on the residents of Attawapiskat and not on scoring political points,” Duncan said during the Commons question period on Wednesday. “We have been working around the clock on a plan to ensure residents, especially children, have warm, dry places to sleep. We have a plan. We are still committed to working with the band council and we urge it to be part of the solution going forward.”
Origin
Source: Toronto Star
“Moving supplies into this community to alleviate the housing crisis will require an extraordinary level of coordination. Given the extreme weather conditions and the fact that the winter road will not be ready for nearly two months, the community is seeking coordinated logistical help,” Turmel wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday.
“For this reason, they have asked me to convey that they are asking for military support to help in the response.” Turmel told reporters she made the request on behalf of Theresa Spence, the chief of the community that declared a state of emergency due to a housing shortage that had some families living in garden sheds.
NDP MP Charlie Angus (Timmins–James Bay) said the military has the logistical capacity to get supplies up to the Northern Ontario reserve — where he said the cost of flights is almost prohibitive.
“We could end this crisis very quickly,” said Angus, who has been highlighting the plight of the community in his riding. “All we need is a nod from the Prime Minister.”
Angus said he hoped the Conservative government would realize it made a mistake by sending in a third-party manager as part of its plan to deal with the crisis, which also included advancing half a million dollars for renovations on housing before the winter sets in.
The band council kicked the federal appointee out when he arrived in the community Monday night.
In a letter to Spence, Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan said, “I again cannot stress enough the need to work with the third party manager, our government and our partners to ensure the health and safety of the community.”
He also said the government is prepared to evacuate some Attawapiskat residents until better housing is available. Another solution would be to retrofit a sportsplex and a healing centre as short-term accommodations, he wrote in the letter.
“Unlike the NDP, we are focused on the residents of Attawapiskat and not on scoring political points,” Duncan said during the Commons question period on Wednesday. “We have been working around the clock on a plan to ensure residents, especially children, have warm, dry places to sleep. We have a plan. We are still committed to working with the band council and we urge it to be part of the solution going forward.”
Origin
Source: Toronto Star
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