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Transcript

National Indigenous News September 15 · National Indigenous Newscasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is a look at your national indigenous news.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Daryl Stranger.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Ontario's Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris pledged Monday better communication on wildfires after many First Nations communities said they received little to no warning about approaching flames this summer.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: The government has been roundly criticized for its approach to the devastating wildfire season in northwestern Ontario.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: First Nations said warnings from the province to evacuate due to fast-moving fires either came too late or not at all.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Residents of Collins First Nation fled on boats before a massive blaze destroyed the community in July.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Whitewater Lake First Nation was also ravaged by fire.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Residents of more than a dozen northern communities were forced to leave their homes as about 200 fires raged in July.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Harris said one of the things they can do a better job on is communication, while he also announced a$20 million investment to upgrade two major wildfire attack bases in northwestern Ontario.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: With the$20 million investment to upgrade the two major wildfire attack bases, that will mean quicker firefighting deployments.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: First Nations leaders have also called for a public inquiry into the province's response to the wildfires, a request that Harris has not committed to fulfilling.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: The ministry reviews the wildfire season every year, and earlier in the summer, Harris said he may not release those reports, but change that tune on Monday, saying that they will do a deep dive looking at the challenges faced and share that with affected communities.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is coming up on September 30th, and there are a number of events planned across the country, including in Alberta and Spruce Grove.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: For more on this, Joanna Luna reports.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_02: The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is happening right around the corner on September 30th.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_02: An evening to celebrate and to reflect for those kids that didn't make it home during residential school.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_02: Diane Mealy is the president of the Sky Dancer Indigenous Culture Center.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_01: We hold this event at uh Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's a beautiful 300-seat venue with a beautifully lit stage, of course.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, lots of ambiance.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: And on stage, we will have uh some children dancing.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: We will open with you know cultural music.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: And as people take their seats, we're sharing a short video or movie about residential school experiences.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: And we also include 60 scoops, the impact of that.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: Then we move on to uh Indigenous wisdom keepers speaking about the past, present, and future regarding the impact of residential schools and the 60 scoops.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: Then we are unveiling a song that one of our participants wrote in Heart Song.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: And it's uh what she wrote is very powerful.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's we are unveiling that song, launching that song at this event, and then everybody retires to the foyer for tea and bannock, and that is a very, very boisterous, loud time as people connect over food.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a great, it's an amazing experience.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: In Spruce Grove, I'm Joanna Luna.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: After years of uncertainty, eight months of boil water advisory, and a local state of emergency, Joe Haven is expecting new water infrastructure, but when remains unclear.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: The Hamlet is one of 14 Nunavut communities that are expecting water upgrades.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Joe Haven finally emerged from its drinking water crisis in August after the water line between the community's water treatment plant and pumping station on Swan Lake was repaired.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: In April, the federal government even deployed the military to distribute drinking water in the community.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: The upgrades to community infrastructure are at various stages of development and delivery, ranging from early planning and design through to active construction, with several projects already well into the construction phase.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: To date, the government has committed more than$400 million to those projects.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: The upgrades are part of the territorial government's$610 million drinking water strategy framework released in 2023.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: In Joe Haven's case, the changes could include a new water treatment plant, a transmission line, and a pump house.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: If built, the new system is expected to serve the community until the end of the century, according to the government.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: When those upgrades will happen also remains to be seen, as the government is still working on preliminary tests and studies.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: Canada's Auditor General is set to look into the management of drinking water in Nunavut with the report scheduled to be released in 2027.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: That's a look at your National Indigenous News.