Ottawa to spend $1.2 million to replace and repair homes after mass stabbing
The federal government is to spend $1.2 million to repair and replace houses damaged during a mass stabbing in Saskatchewan nearly three months ago.
Houses became crime scenes after 11 people died and 18 were injured on the James Smith Cree Nation and nearby village of Weldon during the Sept. 4 attacks.
Myles Sanderson, the 32-year-old suspect in the attacks, later died in police custody.
Indigenous Services Canada said $750,000 will be used for replacement, repairs and restoration of homes damaged during the massacre. The repairs are expected to be completed by mid-December, the department said in an email.
Chief Wally Burns has said four of the affected homes cannot be repaired. Some of the funding will be used for replacement ready-to-move homes, he said, but it will be some time before they are habitable.
"The housing is there," Burns said Monday during a news conference on the First Nation. "The transition from here to there, it takes a long time."
Indigenous Services Canada said 16 homes have been cleaned at an expected cost of $203,000. That covers cleaning 14 homes on the reserve, one in Weldon and one in Wakaw.
An additional $200,000 was provided to replace furniture and $40,000 was set aside for a housing co-ordinator.
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu said the government will support families who are still waiting to return home.
"Building a house can't happen overnight, unfortunately," she said Monday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the First Nation of about 1,900 people 170 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, on Monday and announced $40 million over the next six years to build a wellness centre and repurpose a lodge. He also announced funding for community-based safety projects and treatments for substance abuse.
Since the tragedy, Indigenous leaders have talked about how housing is connected to health.
Burns said Monday that the COVID-19 pandemic worsened overcrowding in housing on the First Nation. Combined with the stabbing rampage, it's left a lot of people feeling anxiety, he said.
"That's not healthy," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.