Slave Lake councillor makes controversial remarks about Indigenous homeless people in community

At a Sept. 8 council meeting, Slave Lake Coun. Joy McGregor gave an update on the local homeless population. During the recorded meeting, she recommended the town stop feeding and “being so nice” to its Indigenous homeless population and work to return them to nearby First Nations. During her update, McGregor also said police don’t do enough to stop the homeless from using a local college’s power outlets to charge their phones, and claimed they are stealing hand sanitizer to drink. After backlash from the community, she apologized for the language she used.

• Slave Lake councillor apologizes for ‘stop feeding them’ comments toward homeless community