By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com FORT HOPE \u2014 One of the most welcome components of the Ontario Final Agreement (OFA) to reform child welfare services on reserves is the remoteness quotient, leaders of northern First Nations say. The remoteness quotient is the factor by which child and family services funding is increased to account for extra costs incurred by remote First Nations such as Eabametoong, whose Fort Hope reserve is some 370 kilometres north of Thunder Bay and accessible only by air during most of the year. \u201cWe\u2019re going to need that part of the agreement because, right off the bat, we\u2019re disadvantaged in anything that we do in the community because of the remoteness factor,\u201d Chief Solomon Atlookan told Newswatch. He was speaking shortly after Monday\u2019s… <\/p>\n
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com FORT HOPE \u2014 One of the most welcome components of the Ontario Final Agreement (OFA) to reform child welfare services on reserves is the remoteness quotient, leaders of northern First Nations say. The remoteness quotient is the factor by which child and family services funding is increased to account for extra costs incurred by remote First Nations such as Eabametoong, whose Fort Hope reserve is some 370 kilometres north of Thunder Bay and accessible only by air during most of the year. \u201cWe\u2019re going to need that part of the agreement because, right off the bat, we\u2019re disadvantaged in anything that we do in the community because of the remoteness factor,\u201d Chief Solomon Atlookan told Newswatch. He was speaking shortly after Monday\u2019s... <\/p>\n