First Nations concerned about aboriginal strategy
CBC Manitoba
WINNIPEG - Several First Nations leaders and at least one Winnipeg councillor are wondering if the city still supports an aboriginal strategy.
Former mayor Glen Murray, in an effort to make Winnipeg a better place for aboriginals to live, worked to create a strategy that included more recreation and jobs, as well as urban reserves.
But with Murray and the city's Metis councillor Dan Vandal gone, there are fears that his vision may be in jeopardy.
Coun. Jenny Gerbasi worked on the aboriginal strategy with Vandal. She says she's worried about the future of the plan and wonders if it's on the agenda of new Mayor Sam Katz.
"There is a question mark about what kind of commitment there is going to be, because Glen Murray was strongly committed to it," she says. "Everything is kind of a wait and see and I'm frankly quite concerned about it. Very concerned about it."
The Long Plain First Nation was one of two aboriginal communities trying to turn the vacant Kapyong Barracks site into an urban reserve.
Chief Dennis Meeches says they have given up on the idea – in part because they're unsure of the political will at city hall.
"I don't know if the climate is there now," he says. "It was there when Glen Murray was around. But I don't know how the city views that. There's a lot of lobby groups out who are against urban reserves completely. They don't even want to gather information about what an urban reserve is about."
Other aboriginal business people say they will give Katz a grace period to study the issue, but say they expect an answer on his position soon.