Rajotte, Coleen. A family in the First Nations community of Pikangikum in northwestern Ontario. CBC News, https://i.cbc.ca/1.2035743.1432723188!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/li-infrast-people620.jpg Accessed 20 Dec. 2016.
The complete lack of affordable, adequate housing and infrastructure is a constant plague that touches the lives of people on reserves, all across Canada. Lacking the proper funding, many First Nations’ people are living in squalor, without access to proper electricity and running water. According to Kazi Stastna, a reporter for CBC News, “nearly half of the houses on Canadian reserves require major repairs, and overcrowding rates are six times greater on reserve than off” (Stastna), while “bringing water and sewer systems on reserves up to standard and maintaining them that way for the next 10 years would cost about $10 billion” (Stastna). The solution? The federal government must allocate more funding to ensure that the near 400 000 people on reserves throughout Canada (The Canadian Encyclopedia) are able to meet the standards required for living.
This is a truly beautiful and moving piece of literature that no one should miss. Wowzers, what an eye opener. Thanks Ben for this incredible post.
ReplyDelete