The City of Dryden would like a new agreement with Indigenous Services Canada when it comes to hosting First Nation evacuees.
The most recent agreement with the federal government expired last month.
CAO Roger Nesbitt says that agreement left the city one the hook for costs that weren’t covered by the federal government.
“I think the federal government, Indigenous Services Canada, really needs to look at this funding agreement and make sure that municipalities are not exposed and are not put at a disadvantage when it comes to funding evacuation support,” Nesbitt told council Monday night.
Nesbitt adds they also want to be paid for costs incurred in a timely manner.
“Indigenous Services Canada really needs to come through with the funding a much more timely manner than what we’ve seen. Receiving payments 12 month, 16 months or 18 months after the fact really impacts our cash flow.”
Nesbitt says the City of Dryden still wants to help out when there are forest fires or floods affecting First Nation communities, but they want to be fairly compensated.
