File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council, Canadian Red Cross sign collaborative agreement
The File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council and Canadian Red Cross Society in Saskatchewan signed a collaborative agreement for emergencies.
This solidifies a mutually beneficial working relationship during times of disaster in communities on Treaty 4 territory, meaning the groups will collaborate to identify their supports and needs.
“The Canadian Red Cross wants to ensure that we are supporting communities as they build the capacity to respond to emergency situations,” Luc Mullinder, vice president of Canadian Red Cross in Saskatchewan, said. “We have resources that can help (the) community and it’s a matter of us providing access to those resources so (communities) can lead in their responses.”
He said the new agreement is the first step toward real change.
Mullinder said the organizations know how to respond to an emergency, but this agreement allows the tribal council to teach some of the culturally appropriate steps to provide support in a time of need.
“Anything from simply offering traditional food and traditional blanket,” Mullinder said. “All the way to, hey you know, what’s the quickest way to get resources in communities hands.”
Chief Edmund Bellegarde with the File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council said there is a lot of infrastructure and training gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
“Understanding the infrastructure that is required, the equipment, the supplies, but the humanitarian approach to providing that service and to mitigating the impacts on the population or the people who are most impacted in the times of disaster,” said Bellegarde. “We’ve learned a lot from emergency planning, emergency implementation, but part of the biggest lesson that we are learning from is emergency preparedness.”
He hopes that more tribal councils will enter agreements with these types of organizations so everyone is prepared.
Both agencies said with Saskatchewan in the middle of wildfire season, this was an important time to sign the paperwork.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.