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
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.