The viability of remote First Nations communities – Net Newsledger
March 4, 2015
THUNDER BAY – This series of articles on the future viability of remote First Nations communities began with our piece on the importance of education as a key to the future of First Nations in Canada. We celebrated the fact that First Nations youth are graduating in ever-increasing numbers. We were quick to point out however, that this success produced a troubling paradox. A Catch-22 proposition resulting in the newly educated, “the brightest and best,” rarely if ever returning to their communities of origin in order to continue their lives and build their families. We concluded that these newly-minted graduates voted with their feet due to the overwhelming absence of opportunity in their remote communities. The opportunity to seek and hold meaningful employment, to have access to a range of quality medical and social services. In short, to be able to exercise choice. We further argued that First Nations communities located within an urban ambit or adjacent to major transportation arteries are far more likely to provide a brighter future for its members when compared to remote communities accessible only by air or a couple of months of winter roads (which global warming will likely eliminate) and lacking any viable prospects for economic development.
