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A P R I L 2021 ME S S E NG E R
M e s s a g e f r o m t h e P r e s i d e n t
that the voices of our members are heard. While we have concerns and questions about the legislation Itself, our concern stems from the clear lack of meaningful consultation. We plan to address each concern one by one with the Minister and intend to keep pushing this issue with the Government of Alberta. For two years we have eagerly awaited the announcement of the Federal budget to see if the greatest concerns of our communities have been addressed. I am proud to report that the hard work of our team has resulted in the inclusion of Metis Settlements in every funding protfolio. We are especially pleased that the budget has prioritized infrastructure. We have submitted over $500 million of shovel-ready infrastructure projects at the community level and will be diligently with the council members in each community to prioritize these projects. Shovel-ready infrastructure projects submitted include but are not limited to: • New and existing roads • Water treatment and distribution systems • Septic systems • Power • Natural gas distribution • Homes Other doors are opening as well. We continue to collaborate at the Trilateral table with both the provincial and federal governments to navigate the path forward. We anticipate access to approximately $1billion over the next four years for infrastructure. We will be doing whatever we can to maximize benefits to our communities, not only to expedite the completion of this necessary infrastructure, but also to bring much needed employment opportunites. A huge thank you to the federal government, our federal team (Blake Desjarlais - Strategy Corp., Garry Appelt - Witten LLP) and local leaders for their ongoing support. As you likely know as well, the Government of Alberta launched two new important consultations, the first on the Coal Policy where broad public input was requested through a survey, and a proposed Indigenous specific consultation has been promised. With more than 25,000 survey responses received by government, a hold has been put on exploration during the ongoing consultation period. We are monitoring the situation and expecting our role at the consultation table to come soon.
O u r L a n d . O u r C u l t u r e . O u r F u t u r e .
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