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Audio: KDSB Receives Key Ally In Homelessness Battle

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The Federal government is now a formal partner with our communities when it comes to ending homelessness.

Kenora District Services Board Chief Administrative Officer Henry Wall says after 22 years of trying, their district has been identified as a “Reaching Home Designated Community”.

This will allow them to access funding to address homelessness.

“More symbolically it’s letting our communities know that we have a Federal government that has finally come to the table as a meaningful partner. Our municipalities are not in this alone and that help is coming. Now we need a framework that allows for all the partners to work together.”

Wall notes the designation means our municipalities and First Nations will now be in the drivers seat in terms of setting a strategy moving forward.

He stresses this support has been missing for a very long time and they definitely need the governments help.

Wall says in their last study in 2018, close to 400 people were considered homeless in our nine municipalities.

In comparison, the region of Halton, Ontario, which has a population of more than 580,000, had about 260 people living on the streets.

Wall says the City of Kenora alone had 233.

Wall adds there’s a major gap in funding compared to an area like Halton as “they get three to four times the resource allocation from the province and federal government than our region does. And that’s why it’s such a pressing issue for our region.”

He stresses when you look at it in terms of magnitude our region is “completely off the charts.”

The KDSB has received $1.3-million over four years to carry out its work and develop a homelessness plan.

Funding has also been provided to the Red Lake Area Emergency Shelter in the amount of $144,099 from 2020-2021, while the Women’s Shelter, Saakaate House Inc. in Kenora is getting $85,801 in 2020-2021.

Through the Designated Community expansion, the opportunity existed to apply as a District as historically only Urban communities with a population of 30,000 or greater could apply.

The District of Kenora was one of six to be selected in the Canada-wide program.

Wall says “This included getting support from our municipalities and also getting support from our Indigenous partners and First Nation communities. That’s what was really neat about this time around.”

To hear more from Henry Wall, visit the Audio link below.

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Crisis Situation At Kenora Hospital

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The Lake of the Woods District Hospital in Kenora is in a crisis situation.

The designation was given last week by the North West Local Health Integration Network.

Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Ray Racette says the number of beds they have is limited.

Racette says patients waiting for a long term care bed to open up are taking away as many as 20 beds at the hospital.

He adds the flu also limits the number of beds they have, because any room that has an influenza patient is considered under quarantine, even if there are two or three empty beds in it.

Racette says under the designation, any bed that opens up in a Kenora long term care home, goes to Lake of the Woods District Hospital, instead of other communities.

 

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Canada/Planet Facing Climate Change Crisis

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An activist from Calgary is making her way through Northwestern Ontario with plans to arrive in Ottawa to deliver a message to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the governments stance on climate change.

Ann Cognito and her dog Mr. Myrtle are in Dryden, as they search for a ride east, as the walk on Highway 17 has become treacherous for the pair.

Cognito is relying on a kick bike and a tiny trailer as part of the 3,300 kilometre journey, but it has been plagued with set-back’s

Some of her supplies were stolen in Winnipeg, her scooter was damaged and she has endured some physical injuries.

However, the 50-year-old says she’s not giving up and is bound and determined to make it to the nations capital.

Cognito says she has specific goals.

They include demanding the federal government ‘tell the truth’ about the climate crisis, to reduce carbon emissions in Canada to net zero by 2025, to take further action to remove atmospheric carbon excess, and to create regional, national and international assemblies to avoid further climate change.

She says “the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Control released a report last October which optimistically stated that we had about 12 years left to change things around or we do face extinction.”

Cognito adds “Since last Fall, carbon emissions have continued to increase exponentially as has plastic consumption and chemical use. Because governments and industries refuse to acknowledge the problems and refuse to change.”

She states “There’s countries all over the world making massive changes and here we’re really not even allowed to talk about it hardly. Our government is doing the exact opposite of what we need to do.”

Cognito plans to meet with the Prime Minister and present a petition that has already received more than 1,700 signatures.

She says she won’t leave Ottawa until she secures that meeting.

Cognito adds “We have everything to lose, and our own future to gain. That’s all it comes down to.”

Her journey is part of the ‘Expedition-Walk to Waken the Nation’ movement and to learn more visit:

https://www.facebook.com/wakenthenation/

To hear the complete interview with Ann Cognito, visit the Audio link below.