Saskatoon is expanding rapidly and city planners sat down with Aboriginal stakeholders Thursday night to discuss how First Nations and Métis peoples can be included in forthcoming changes.
The Saskatoon Tribal Council and Central Urban Métis Federation Incorporated were two of the groups involved in the meeting.
Saskatoon Mayor Don Atchison says the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities have similar goals in terms of the benefits they want to receive from the city.
“What they’re looking for is attainable, safe, affordable clean housing to live in,” he says. “They’re looking for jobs, they’re looking for security, they’re looking for a better tomorrow for their kids, they want recreational facilities for their children. Son of a gun, it’s interesting, I think we all want the same thing.”
CUMFI President Shirley Isbister says the biggest problem facing Aboriginal people in Saskatoon right now is a lack of affordable housing.
“Affordable housing, definitely, between Cress and CUMFI and Quint — we have a lot of affordable housing — but I think it’s going to take hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of units to be able to make it so that people can afford to live comfortably,” she says.
Some of the agenda items discussed at the meeting were affordable housing, economic development and urban reserves.