Statement - Minister of Indigenous Services, Chief of Kashechewan First Nation and Ontario's Minister of Indigenous Affairs sign 2019 Framework Agreement affirming commitment to the relocation of Kashechewan

TORONTO, May 9, 2019 /CNW/ - The Minister of Indigenous Services, Seamus O'Regan, issued the following statement today:

"Today, Chief Leo Friday, Minister Greg Rickford and I signed the 2019 Framework Agreement confirming the relocation of Kashechewan First Nation to higher ground. Together we are committed to a safe, healthy and sustainable future for Kashechewan.

Since 2017, when this Government signed "Together We Work for Hope" we have made significant progress together. Today's Kashechewan Relocation Workplan Summary will guide our next steps together. This is a complex, multi-year process. While we are moving forward with this work, we have agreed that interim dyke repairs and improved drainage are important to keep the community safe. Funding has been identified for this purpose.

I hope that the people of Kashechewan – who have been evacuated for several weeks now as a precautionary measure – will soon be able to return home safely, knowing that we hear them and are acting.

I would like to thank Chief Leo Friday, Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald, Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler and Grand Chief Jonathan Solomon for their efforts to advance this crucial work together. With this Framework Agreement in place, we have a clear path forward to meet the needs of the community, both in the immediate and long term." 

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SOURCE Indigenous Services Canada

For more information, media may contact: Kevin Deagle, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Seamus O'Regan, Minister of Indigenous Services, 873-354-0987; Media Relations, Indigenous Services Canada, 819-953-1160, [email protected]