BLOG – was to bring awareness to, and to raise enough money to purchase a single trailer or suitable  building for the kids of Attawapaskat.

The other night a news broadcast from the Ontario government announced they would be sending up a number of trailer to deal with the severe housing shortage.  One point two million for 12 trailers I think.

My wordpress page allows me to track the number of visitors daily and its clear the effort was a poor one. Hastily constructed and thought but with good intentions. Still a good idea. I think it should continue, but in a different way perhaps.

The the little detour in looking to directly respond to the need identified a goodly amount of barriers that must be overcome in order to make any meaningful progress in improving the lives of aboriginal peoples in the far north.

Does a handful of trailers take care of the problem though, and is the housing really what the priority SHOULD be?  Native people are a hardy lot and have been living in the north for a long time have they not? Cold should not the major concern then?

Okay. Then what should the real priority be then? It comes immediately to my mind that this is not rocket science.  I think you if told a group of young kids about other folks who had to live on contaminated land, and drink bad water because it was poisoned, then perhaps their innocent answer would be simply be ” Then why not give them a new safe place to live?” “Why dont they just move?”

Is it just that land area the community is situated on poisoned, or includes the immediate surrounding lands? Lots of questions.

The Native housing project has not been put to sleep, or shoved away into the closet to gather dust in the dark.  I think if I look at the problem long enough,  answers will slowly come.  That is after all an innovators specialty.

As I ask the questions and look for the answers I’ll be glad to share what I find, and come up with  viable solutions for measureable results.  Develop a result driven process or mechanism for delivery of services perhaps.

I have an idea or two.

 Attawaspiskat.

A big THANK YOU to all the organizations who are helping as they can, as much as they can.  There are probly many others I know nothing about, but are quiety doing what they can. – I’m learning, and beginning to understand.

I’ve come to realize that while each one of us walks a different path, that these lines or paths we trace along the way all intersect.  While it only seems that we are walking alone individually it is not so.  It its not possible.

If we all meet up at the same place at the same time, and put our differences aside, and think of the needs of others instead of just our own needs, then something strange happens. We become a community and no one need be alone.  That we can all help one another, when there is need.

When you act not for yourself, but for your brother and sisters – then you become a family. We all might look a little different, but that is the way the Great Mystery has designed things.