By: Roman Hayter
The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation is taking a look at 2022. When looking back at the previous year, Chief Karen Bird said that she wanted to acknowledge the loss the Nation experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One of the first things I want to acknowledge is our community members who have gone through a lot of loss; we’ve lost a lot of people through this pandemic, and we’ve been here to support them, and the leadership has been here to support our people with the limited amount of resources we’ve had and just being there for them,” said Bird. “I think one of the main things that we are learning is to work in unity, as I mentioned before we are spread out but when we are unified, we are stronger and we can do more things and go after the opportunities to help our people.”
The First Nation is struggling to house all its members. With 12,000 members in eight communities, there are approximately 950 housing units. “We’re striving to have everyone have a home because our families are having to live together, and a lot of social issues come from that. The safety of our communities is a priority, and the economic development of our communities is a priority too,” said Bird.
Earlier this year, the First Nation held a grand opening for a new therapeutic center just south of Prince Albert. Chief Bird explained that the new facility helps to grant easier access to help for youth in the surrounding area. “It means that the young people, the children, are situated where they can get the help that they need from having our professionals go there to help our people and the families that need it,” she said.