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WATCH: Trudeau expected to announce COVID-19 funding for Indigenous communities

Funding will be for child care, education, and infrastructure

Update:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced over $200 million in new funding to provide support to Indigenous peoples and communities amid the COVID-19 crisis.

According to a press release issued byt he federal government today, the funding includes:

  • $120.7 million to help Indigenous early learning and child care facilities safely operate during the pandemic. The investment is expected to support over 35,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Nation children who access culturally relevant Indigenous early learning and child care programs. This funding will be co-managed through existing early learning and child care partnerships. It will assist Indigenous communities in addressing their most critical needs, including implementing enhanced cleaning protocols, hiring additional staff, and offering training.
  • $59 million for First Nations to adapt their on reserve community infrastructure. First Nations can use the funds to implement public health and safety measures in community buildings by adding hand washing stations, buying hand sanitizers, personal protective equipment for staff, and cleaning supplies, installing signage and barriers to promote physical distancing, and doing safety checks and upgrades to existing ventilation systems.
  • $25.9 million to provide immediate support to Indigenous post-secondary institutions in 2020-21. The investment will help these institutions address increased costs and financial uncertainty resulting from the pandemic, including putting in place supports to retain staff, automating services to process student applications and registrations, adapting courses for online learning, and implementing public health and safety measures for in-person services.

Original story:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce additional COVID-19 funding for Indigenous communities at 1130 a.m. today.

The funding is expected to be geared toward child care, education, and infrastructure.

Trudeau will be joined by Minister of Indigenous Services Marc Miller and Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Ahmed Hussen as well as Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam and Deputy Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Howard Njoo to make the announcement.

Village Media will carry the livestream, so stay tuned.


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