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Even if you don't agree Cuthand makes some good points.

I think he goes a little far. This is a "share the blame" situation and it is typical of many FN's. If we as Canadians cared more about our Native people then it would have been a priority for years to improve housing, education and the employment situation - not just give them token amounts to keep them quite.

But after 200 years of "white man knows best" I can't blame them for rejecting more bullshit from the feds. I'm sort of happy they gave the 3rd party the boot. things need to change. Maybe this is the start of a new process to change thing for the better for them, and us.

   

I want them to explain how a population of 3000 people manages to spend 12 million a year on "salaries" and another 11 million on "administration".

This band & Chief are corrupt.

Take for example the water treatment facility.

Contractors went up to the reserve and built a water treatment facility. They trained a man on the reserve on how to maintain the facility, gave him the appropriate tools and knowledge. They recommended that they get a truck, to haul tools and equipment to and from the facility. The band agreed and purchased a pickup truck for that very purpose.

The next time these contractors went up to the reserve, the repair man they trained comes riding down the road on a bicycle with a basket on the pack carrying his tools. No truck.

Asked where the truck went, he replies: "the chief took it".

   

A band chief who's corrupt?....... Really?.........That actually happens?........ Oh right, they're nothing but self serving politicians at heart anyway....Now I understand where the corruption comes from.

   

Sound-bite op eds like the one posted above usually don't have a place for those kinds of inconvenient facts.

   

Where do you get that information?

BTW 12million pays for 300 employees @ 30K each per year. How much does a teacher make? $50K? A principal? 80K? A bus driver?

Administration? how about operating an administration office, school, health center, fire station, school buses, garbage removal, sewer systems, police, day care, road maintenance ... for $11 million?

According to their Financial statements your numbers are incorrect.

But they do have $44 million worth of buildings - IDK what is what but how much do you spend on maintaining a building in a year? 5%? that seems minimal but that is $2.2 million a year - over 5 years that is 11 million.

And you're story, please source your information...I'd sure like to see where your facts come from.

My though is you have no real clue whats going on and you're just spreading mis-information.

   

The article is right - 90 million isn't that much. Apparently they are federal transfer payments, and the feds tranfer all kinds of money to provinces and municipalities as well.

But, the difference is that if someone's house in a city falls down, they don't expect the feds to come in and build them a new one. They don't expect the city to do so either - they pay for repairs or a new house themselves. The difference is that outside of reserves, people work for what they get. We have lots of homeless people in Vancouver - the vast majority can't work, so depend on welfare. But we don't build them houses. Right now the big fight is between Vancouver and the Province about opening some more severe weather shelters - ie we give them a mat to sleep on when the weather is bad enough, otherwise they're on their own. And the province did buy up a few old hotels to convert the single rooms into social housing for the poor. That's a far cry from building a house for them.

The reserves have many people living there who could actually work and better themselves. But they'll never do it living in the middle of nowhere, they'll always just be dependent on welfare. And, this reserve actually has a diamond mine close by. But they don't seem interested in working there, they just want tribute for the mine being in their traditional territory.

So my heart doesn't bleed for these people - they have to do their part about improving their lives. I'd be all for giving them re-settlement assistance and job training etc, but there has to be a foreseeable future in it all where they stand on their own two feet. Those that can work. Those that can or won't, get the same deal we give others in their position - a shitty one.

   

I know who the contractors are who were sent up there. One of them called into a Toronto radio show on Monday morning as well and repeated the above story.

I have 10+ years on a reserve. I've seen the waste. I've seen the neglect.

I watched the government step in and built a state of the art water treatment facility. 1 year later, the building was already in disrepair as locals had torn the fence apart, ripped open the doors, smashed windows and didn't maintain the equipment. 1 year after, the water was no better than lake water.

I saw the government bring in a new ferry boat from Nova Scotia. Often, it would run on one engine because nobody would check the tranny fluid on the boat. Nobody gave a shit.

I speak from 1st hand knowledge and actual experience of what takes place day to day on a reserve.

It's time we have an adult conversation about the root causes of these problems and stop worrying about be labelled as racist.

   

Lots of us have first hand experience and I don;t doubt that you've probably seen bad shit.

But how did you come up with those numbers, and given the scope of the work police, education, fire, roads, sewers, welfare, .... those numbers add up to a deficit in my eyes. There is not enough money, and they are probably losing more to theft.

Does that sound accurate to you or are you still wondering how $11 million gets spent? $11,000,000 divided by the 2000 residents is $5,500 each. We spend twice that on each white child in Canada just for education.

I don't understand how you're math makes those numbers overly onerous compared to what a town would spend if they had to look after education and welfare and roads and sewers and funerals and everything.

Please explain.

   

These native bands are responsible for their own well being and the reserve housing crisis because they receive more than enough money from the Federal Government every year.

   

What about the 12 million for 'program delivery'?

Isn't that for education as well?

11.2 million in wages....up 14.4% from the previous year. Wouldn't that be nice.

Their "books" are so vague. No detailed descriptions, just generic terms in order to bury money. Classic tactic.

   

Actually they got $500k for housing last year. CMHC. I don't know if there is other money, but $500K? That's not going to build many houses.

   

How much did you get for housing last year? I'm betting nothing.

It makes no sense in 2011 that we continue to support segregation of 1 group of people in the name of "Heritage".

Let's do what's right.

   

I agree. How about a suggestion? Keep in mind the constitution and any applicable Treaties. When you say "What is right" I assume you mean legally, and not just what makes you feel good.

Have at 'er, I'm all ears.

   

What exactly do the applicable treaties say? Or the constitution?

   

First step, take financial power away from the Bands and Chief. Let an outsider handle the books. Run the Reserves like a business.

Second, amend anything necessary to stop funding Native Reserves.

Let's keep helping the Native people with monthly housing and welfare allowances, but let's get them to assimilate into the rest of Canada. Even better, let's help them with relocation costs.

These people have to do what's right for themselves and for their children. Having them move to more urban areas of the Country would allow them to get into affordable housing, better education and perhaps re-enter/enter the workforce.

It's time!

   

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