Feeding Indians risking jail, claims worker

Page 2

The coordinator of the Spruce Grove food bank says she would risk being sent to jail if she gave hampers to treaty Indians who live on area reserves.

The federal government forbids the East Parkland Food Bank from giving them food, claims Stephanie Shenfield.

"The federal government is supposed to see after their social assistance and their food and everything else. They are responsible for them. And they (reserve residents) must get in

touch with Ottawa if the local people aren't doing it for them.

"I've been threatened with jail if I do it. So I'm not doing it. I'm not going to jail just because I want to feed people," she said, adamantly.

Shenfield said she's trying to have the policy reversed. "There's nothing I can do about it until I'm informed I can do so."

Shenfield said she can't comprehend the jail threat.

"I was absolutely, simply furious," she said. "But there's nothing I can do about it. I've just got to sit and twiddle my thumbs.

They've (treaty Indians) just got to stand on their own two feet and do something, get a job or something," said Shenfield. "Mind you a lot of them were cheating," she claimed.

Shenfield said the food bank does give leftover perishables to Enoch Reserve residents. Another nearby reserve has declined the offer, she said. "They can't be bothered to come in

and get it so they can't be that badly off."

Officials with Indian Affairs and the Edmonton Food Bank don't understand why Shenfield feels she could be sent to jail.

"That sounds bizarre," said Ron Dawson, director of social development with Indian Affairs in Edmonton. "There's never been any directive from our department in any form.

"We encourage people at times when they're short to access those services. We wouldn't advise people to not give to treaty Indians. That wouldn't make any sense at all. I really

would question any government department advising someone like that," he said.

Dawson said he was prepared to call the food bank to clear up any misunderstanding.

Marjorie Bencz, acting executive director of the Edmonton Food Bank, said she, too, was told by Shenfield about the jail threat in a conversation about two weeks ago.

"She said she had been threatened to be put in jail if she kept serving Native people. I said 'You run a food band. No one tells you who you can and cannot serve. You base your

decisions on need. If people come to you when they're hungry, you feed them.'

"None of it made sense to me," said Bencz.

"I'm really upset at this whole situation. She's not serving the people in need," she said.