Alberta Councillor Doubles Down On Push To 'Stop Feeding' Homeless People
Slave Lake Alberta is facing a boycott by a neighbouring First Nation following some comments that were made by a local councillor about the local homeless population.
On September 8, Councillor Joy McGregor provided an update on the Homeless Coalition in Slave Lake. The meeting was recorded on video.
She said the people experiencing homelessness in the community aren't even from there, she then named several nearby Indigenous communities.
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We need to work to get them home. We need to stop being so nice to them. We need to stop feeding them. We need to stop doing all these wonderful things.
Councillor Joy McGregor
Around the one-hour mark of the video conference, we hear McGregor's comments.
According to CTV News, the Driftpile Cree Nation responded to the comments on Sunday, November 8 in a press release.
"I am calling on our members to move away from supporting Slave Lake’s economy, similarly, we will not be making any capital expenditures in Slave Lake until such time as we receive a public apology," said the release.
Narcity has reached out to Joy McGregor and the Driftpile Cree Nation for comment and we will update this article when we receive a response.
Following her comment in the meeting, McGregor said "I know that that sounds horrible and there will be people down my throat for it. But they have to be accountable. And we have to get them home."
She also noted that homeless individuals have been stealing and "drinking" hand sanitizer and suggested it be hidden away in store aisles like mouthwash.