Sunday, April 27, 2008

Rescue Needed Again!

I could understand the people of Kashechewan wanting to stay in their community, if it was safe, but living in a flood area makes no sense. Yet they voted to stay, and 200 million will be spent to help them stay in that flood zone. Will it stop the flooding? Not unless they have a direct line to God.

Airlift of flood-threatened Ont. residents resumes

Evacuations of two flood-threatened northern Ontario communities have resumed after a weather delay.

About 1,100 people remained in Kashechewan after successful evacuations began, the community chief said Sunday. 130 of the sick and elderly have already been transported out of the community to Greenstone.
.......

Kashechewan is facing its fourth evacuation since 2004, but this is the first such threat to Fort Albany.

The federal government will be spending $200 million to improve the community's infrastructure. A $500-million plan to move the entire community to higher ground was rejected as too expensive.


Hold it Canadian Press, that's not quite right. Who rejected the move? Let's see.

In March leaders of the northern Ontario reserve, including Solomon, traveled to Ottawa to press the federal government to develop a long-term plan for their community.

The reserve, located on the west coast of James Bay, sits on a flood plain and residents have been evacuated twice in recent years because of flood threats and during every spring thaw they live with the stress their homes could be wiped out by floods, the leaders said.


So, "they live with the stress their homes could be wiped out by floods", and what do they do when the federal government offers to relocate them close to Timmins, where they would be close to medical centers, schools, and their houses would be safe?

A report to Ottawa last fall suggested Kashechewan be moved about 450 kilometres south to Timmins.

But the Cree band conducted its own survey that found residents wanted to stay within the band's traditional boundaries and move 35 kilometres up the Albany River, not to Timmin


Taxpayers were not asked if they wanted to spend 200 million to relocate them, we have no say, so the band will stay on the flood plain, and we will pay for their bad choices. Can someone knock some sense into them? Why would they want to stay on a flood plain? And if they do, why is the taxpayer expected to pay for them?

Kashechewan is a disaster, made so by their own people refusing to change.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well said Hunter, isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing and expecting different results? Is there an award for most rediculous P.C. decision?

Anonymous said...

Gosh, you'd think that their MP Charlie Angus would care enough to say something but, no not Charlie.

He's too busy complaining about arts 'censorship' and propagandizing for CBC.

In turn, the media gives him an easy ride.

No bias there.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Good post, Hunter. My husband and I were watching that on the late night news. He turned to me and said, "I wonder what they did before there was a Canadian government to move them?"

Anonymous said...

It looks like it has become a new tradition , once a year a taxpayer funded vacation out of the community .

Brian said...

" ... I could understand the people of Kashechewan wanting to stay in their community, if it was safe, but living in a flood area makes no sense. "

Common sense? That seems to have escaped many native leaders , especially Kashechewan.

It seems the leaders of Kashechewan prefer to blame everyone except themselves for their problems. If I recall correctly the previous problem with water quality was because no one at Kashechewan bothered to properly maintain the water system , and for lack of a few hundred dollar part which needed to be replaced , the Ontario taxpayers forked over a huge cost.

Reid said...

Why would they want to leave? They get a taxpayer funded vacation every year so they can go shopping in the big city. The taxpayers refurbish their homes every year so there's no need for them to do regular maintenance.

Anonymous said...

If they're stupid enough to say, let them drown!

I refuse to bail them out every year. Let them scurry up the totem poles and cling their for dear life for all I care.

Not on my dime, you don't!

Anonymous said...

Not on my dime, you don't!
Would that dime of yours be one that came from selling the electricity from the James Bay hydro development which is the reason for this flooding in the first place?