Flood waters threaten First Nations communities

First Nations leaders will start taking action of their own, if the federal and provincial governments don’t do something about the flooding that plagues First Nations communities each year.

Nearly 200 people, including Grand Chief Morris J. Swan-Shannacappo of the Manitoba Southern Chiefs Organization (SCO) and Chief Adrian Sinclair of Interlake First Nation of Lake St. Martin, rallied at the downtown Winnipeg office of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada on April 12 demanding permanent action be taken on flooding concerns. The protestors moved to the Legislature in the afternoon.

Lake St. Martin is one of more than a dozen First Nations in the southern parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan that had to evacuate residents from homes or declare states of emergency in April.