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Thane_Bitter
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join:2005-01-20

Thane_Bitter

Premium Member

Attawapiskat is back in the news...

A fire earlier in the week has lead to evacuations of some members of the community:
»www.cbc.ca/news/canada/s ··· .2437714
»www.netnewsledger.com/20 ··· apiskat/

Prior to the fire the community was also blacked out for days after strong winds knocked out electrical power.
jaberi
join:2010-08-13

jaberi

Member

ah yes, what else is new Harper accused them of mismanaging the money..

Thane_Bitter
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join:2005-01-20

Thane_Bitter

Premium Member

Nothing said by the ruling party so far, nor has the band chief asked for anything, yet.

It is a terrible place for a town, no resources, flood plain, and few jobs, there is plenty of time and little to do.

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz to Thane_Bitter

MVM

to Thane_Bitter
Remind me again why we're sending hundreds of millions of our tax dollars to support the lifestyles of a small group of people in the middle of nowhere? Money should have been provided to support resettling the residents somewhere sane.

dirtyjeffer0
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join:2002-02-21
London, ON

dirtyjeffer0

Premium Member

i don't mind giving them money to settle somewhere where they can be self sufficient...what they need to do is stop the welfare dependency...that is what is ruining them.

LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

6 recommendations

LazMan

Premium Member

said by dirtyjeffer0:

i don't mind giving them money to settle somewhere where they can be self sufficient...what they need to do is stop the welfare dependency...that is what is ruining them.

I'll say the same thing I said during the last 'crisis'

Offer to relocate and educate/train those that want to move; provide a 10-15 year notice that funding is coming to an end for those that want to remain; so that they have a half-generation or so to develop some sort of sustainable lifestyle and industry.

The residents of Attawapiskat receive about 40k a year, per household, just for getting up in the morning, between government money, mineral rights, and transfers from Casino revenue...

That may not be enough to live on, on it's own, but it's a hell of a lot more then most Canadian's get handed. They can do what the rest of us do - work. Plus there's the whole other list of benefits (post-secondary education subsidy, health-care benefits, tax advantages, etc, etc) that native's have access to.

I do believe we owed the native community a debt, for the way things went down a few hundred years ago.

It's been paid.

In full.

Several times over.

Move on. We don't live like our great-great grand parents did; can't cry about it - the world has moved on. We adapted, as should they. Their historical way of life has ended; but the bitching and moaning (and I know I'm painting with a broad, and somewhat unfair brush) has not...

EUS
Kill cancer
Premium Member
join:2002-09-10
canada

EUS to Guspaz

Premium Member

to Guspaz
said by Guspaz:

Remind me again why we're sending hundreds of millions of our tax dollars to support the lifestyles of a small group of people in the middle of nowhere? Money should have been provided to support resettling the residents somewhere sane.

Couldn't you ask that about any small town that has no future prospects? We have quite a few in this province where man'f has left, but gov't keeps giving money to the voters.
Asbestos as an example.

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt to LazMan

Premium Member

to LazMan
I absolutely agree. I also wonder for how many generations they plan on continuing this... Also the bloodline thins over time.

There was a native guy working at my shop for a few years a while back... He was born on one of the reserves in northern ontario, i don't remember which... As a kid/teenager he was a troublemaker, his parents the stereotypical drunks.

When he was 20 he hated it so much he just packed up and left for Toronto. He said it took him a while bouncing around shelters, to finding some steady work where he was able to afford an apartment.

I saw him not too long ago and he's still doing well, not depending on anyone's handout.

It can be done. you just have to want to. Just like other welfare bums and social services abusers.

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz to EUS

MVM

to EUS
Small towns with no future prospects don't tend to get hundreds of millions of dollars in "inhospitable territory unfit for humans" subsidies...

Wikipedia indicates that the town of less than 2000 has been given $131 million in the past six years alone. They received $22 million from the government(s) in 2011. Indications are that this amount is still not enough to support the town, since everything has to be flown in. It costs a quarter million dollars just to build a single house because of how expensive it is to get building supplies and equipment up there.

Oh, and the tap water isn't safe to drink, so everybody has to drink bottled water. Which has to be flown in.

Thane_Bitter
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join:2005-01-20

Thane_Bitter to LazMan

Premium Member

to LazMan
It does seem like a lunar colony with none of the appeal.

Nothing to use, nothing to do, nothing.

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt to Guspaz

Premium Member

to Guspaz
So why aren't they living like they did 100's of years ago? There was no government handouts then.

They're so isolated from everything else, it should be no problem.

dirtyjeffer0
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join:2002-02-21
London, ON

dirtyjeffer0

Premium Member

said by HiVolt:

So why aren't they living like they did 100's of years ago? There was no government handouts then.

They're so isolated from everything else, it should be no problem.

hence the problem with creating a welfare state...it is quite likely most of the citizens are now dependent on the money through generations of doing nothing...no education, no skills, mental and physical health issues as well as substance abuse...all created through a welfare state.

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt

Premium Member

said by dirtyjeffer0:

hence the problem with creating a welfare state...it is quite likely most of the citizens are now dependent on the money through generations of doing nothing...no education, no skills, mental and physical health issues as well as substance abuse...all created through a welfare state.

I agree...
Mustafa7
join:2006-10-04

Mustafa7 to Thane_Bitter

Member

to Thane_Bitter
At this point not just talking of Attawapiskat here but the whole Native issue, just give each one 1 million dollars. That seems like a lot but when you consider all the programs, the never ending land claims clogging up the court etc... etc. I think it would be cheaper.

The acceptance of the million dollars means you start paying for things like schools, hospitals, water treatment plants, policing, firefighters etc...This applies to on reserve natives.

I think we would all like to live in the utopian society that the natives and the left wing press would have us believe existed a couple hundred years ago ( pre- Pilgrim) but it isn't going to happen. The reality is it never existed anyway.

The natives I know and I live by two reserves are no more Indians then I'm Italian.

dirtyjeffer0
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London, ON

dirtyjeffer0

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reserves that got off the dole and are self sufficient are much more successful, not just financially, but as a group of people, than the ones who rely on their monthly cheques.