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
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.