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Transcript

National Indigenous News April 20 · National Indigenous Newscasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is a look at your national indigenous news.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Daryl Stranger.
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  SPEAKER_00: Leaders from more than half a dozen indigenous groups have signed on to a letter of intent to collaborate on a major hydroelectricity project in the Northwest Territories.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's a step toward potential indigenous ownership of the project.
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  SPEAKER_00: The Tolson Hydro Facility provides power to the Northwest Territory's South Slave region.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Though plagued by maintenance issues in recent years, it has long been considered for expansion.
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  SPEAKER_00: Last month, an overhaul and expansion of the facility, including an underwater cable to carry power to the north shore of Great Slave Lake, was identified by Prime Minister Mark Carney as part of an ambitious plan to invest in new infrastructure in the North.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Salt River First Nation signed a letter of intent supporting the project, the Lutzel K.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Dene First Nation, the Northwest Territories Metis Nation, the Fort Smith Metis Council, the Hay River Metis Government Council, and the Fort Resolution Metis Government are also signatories.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: The territorial government is open to indigenous ownership of the expansion project, but cautioned there are bigger risks if that ownership were to involve the entire Tolson facility.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Though considered for decades, the Tolson expansion has long been controversial because it has been unclear whether there is adequate demand to support a bigger facility.
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  SPEAKER_00: This proposed expansion would quadruple the facility's output, producing more than 80 megawatts of power.
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  SPEAKER_00: Later stages of the project also propose connections to Alberta and Saskatchewan's grids.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: If connected to the North Shore as planned, the facility would eventually provide power to more than 70% of the territory's residents.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: The Blood Tribe Recovery Community is now open, expanding access to Indigenous-led holistic addiction treatment in southern Alberta.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: The newly built 75-bed recovery community will provide no-cost land-based treatment to those struggling with addiction.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Clients will have access to comprehensive services that embody the nation's culture, ceremony, identity, family, and community to meet the needs of Indigenous people and those living in southern Alberta.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: The first set of clients will begin treatment this month and have access to evidence-based holistic treatment for up to one year.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: $29.6 million is being invested to open and operate five Indigenous-led recovery communities this year in Sixica Nation, Enochri Nation, Sutina Nation, and the Metis Nation of Alberta, as well as this one in the Blood Tribe.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: Once complete, these Indigenous-led recovery communities will add 375 new beds to the addiction treatment system capable of helping up to 1,500 individuals pursue recovery each year.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: A new birthing and child rearing lodge is nearly ready to open on Sturgeon Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan, but leaders say the biggest question is whether it can operate at full capacity.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: The Shirley Bighead Birthing and Child Rearing Lodge, set to officially open April 29th, is the first Indigenous-led birthing lodge in Saskatchewan.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: The First Nation says it needs reliable long-term funding to pay staff and offer full services for the long haul.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: For decades, pregnant women in Sturgeon Lake have had to leave the community to give birth, traveling to hospitals in places like Prince Albert, Shelbrook, or Saskatoon.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: This new lodge will include four birthing pods and work alongside the First Nations Healing Lodge next door as part of a broader approach to community wellness.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: The center is staffed by one trained midwife, a nurse practitioner, support staff, and birth workers.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Eleven mothers currently in prenatal care are waiting for the lodge to open.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: The First Nation says it has been pressing the federal government for stable multi year funding that would allow the lodge to operate at full capacity, including increasing staffing and ensuring the space has the equipment and resources it needs.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: The community met with Indigenous Services Canada earlier this month for discussions, but no deal as of yet has been struck.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: That's a look at your national Indigenous News.