THUNDER BAY -- Nishnawbe Aski Nation chiefs are looking for changes from the province when it comes to youth and social services.
The chiefs have been in Thunder Bay since Tuesday for a special assembly on the issues. Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said leadership has been clear for a long time that changes are a badly needed. While it's been frustrating for leadership and community members alike, he thinks the province will listen now.
"Theres a willingness now there to address this and I think we're positive that there will be some changes moving forward," he said.
With 34 of NAN's communities considered remote, the cost of living is much higher than in other parts of the province.
Yet rates for something like Ontario Disability Support Program is the same no matter where a person lives. Even basics like food and clean water are hard to come by if someone is on social assistance in the North.
"It's a different world in the remote communities," Fiddler said. "It's very difficult for these families to make ends meet."
For youth, Deputy Chief Goyce Kakegamic new strategies are needed. NAN currently has around 250 children in care who are living outside of NAN territory. That needs to change. Agencies need the proper resources so that children can stay.
""That's almost equivalent to residential schools. Children taken away from their homes and to a strange culture and language," he said.
"These are some of the realities we're discussing."
