Rising fuel costs a challenge in search for missing Sask. boy
The rising cost of fuel is a concern as the nearly month-long search for a missing Saskatchewan boy continues.
Frank Young, five, was reported missing on April 19. He was playing in the front yard of his home on Red Earth Cree Nation.
He was last seen around noon that day, although he may have been spotted at a local playground around 2:30 p.m., according to police.
During a news conference in Prince Albert on Monday, Shoal Lake Cree Nation Chief Marcel Head said there is no intention of ending the search for the boy.
"We won't quit, we're not going to give up until we find a little Frank," Head said.
However, he acknowledged rising gas prices are a challenge.
"The cost of fuel these days has increased a lot," Head said.
The gas is helping to keep crews searching by boat and all-terrain vehicles.
Head joined other leaders in calling for more support from the provincial and federal governments for the ongoing search.
Red Earth Cree Nation Chief Fabian Head said a request had been made to the federal government to deploy the Canadian Rangers in the search for the boy.
The Red Earth chief thanked those who participated in candlelight vigils in Edmonton and Prince Albert on Sunday.
"It is the prayers that provide the strength and we are so thankful for that," he said.
"Despite this being day 28, we still view this mission as a rescue mission."
The president of the Prince Albert Grand Council's search and rescue unit issued a call for more volunteers to help in the search.
"We need more people on the ground and if you're able to, I'm asking my First Nation, sisters, brothers, cousins, to please help the family and come and help search," Michelle Vandevord said.
Searches have been conducted by land, air and water since Young was reported missing, with the assistance of hundreds of volunteers.
Abduction is not suspected and Young's disappearance does not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert.
A 92 square-kilometre area in and around the community was searched extensively in the days following his disappearance.
In an update to media last week, RCMP said the focus for its boat crews was primarily on the Carrot River, which runs through the community.
Young's family began looking for him soon after he was discovered missing.
"The day Frank went missing everybody acted right away," his grandmother Teresa Whitecap said during the news conference.
She described Young as fun-loving and creative and said he loved to play outside with other kids.
Whitecap described how the boy would make crafts for his aunt, who he lived with, to mark special days like Mother's Day and Christmas.
"Once we find Frank we are going to hold a big community feast for all the people that have come and helped search for Frank to say thank you to them," Whitecap said.
"That's what keeps us going every day is the hope that we're gonna see Frank."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.