Unavailable For Comment

"It is imperative with the warm weather and potentially shortened winter road season that all efforts to prepare the remaining 20 sites occur as quickly as possible so that they are ready for the delivery of the other remaining homes.
"I have communicated directly with the chief and council to express my concern with the state of readiness of the serviced lots to receive and immediately hook up all modular homes that have been purchased with funds provided by our government and that are ready to be delivered to Attawapiskat." Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan

Evidently the emergency situation in Attawapiskat that was so dire that its chief, Theresa Spence, cast blame unendingly on the uncaring federal government for the plight of her people, is not now seen by her and her band council to be quite as urgent as it was originally described. It became less urgent immediately questions began being asked about the allocations of funding derived from various government sources, resulting in that emergency situation.

And now, it appears, there is no great hurry to ensure that the sites where the hastily purchased modular homes are meant to sit on - to relieve the stress and unhygienic, unsafe, and utterly inadequate living conditions consisting of overcrowded tents and shacks - are prepared, after all. The state of emergency over those deplorable living conditions which the band council was in complete control of, but attributed to the uncaring Aboriginal Affairs, has piffled out.

The sites' preparation are the responsibility of the community. A government-hired outside consultant was meant to aid and assist the Attawapiskat reserve's chief and council in arranging for all these details, but Chief Spence adamantly refuses to permit the manager to approach the reserve, let alone manage the affairs of the reserve. He must do his appointed tasks at a remove. A good trick if he can do it.

The modular homes are being transported to the isolated reserve now that a brief window of opportunity has presented itself, with a section of James Bay finally freezing over, and used as a temporary winter road, the sole access to the reserve for such prefabricated buildings. But the window of opportunity may be briefer than has historically been the case, with milder than normal temperatures prevailing.

Hence the anxiety on the part of the Minister, to get on with things, and deliver the dwellings so those living in inappropriate and squalid conditions can see their situation ameliorated. These concerns are quite obviously not shared by Chief Spence. She does not appear to have bothered responding to the Aboriginal Affairs Minister's communications.

Nor could she be reached for comment on the situation by interested news media.