Ottawa is spending more than $47 million to build new housing units across Manitoba. Rebecca Chartrand, Canada’s minister of northern and Arctic affairs, announced Friday the funding will result in 133 new housing units built throughout Manitoba. “These projects will help provide affordable, stable housing for families, for seniors, for women, for vulnerable residents across northern and rural Manitoba,” Chartrand said. The funding includes housing in Flin Flon, Selkirk and other northern communities. “We recognize that building in northern and remote communities comes with significantly higher cost and logistical challenges, which is why sustained partnership is so important,” Chartrand said. “If we want to grow, we need to support the infrastructure that makes sense in the regions that we’re growing in.” Chartrand’s announcement also included $12 million for York Factory First Nation to replace its current solid waste site with a modern facility. “This project is not simply about moving garbage from one place to another; It is about correcting long-standing environmental and public health risks near our community,” said Chief Leroy Constant of York Factory First Nation. “It’s about protecting our drinking water. It’s about protecting the land around us.” Chartrand said the project will support 250 future housing units in the community. She also confirmed $8.3 million in funding for solid waste infrastructure for Tataskweyak Cree Nation.
