Updated Mon. Jul. 30 2007 9:23 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice signed an agreement Monday to rebuild, but not relocate, a northern Ontario reserve that has been plagued by flooding and a dirty water crisis.
The Kashechewan First Nation, near the coast of James Bay, is located on low-lying land that has flooded twice in the last three years.
In 2005, many of the reserve's 1,800 residents had to be evacuated when an E. coli outbreak in the water supply was discovered.
The Tories say the deal will provide funding to develop a plan that will address skills development, reserve housing, health and economic investments, public safety and school and community facilities.
The deal, which Prentice signed alongside Kashechewan Chief Jonathan Solomon in Ottawa, comes at a cost of $200 million over five to seven years.
"It is an agreement that respects the desire expressed by Kashechewan residents to remain in its current location," said Prentice.
The former Liberal government had promised to relocate the community under an estimated $500 million plan. But the Conservatives say the Liberals never budgeted for the expense and that it's too costly to move the reserve.
Consultants hired by Kashechewan to survey the community produced a report that said most people wanted to move to higher ground within their traditional community.
Solomon travelled to Parliament Hill in March 2006, urging the Conservative government to honour a promise made by the previous Liberal government to move Kashechewan to higher ground.
On Monday, Solomon softened his stance, saying the deal is better than nothing.
"Where's Kelowna?" he asked. Solomon was referring to the $5.1-billion Liberal plan -- gutted by the Conservatives -- to improve native living standards.
"It's dead. At least with Kashechewan, it's moving forward and we're getting something."
"Do you want to continue the political bickering for the next 20 years and nothing is happening in your community? The line gets longer and longer for housing."
Resident, meanwhile, fear that it's just a matter of time before their homes flood again.
"We're stuck in the same community where the flood zone is always happening. It doesn't make any sense at all," said Kashechewan's former deputy chief Rebecca Friday.
"I think Prentice is really playing with peoples' lives here."
The Liberals, meanwhile, are accusing the Conservatives of letting down the people of Kashechewan.
Nancy Karetak-Lindell: "I think they could have done better. They could have really done what was right for the people," said Nunavut Liberal MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell.
But the government argues work is already underway on fixing the dike and renovating homes, and that tens of millions of dollars would go to waste, adding to the cost, if it built a brand new reserve.
The federal government forced the Cree First Nation onto the reserve in 1957.