Granville Lake children miss home

The saying is there's no place like home, a sentiment felt all too well by the people of remote Granville Lake.

For the last two months, they've had to call Leaf Rapids home, a town 45 kilometres away. The Granville people still can't return to their own homes after being forced out by sewage problems.

Last March, about half of the 90 residents of Granville Lake staged a 200 kilometre, three-day walk to Thompson. They were protesting against unsanitary conditions in their community.

Mayor demands action

At the time, mayor William Anderson ordered an evacuation of Granville and demanded the province fix the problem.

The province has started cleaning up the community, but work has been slow.

In the meantime, Anderson says the children have been missing home.

"The going out in the lake and having picnics on some island or some beach, and looking forward to the fishing season opening because a lot of kids on the weekends spend time at the fish camps," says Anderson.

Trying to keep community together

The mayor says commercial and sport fishing camps are part of a cultural education for the kids.

He says the residents are struggling, but learning to adapt to their home-away-from-home. Anderson says activities keep them busy.

"We've had community wiener roasts, try to stick together like we do in Granville Lake," says Anderson. "Leaf Rapids is well equipped with recreational facilities. We were told we can take advantage of those, so that's what we've been doing."

Anderson says he'll meet with government officials on June 11, likely in Leaf Rapids.

He hopes at that time to find out when it will be safe enough to return to Granville Lake.