The two faces of Musqueam Nation

Tag : Blue Tarps

He has been living there without running water, heat or power since2003. Mr. Guerin said in an interview yesterday that he goes to acommunity centre nearby to shower and brush his teeth. He has askedfor a hydro hookup to a power line that runs outside his trailer,but he says the band council told him the cost was prohibitive. Heappealed to the federal government for help, but was told the bandwas responsible for services on the reserve. He said he intends tostay in his makeshift housing and press for services.
Substandard housing in remote native reserves and associatedrespiratory problems for the young, the sickly and the elderly havebeen widely reported in Canada for years.
However, the desperate conditions on the Musqueam reserve areunlike anything else.
The Musqueam band is one of Canada's wealthiest aboriginal groups,with land holdings that Vancouver realtors estimate would be worthhundreds of millions of dollars if they were developed. Much of theland has been acquired in recent months. But even before land-claimsettlements ballooned their real estate holdings, the band was welloff. It received about $4-million last year from leases on itsland, housing rentals and other sources, the band's auditedfinancial statement shows.
Yet the Musqueam band and its members also received $6-million ingovernment support, including $1-million in income assistance andsocial-support payments. The band's holding company last year hadan accumulated deficit of $17.6-million. Residents who work at alocal grocery store take home food that is on the verge of spoilingand can't be sold, a band member said.
The band is not as rich as some may believe, Jordan Point, a memberof the Musqueam band council, said in an interview. "It is not apoor place, but you have to look at the reality of any situation,"he said. "There are constraints and it is not as it appears in thefirst place."
STATSCAN SAYS
The reserve, between the equestrian estates of the Southlandsneighbourhood and the University of British Columbia, is home to610 status Indians, including 150 children under 15 years old. Morethan 700 non-aboriginal people also live on the reserve.
The 2006 Statistics Canada survey found that the Musqueam are worseoff than most other native groups in B.C. The median income forMusqueam band members was $10,678, compared to $15,836 foraboriginal people across B.C. The median household income was$35,805, compared to $42,059 province-wide.