WINNIPEG – Temporary homes set up for flood victims from a Manitoba First Nation reserve are being dismantled and shipped to another location, as most have remained empty since being built.
Global News visited an interim village set up for the residents of Lake St. Martin First Nation and found less than 20 families living in the units.
The government offered 65 fully-furnished, temporary homes to the community following the May 2011 flood. Officials say 18 homes are occupied, but residents say it’s closer to a dozen.
Angelina Marsden moved into one of the homes in December. She said she is happy in the three-bedroom house, but still misses the community.
“For the first year we lived in a hotel. Then, we finally found our own house and then after that we got a house here,” she said.
“I love it here,” she said. “But the kids don’t have many friends to play with.”
The temporary community was established on a former Canadian Forces radar base, near Gypsumville, because the 140-year-old reserve was unlivable after the Fairford dam was opened to lower lake levels and the reserve was inundated.
Some of the former residents, which numbered around 1,400 before the flood, have either moved elsewhere or continue to live in hotels and rental units paid for with public funds.
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They also get per diems, to cover the cost of food and expenses.
Although Chief Andrew Sinclair and band council approved the development, people began to fear a permanent community wouldn’t be rebuilt on their land.
Manitoba’s Deputy Housing Minister Joy Cramer said it’s unfortunate so few moved into the interim village, which cost the government $14 million to set up.
“If we didn’t build the houses, we’d never find out if they were actually going to move,” she said. “So, we had to believe they were going to move because they said they wanted to.”
The province is now going to spend another $4.3 million to move the unoccupied homes to help another First Nation community – that includes paying for site development, to put in hydro and move roads.
As soon as the snow melts and the houses can be moved, the government will give them to evacuees from Little Saskatchewan First Nation – who have also been living in hotels since losing their homes.
Global News attempted to contact Lake St. Martin band officials, but a response was not received in time for publication.
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