This housing issue, suddently appears in the news, one has to wonder what is the motivation....

Victor mine is just down the river from the village, and from what I read, many local folks are employed...here some info on the money spent by Debeers...I don't have any relationship with Debeers...but continue to be impressed with their operations....

The Victor Mine is located in the James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario, approximately 90 km west of the coastal community of Attawapiskat First Nation. It is Ontario’s first diamond mine and the second in Canada for De Beers.

The Victor Mine is an open-pit mine and is one of 18 kimberlite pipes discovered on the property, 16 of which are diamondiferous.

Construction of the Victor Mine began in February 2006 after receiving all necessary approvals from provincial and federal governments.

Approximately $1 billion was spent on construction of the mine, with approximately C$167 million spent with Aboriginal businesses or joint venture partners. It is also estimated that De Beers will contribute C$6.7 billion cumulative GDP impact for all of Ontario during the life of the Victor Mine.

The Victor Mine reached commercial production in 2008 (six months ahead of schedule) and the Official Mine Opening took place in July 2008.

In October 2009, the Victor Mine was voted “Mine of the Year” by the readers of the international trade publication Mining Magazine.

De Beers is committed to sustainable development in local communities The Victor Mine has signed four community agreements for the Victor Mine including:

• an IBA with the Attawapiskat First Nation (November 2005),
• a Working Relationship Agreement with the Taykwa Tagamou Nation (May 2005),
• an IBA with Moose Cree First Nation (September 2007) and
• an IBA with Kashechewan and Fort Albany First Nation (February 2009)

In 2009, a sewage backup in the community displaced nearly 100 people.
To address immediate concerns, we flew crews and project managers
into the community to reconfigure previously donated multi-unit
trailers into emergency housing for those displaced by the situation.
Housing is a federal government responsibility in Attawapiskat. To
assist, we contacted the federal government to ask for action on
behalf of the community regarding the on-going housing situation.
In 2010, De Beers Canada funded consultant work on behalf of
Attawapiskat First Nation to undertake a comprehensive study into
their housing situation. This work included identifying the housing
needs and deficiencies as well as the development of a plan for
the community to address its housing shortage. This was later
submitted by Attawapiskat First Nation to the federal government.
De Beers Canada is continuing to work with the community through
the IBA to ensure we maximize the benefits available through
• Employment; • Business contracts; and
• Training; • Direct financial compensation
Since the start of construction, over $325 million in contracts have
been awarded to solely owned or joint venture companies run by
the community. In 2011, contracts awarded to the community total
$51 million.
To build capacity within the community, two training facilities have
been constructed in the community at a combined cost of almost $2
million, where we fly our training team in to conduct regular training
programs with community members.
In support of the efforts for a new school, we again petitioned the
federal government. We also donated project trailers, helped the
community review the current design proposal bid and offered our
project management expertise should they receive funding for the
school. These efforts can help reduce some of the key start-up costs
in the construction of a new school.
For more than five years, we have been purchasing and delivering
new books to every child in the community from kindergarten to
Grade 12 as part of our Books in Homes program.
We are proud of the commitment of our team to all of our
community partners - including Attawapiskat First Nation – in just
three years of operation.
When community issues arise outside our direct responsibility
such as housing, we will continue to work with our partners to play
whatever support role our resources and expertise allow...

Ok, so now where did the money go?????