The MPP for the Kiiwetinoong riding is questioning the priorities of the provincial government.
A number of youth justice centers in the region are being closed.
Sol Mamakwa says this especially hurts young girls from the far north who have to travel to secure facilities, often in Thunder Bay.
“That’s why I was asking about sending them to Thunder Bay. We know some of the issues that we face in the north regarding human trafficking so, you know, why do that?” he points out.
Mamakwa also points out that while those closures are being announced, $10.5-million was announced to expand two youth treatment centers in Ottawa and Oakville.
He is worried young people from the north will have to travel further to get the treatment they need.
“People don’t understand. And there are youth in our commmunities, and fly-in communities, who have never been in an urban town like Sioux Lookout, Pickle Lake, Thunder Bay, Kenora,” Mamakwa argues. “When we talk about far, it is very far, culturally.”
As many as 20 people are losing their jobs as a result of the closures in the Kenora area.