Eleven First Nations in northern Manitoba are struggling to deal with the fallout of years of substance abuse, housing issues and other infrastructure problems. Grand Chief Walter Wastesicoot said the additional $300,000 in government funding amounts to "very little" actual help.
The chief of a northern Manitoba First Nation is sounding the alarm and calling on government to take immediate action to address the remote community's isolation from the larger world, which he says is playing a role in its youth either taking their own lives or attempting to.
Costs are dramatically rising for residents of two First Nations communities struggling to bring in supplies of food and fuel, after a barge explosion and delays in the startup of a ferry service left them with few options for transporting goods.