Indigenous leader says she was never informed of plans for an encampment site in Timmins, Ont.
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An Indigenous leader who lives in TImmins, Ont., says she was never consulted about a proposal for an encampment relocation project at the edge of town near a landfill site.
In March, Timmins city council voted in favour of a plan to put up to 40 temporary emergency shelters at a site on Pine Street South that does not currently have access to public transit, hydro and water service from the city.
"It really made me sad to where I actually cried because, you know, the way that we're treating this group of people isn't right," said Natasha Martin, deputy grand chief of Mushkegowuk Council, which represents seven First Nations in northern Ontario.
"You know, putting them across the street from a dump isn't right."
Martin noted that Indigenous people represent around half of the homeless population in Timmins.
According to a recent informal count, there are around 400 people experiencing homelessness in the Cochrane district, which includes Timmins.
We say that we're the city with the heart of gold. I don't see that. - Mushkegowuk Council Deputy Grand Chief Natasha Martin
Before council's decision to go with the site, the city received input from around 3,500 residents through public consultations, according to Dave Landers, Timmins's chief administrative officer.
But Martin said she was never made aware of that survey.
"Did it properly capture the voice of Timmins?" she asked. "And when I say the voice of Timmins, I mean regular community members."
Martin said she would not have personally chosen the Pine Street South location as the site for the temporary emergency shelters.
"We say that we're 'The City with the Heart of Gold,'" she said. "I don't see that. I really, really don't get it. And that makes me sad."
After learning about the city's plans, Martin said she wrote a letter to Timmins Mayor Michelle Boileau, who she said has been a "great ally" to Mushkegowuk people, in order to discuss the proposal and share an Indigenous perspective on it.
"We actually had a conversation yesterday [Monday], her and I," Martin said.
"We had a brief conversation. And from there, I was able to really voice what I want, like what I really thought."
In a statement to CBC News, Boileau said she received Martin's letter and values her feedback.
"The intention of the proposed encampment response initiative is to provide appropriate alternative housing to help move people into safe shelter, while also supporting the city's efforts to mitigate encampments in public parks and spaces," Boileau said.
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