'Very little' government help for 11 Man. First Nations months after declaring state of emergency
CBC
More than four months after declaring a state of emergency First Nations in Manitoba say the current federal support offered fails to address numerous long-term issues in their communities.
The Keewatin Tribal Council — representing 11 communities spread throughout northern Manitoba — declared a state of emergency in March 2023.
Two member nations, God's Lake First Nation and Shamattawa First Nation, each declared individual states of emergency before then.
Keewatin Grand Chief Walter Wastesicoot said the council decided to issue a regional state of emergency for all 11 members due "to system-wide failures in public safety, health and infrastructure."
In an email, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) said Keewatin received $300,000 in April to support "short, medium, and long-term strategies" to address the crises in their communities.
But Walter Wastesicoot says that's "very little" help in comparison based on their actual needs and that "everything is still the same" as when the state of emergency was issued. He added he's frustrated by the conditions that people have to deal with.
"They live in a constant state of poverty and Canada condones it," he said.
In their statement, ISC said they will continue "to identify potential short-term solutions when a community is in need which can include any other essential services required."
God's Lake, 550 kilometers northeast of Winnipeg, was one of the first Keewatin communities to declare a state of emergency back in October 2022.
The main issue then — and now — is illegal substance use, which Chief Hubert Watt estimated affects 20 to 30 per cent the community.
Since October 2022, addiction issues in the community have continued and even people who are ready for treatment encounter major obstacles.
"There's people that do want to stop, but they're having a hard time doing it because of the limited number of resources that we have in the community," Watt said.
"We need more centres in the north where people can go."
About 200 kilometres northwest of God's Lake, York Factory First Nation is dealing with the same issues.
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