It wasn’t the first time residents of the Indigenous First Nation community near Lake St Martin were told to evacuate. Some thought it might be overnight, or a few days. Three years later residents have still not been able to return to their traditional lands.
They number about 1200 people, cut off from their livelihood as fishers, cut off from the land of their ancestors. And now stuck in hotel rooms, and temporary housing in the the city of Winnipeg in the prairie province of Manitoba..
The reason for the flood, water was diverted to protect the city of Winnipeg 300 kilometres to the south of Lake St Martin.
RCI’s Wojtek Gwiazda spoke to photo-journalist Michelle Siu about her ongoing photo project “Unnatural Disaster” documenting the displacement of the First Nation community of Lake St. Martin.
ListenMore information:
Michelle Siu’s “Unnatural Disaster” project documenting Lake St. Martin – here
Michelle Siu photo website – www.michellesiu.com
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