Sunday, July 10, 2005

What we take for granted...

...Canada's aboriginal population still lacks:
Officials on Saskatchewan reserves say they don't have enough money to fight fires...

Former Keeseekoose First Nation fire chief Shylo Stevenson says his band didn't fix a broken fire truck, hampering his efforts to fight fires.

An Indian and Northern Affairs spokesperson says it's the bands' responsibility to maintain equipment for firefighting, but starting next year reserve fire trucks will need certification.

What's less clear is the source of the mandate for certification, and whether there's any concurrent funding to provide it. Obviously the failure to fix fire equipment is the result of a lack of action somewhere between the band and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. But it'll be the band as a whole that loses out if the broken equipment is needed.

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