Feds to develop another plan for Kashechewan

Community members and Aboriginal leaders were buoyed in May by an announcement that the Ontario provincial government had put its support behind plans to move the beleaguered community of Kashechewan to higher ground, but any optimism that relocation might become a reality sooner rather than later has been quashed by news that there is no money in the federal coffers to pay for the move.

The news came from Minister of Indian Affairs Jim Prentice, who stood up in the House of Commons on June 2 and said that while the former Liberal government came up with a plan last year to relocate the community, no money was budgeted to pay for the move.

Spring flooding wreaked havoc in Kashechewan earlier this year and most of the residents were forced to evacuate because of rising waters, an annual problem because the community is situated on a floodplain. The community was also evacuated last fall when problems with the water treatment plant resulted in E.coli contamination of its drinking water.

"We need to work together with the Kashechewan community and we will be doing that," Prentice said. "We will find a suitable alternative location and we will build a proper community."

On June 6, the minister announced the appointment of former Ontario cabinet minister Alan Pope as a special federal representative who will work with the people of Kashechewan, the provincial government and other affected parties to "find a lasting solution" to the community's problems. Pope is expected to report back to the minister on his findings in the fall.