Problems? What Problems?

The Attawapiskat band council thought everything was fine.  They didn't notice anything amiss.  Actually, everything seemed normal.  They allocated funding, as usual, where they felt it should go, and simply left it at that. 

"When I asked the Chief (Spence) about why we were just hearing about the additional 17 families living in sheds her reply was that the (regional director general) didn't ask, plus that she didn't know herself.  She told our staff a few times that she was made aware of it in September/October."

Whoops, imagine that.  This from senior assistant deputy minister, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada Ron Hallman in an explanatory email dated November 27.

"We asked her and advised her that she can come to us at any time to discuss these kinds of issues and we would work with the community to address it.  So until this was brought forward, we were not made aware of any housing crisis other than overcrowding."

Again, when an official from Aboriginal Affairs met with Chief Spence in June, she "did not raise this issue", according to Joanne Wilkinson, Aboriginal Affairs' regional director general for Ontario, in another email.

Chief Spence is unavailable for comment on the newly-searched documents, some 3,000 pages of which were released through access to information legislation.  She is busy, she informed Postmedia News, with priority issues.  A Federal Court hearing on a lawsuit that her band council filed against the federal government.

This is a lawsuit seeking to have the imposition of a third-party manager to manage the reserve's financial affairs declared "unlawful".  The imputed message that the leadership of the band was to blame for the housing crisis is unacceptable and must be retracted.  Profuse apologies may be accepted, if accompanied by an increase in funding.

In attending to the affairs of the community the band council is not to be considered to have been less than diligent in their duties simply because of homes rotting, black mould on the walls and ceilings, absent running water and people living in unsanitary sheds. 

Where did the money go?  Well, unfortunately no records were kept, and none therefore can be submitted.