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Attawapiskat Crisis: Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan To Meet With Chief Theresa Spence

Attawapiskat

First Posted: 12/05/11 11:12 AM ET Updated: 12/05/11 11:44 AM ET

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OTTAWA - Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan has agreed to meet the chief of the troubled Attawapiskat First Nation.

A spokeswoman for the minister said Chief Theresa Spence has been contacted and the two are trying to arrange a meeting in Ottawa.

Spence is also to meet Assembly of First Nations' National Chief Shawn Atleo today.

The Attawapiskat leader is pleading with the federal and provincial governments to boost emergency aid for her remote Northern Ontario community, where some families are living in uninsulated shacks, and dozens of families are crowded into small, temporary shelters.

First Nations leaders are gathering in Ottawa this week for their annual meetings.

FOLLOW HUFFPOST CANADA POLITICS

OTTAWA - The housing crisis in Attawapiskat has now turned into a full-blown political crisis.Attawapiskat band councillors turfed a federal appointee in charge of overseeing the troubled band's finan...
OTTAWA - The housing crisis in Attawapiskat has now turned into a full-blown political crisis.Attawapiskat band councillors turfed a federal appointee in charge of overseeing the troubled band's finan...
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Charlie Angus

Charlie Angus: Attawapiskat's Impact: Canada's Katrina Moment

Attawapiskat is Canada's Katrina moment. It may not be the same scale, but it is the tip of the iceberg for the numerous Bantustan-style homelands of the far north. Years of chronic under funding and bureaucratic indifference has created a Haiti north where dying in slow motion on ice-filled shantytown is considered the norm.
Charlie Angus

Charlie Angus: What if They Declared an Emergency and No One Came?

The Red Cross will help address many of the short-term problems facing the community, however, this disaster wasn't an accident of nature. It was the direct result of the failure of the federal and provincial government to work with the community. This problem remains.

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chuck nathaniel
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09:59 PM on 12/05/2011
Until the Indian Act is repealed or revised, reserves like this will continue to be multi-million dollar money pits. The few on reserve who DO have good work cant get a mortgage to build a house. Those without jobs are less-than inclined to maintain homes hey never really get to 'own'. So these reserves are used as concentration camps, and crate excuses for bloated budgets where every single party involved, from Ottawa to the reserve are skimming off the top. Until this is ALL addressed, it will just be political posturing from all sides, all blaming the other.
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chuck nathaniel
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09:46 PM on 12/05/2011
Chief Theressa Spence seems like she may be worried about someone looking at the books.
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Cariboofly
Aye, Ready, Aye & Semper Fi
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08:24 PM on 12/05/2011
Note to Shawn Atleo, Assembly of First Nations:
Shawn, NOW is your chance for the AFN to contribute. AFN should form a team of management and construction experts, ALL familiar with various native reserve issues and conditions. Contract your services to the DAA and go in and FIX IT. Make the team available any reserve-based problems in Canada. Time for the AFN to become an active part of the solutions.
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CDNCIES
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05:56 PM on 12/05/2011
Why does the meeting have to be in Ottawa? I'm sure the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs could use a helicopter and make his way up there. It is a state of emergency, isn't it? I'm sure he could ask Peter MacKay....unless he's using it of course.
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chuck nathaniel
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09:47 PM on 12/05/2011
Oh, look they just made him leave, after coming all the way there. Ooops!
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evlv66
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12:16 PM on 12/05/2011
Ask what did she do with money!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Good to know
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12:54 PM on 12/05/2011
If you can read this, please do. This 'what she do' with money:

Clear, insightful information. PLEASE READ and SHARE
http://apihtawikosisan.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/dealing-with-comments-about-attawapiskat/
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Maryanne Slater
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01:57 PM on 12/05/2011
Thank you! That clarifies so much. Especially the point about the older homes being money-pits to maintain. I live in an older house myself, and every couple of years we end up with something that costs several hundred or even several thousand to fix. Applying a guestimate to the housing funds supplied to Attawapiskat suggests about two or maybe three thousand per existing home per year. If that has to include electrical, plumbing, etc., and it up to twice of what it does down south -- well, anyone in their right mind can see where the money goes and why.
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Glass Cannon
Let every eye negotiate for itself.
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04:16 PM on 12/05/2011
Thank you. This writer lays out the situation with clarity and elegance. Invaluable information for anyone who wishes to understand the problems communities like this face.
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