Prince Albert Grand Council hopes future women’s shelter fills need in northern Sask.
The Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) is hoping a future emergency shelter will fill a need in the north for women and girls fleeing domestic violence.
Last week, the PAGC announced its plans to build a women’s shelter on Montreal Lake Cree Nation, located about 100 kilometres north of Prince Albert.
The PAGC Women’s Commission will be overseeing the shelter. Chair Shirley Henderson said they’ve been wanting to build a women’s shelter for about 20 years.
“We just about had tears in our eyes knowing that we were one of the 10 shelters approved,” she said.
The PAGC received funding through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Shelter Enhancement Program and Indigenous Services Canada.
“The demand is very high and every time you phone a shelter, it’s always full,” she said.
It will include 10 rooms and 25 beds. Henderson said there will be two family rooms and a cultural space, which, for many, is an important part of healing.
Henderson said they’ll bring in elders to lead prayers and talk about traditional ways of life.
“I think it gives them a sense of hope, that there is hope there, that there is a better life and with help, they can change that life and go on to something better.”
For the PAGC’s executive director Al Ducharme, shelters help prevent other issues Indigenous peoples tend to face at a higher rate, such as poverty and suicide.
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission showed that need, he said.
“There were all kinds of indications that something needed to happen, but nothing was happening,” said Ducharme.
He said he’s been working with Henderson since the idea of building a women’s shelter came about decades ago. The PAGC is working on projects to address other issues, he said, but they’re prioritizing helping those facing domestic violence.
“Often, the families and women and children in the north have a double-edged sword to deal with. They may definitely be facing a problem or a challenge because of domestic violence and poverty and things of that nature, but not only that, you can’t escape,” he said.
“If you’re a fly-in community or an isolated community, where do you go?”
Henderson said there are only two other women’s shelters in northern Saskatchewan, one in La Ronge and another in Black Lake. The Prince Albert Safe Shelter for Women also serves people coming from northern communities.
The PAGC plans to start construction on the women’s shelter in spring of 2022. It anticipates construction will be complete about a year later, in spring of 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.