Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The community does know best. This is why they did their engagement processes with community members. They conducted the feasibility with a lot of thought and vision. We're there with them hand in hand to realize that vision. The funding issue is, again, not really the issue; it'

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  My understanding of the trust is that it would take an inordinate amount of time; it's complicated, and it's just adding further delays. We don't want further delays. We want to get the shovel in the ground ASAP.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  In my humble experience, we are trying to build on the experience of getting projects up and running, and the most expeditious way is to find a contractual agreement, a contribution agreement—call it what you will—to expedite the process. A trust fund would simply add delays upon

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  From my perspective, we are applying Jordan's principle. We're committed to working with the community and have developed a collaborative approach and an agreement on the vision forward for the construction of facilities. Build it and they will come; it's not an impediment. The p

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The short answer is yes, there was a draft MOA shared with the community, developed and reviewed and provided with input for its content, describing the intent and the objectives and the two-track approach of the two facilities, as well as a detailed work plan. We were almost the

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I don't think it's about the dollars; it was the mechanism. I think, to be honest, it was a trust issue with the Grassy Narrows First Nation, and rightly so, after many successive governments and not seeing progress or seeing the light of day. I think they wanted some level of as

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I think the issue with the funding is that the community had proposed putting this money into a trust, which would take an inordinate amount of time, with more delays. Therefore, what we're proposing is a contractual agreement, a legal agreement, in terms of funding commitments.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  When we look at the vision and aspirations of the community, we have multiple levels of service that need to be realized. As I mentioned earlier, we do provide primary health care and public health services. The vision of the community is to provide specialized medical treatment

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you for the question. We're very close. Chief Turtle can speak to this as well. The feasibility study has been completed. The design vision is there. They are just finalizing the financial agreements and arrangements to begin construction, which will probably demand som

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'll start. From what I understand, you're right: It's had a detrimental impact on the economy, sustenance, hunting and gathering. From anecdotal information that has been shared, I understand that community members had to go further away from their traditional territory to hun

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning. Thank you for inviting us to appear before the committee to discuss the critical issue of mercury contamination, which is continuing to affect the community of Grassy Narrows. Before I continue, I'd like to acknowledge that we are meeting