Chief wants legal action over fatal fire

February 6 2009

Posted By The Canadian Press

SANDY BAY, Man. — The chief of a Manitoba First Nation is lobbying his fellow chiefs to launch legal action against the federal government following a house fire that killed a nine-year-old girl.

Nine-year-old Hope Richard died when her family’s home on the Sandy Bay reserve went up in flames on Tuesday.

The fire is believed to have started in the family’s front porch, where a wood stove, the source of heat for the home, had been stoked the night before.

Sandy Bay Chief Russell Beaulieu said 15 people were crowded into the small house that burned to the ground.

He said there is a waiting list of 200 families who need homes in his community.

‘‘We just renovated a large number of homes and brought in some RTMs (ready-to-move homes) but it’s still not enough,’’ Beaulieu said.

He said the Conservative government budget allocates $400 million for First Nation housing across the country over the next two years.

‘‘But there are more than 900 First Nations across the country,’’ Beaulieu said. ‘‘You do the math — $400 million just isn’t enough.’’

Federal Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl’s office said the minister was unavailable to discuss the Sandy Bay tragedy but released a written statement.

‘‘I wish the family, community members and First Nation leaders of Sandy Bay strength in dealing with this unfortunate tragedy,’’ said Strahl via an email from his director of communications.

The Assembly of First Nations had asked for $1.2 billion over two years for housing, estimated 87,000 new houses are needed on reserves across Canada.

In Sandy Bay alone, Statistics Canada says 66 per cent of the 510 homes are in need of major repairs, and more than 35 per cent of the homes have more than one person per room, compared to 1.8 per cent for Manitoba as a whole.

A senior policy analyst with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said First Nation communities in Manitoba need an additional 16,000 housing units to address overcrowding on reserves.

Darcy Wood says the total cost for the 16,000 homes is a staggering $2.7 billion, but ‘‘of course we’re not going to get that kind of money’’ from Ottawa.

The use of substandard materials combined with harsh environments and poor infrastructure means the lifespan of a typical house on reserve is only 15 years, Wood added.

news.dailygraphic@shawcable.com

Article ID# 1421865