The Prince Albert Grand Council is raising concerns about how wildfire funding is distributed across the country.
Last week, the federal government announced $45.7 million in funding for wildfire research, with $3.9 million dedicated for Indigenous-led initiatives.
However, PAGC says this funding was not “new money” and they say they have received what they called a modest share.
The Grand Council says they have received $500,000 of the $42 million available in national funding, something they say does not reflect that PAGC communities are among the highest wildfire risk areas in the country.
“Wildfires are not abstract research topics for our Nations – they are an annual threat to our safety, homes, and way of life,” said Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte in a media release sent out Monday night. “This announcement simply repackages old money, and it forces our communities to compete for funds when we should be receiving direct allocations based on risk.”
The Grand Council is calling for Ottawa to change how these funds are distributed.
They are calling on the federal government to move awy from project-based, competitive funding to focus on risk-based community-led allocations.
The PAGC says this will allow First Nations to decide what is needed, when it is needed and how it should be implemented.