Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Harvey Yesno is not happy with the federal government's response to infrastructure needs.

NAN grand chief slams feds for not meeting First Nations infrastructure needs


tbnewswatch
By: Leith Dunick
5/7/2015

Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Harvey Yesno is challenging the federal government’s commitment to meeting the infrastructure needs of First Nations.

Yesno’s complaints, which he issued late Wednesday in a news release, came on the heels of Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt’s response to questions surrounding Shoal Lake No. 40 First Nation, which has lost its ferry service and has been on a boil-water advisory for the past 17 years.

Yesno said vague commitments to Canada-wide projects are not good enough.

Calling the situation in Shoal Lake dire, Yesno said too many NAN communities are facing similar drinking-water and substandard infrastructure issues, not to mention shortages of housing, police, fire health-care and education facilities.

“It is shameful that the minister is touting nearly decade-old funding commitments instead of making the necessary investments to improve the quality of life in our impoverished communities,” Yesno said in the release.

“If the minister was truly committed to the health and safety of First Nations we would see more action from this government.”

According to NAN-supplied statistics, as of Feb. 28 there were 139 drinking-water advisories in effect in 92 First Nation communities, 35 of which are in NAN communities.

Yesno said water is a basic human right and pointed to longstanding issues facing Chapleau Cree First Nation, where high levels of trihalomethanes in the water supply has been addressed to the federal government, with no solution on the horizon.

“While the minister is happy to quote numbers to appease the Opposition and the Canadian public, the sad reality in many of our communities tells a different story,” Yesno said.