New hospital, youth drop-in centre part of Indigenous-led coalition’s 10-year plan
A plan unveiled Thursday aimed at helping the urban Indigenous community thrive is being hailed as a first-of-its-kind in Winnipeg.
The community plan comes from the Winnipeg Indigenous Executive Circle (WIEC), a membership-based coalition focused on supporting the urban Indigenous community in Winnipeg.
The plan has four strategic directions - strengthening the capacity of Indigenous people and organizations in Winnipeg, amplifying voices, fostering a positive sense of identity, and developing and strengthening relationships that will benefit urban Indigenous people.
“It’s really about bringing together the strategic plans and ideas of all of our members,” said Crystal Laborero, CEO of the Winnipeg Indigenous Executive Circle.
The 10-year plan looks to develop strategies to improve access to housing, healing, education and employment.
Some of its key items –a $65 million hospital for Indigenous people, an 80-bed, Indigenous-led and operated women’s homeless shelter, a rapid housing initiative, a 24-hour drop-in centre for youth and increasing access to restorative justice and diversion programs.
Organizers say it's important to have a plan made by Indigenous people for Indigenous people.
“We have a very large and fast-growing Indigenous population here in Winnipeg, and any time you hear about a community that’s that young, that fast growing and not fully engaged in the community, it’s ripe for opportunities to make really positive change,” Laborero said.
Thirty-two Indigenous-led organizations contributed to the plan. It was developed over the last year and a half.
Laborero said the next step will be setting priorities on what is needed to move forward.
The full plan can be read on WIEC’s website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.