The East Prairie Metis Settlement is being provided $9 million from the province’s Indigenous Housing Capital Program to rebuild homes that were destroyed by the wildfires.
Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister, Jason Nixon says this money will replace 14 homes that were completely destroyed and repair other homes that were damaged.
“One of the challenges in the case of the Metis Settlements is that they do not receive any federal money for emergencies, unlike other first nation communities in the province. That puts the situation here very unique and there is no existing program within the Alberta Emergency Response Apparatus to be able to repair homes that have been lost on Metis Settlements.”
Scott Sinclair, the MLA for Lesser Slave Lake, says this will provide a major boost to getting the community rebuilt.
“I had the privilege and the honour of meeting a lot of these residents days after they lost all of their homes, and I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that this really does go a long way and as much as people appreciate the kind words and thoughts and prayers, if it’s not followed up by immediate action, it doesn’t really mean that much at the end of the day.”
Rick Wilson, the Indigenous Relations Minister for the Province, says there was a lot of collaboration between the Metis Settlement and various government departments.
“It takes time for this kind of money to flow and we’re moving as quickly as possible to get people back into their homes. I’m so proud that we’re able to mobilize these funds to aid in East Prairie’s recovery. Across ministries and across communities, our government is going to be there for indigenous people living in Alberta. We’re going to continue to work together as two partners through even the toughest times to ensure a brighter future for all.”
The one time funding through this is in addition to the $46 million that the Seniors, Community and Social Services department has committed to help thousands of wildfire evacuees across the province.
– Kyle Moore, Trending 55 Newsroom
