OTTAWA - An agreement to rebuild a flood-ravaged native reserve at its existing location has forced officials from the community and the Harper government on the defensive over accusations they were ignoring advice from a federal report and the will of the local population.
Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice signed the new deal Monday with Kashechewan chief Jonathon Solomon. It closed the door to two other options - to relocate the low-lying James Bay community to higher ground within its traditional territory, or to shift the reserve about 450 kilometres south to Timmins, Ont, as proposed by federal adviser Alan Pope.
Solomon, who insisted earlier this spring that his Cree community wanted to relocate, said a majority of residents changed their mind in recent weeks after a lengthy consultation process.
"It is something that we were pondering, it's something that our elders told us in this process," Solomon said at a news conference with Prentice. "People change and the more you think about it, you have to live in the community to be able to appreciate the community around you and the people around you. It's who I am, it's where I come from and it's my home."
A survey of residents from March found that a majority wanted to move to higher ground but stay within the boundaries of their traditional territory. Prentice said the $500-million price tag was too high.
"Cost certainly has been a factor," he said. "Working together with the community to have a long-term viable plan has also been an important consideration and that's why the chief and I spent so much time together working with the council to come up with a plan that the community was satisfied with."
Although details of investments were not included in the deal, Prentice said the federal government would provide about $200 million over about seven years to rebuild infrastructure, sewage and water systems, including a new dike, and about $45 million to build 200 new houses.
But opposition Liberals and New Democrats suggested the government was letting down the Cree community that has been evacuated three times since 2004 because of spring flooding and a tainted water crisis.
"There will be other floods on the Albany River and when they come they are very serious," said Charlie Angus, NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay. "My concern is that they're spending so much money trying to maintain a dirt wall dike that people detest and, meantime, we have a signed agreement with the government of Canada that Jim Prentice has ignored."
The previous Liberal government had committed to invest $500 million over 10 years on a comprehensive relocation plan, but Liberal aboriginal affairs critic Anita Neville said that Prentice is instead choosing the cheaper option.
Rebecca Friday who has lived in Kashechewan for more than 30 years said she doesn't trust the new deal.
"Why would you want to build on a flood zone? It doesn't make sense at all and that's what I can't comprehend," she said in a phone interview. "A new community would have been better because of (the effects on the community) of global warming."
But Solomon said only 50 people showed up from the community of about 1500 to challenge his authority at a public meeting about his leadership, and most of those were his supporters.
"I didn't expect this to be (getting) 100 per cent support," he said. "It's never like that. There's going to be a handful of people who will still have questions, and other opinions. Canada would be a boring country if 100 per cent of people agree with everybody."
The agreement calls for a new committee of government and community officials to be set up in the coming weeks to oversee the rebuilding process.