Granville Lake residents to winter in Leaf Rapids

Residents of Granville Lake who left their remote northern community seven months ago because of a sewage leak will be spending almost another year in Leaf Rapids.

Graville Lake's mayor called for an evacuation in the spring, forcing about 100 people out of their homes.

• March 28, 2003: 'Kids play in raw sewage' at Granville Lake

The province cleaned up the mess, but residents refuse to move back because the province won't fund a temporary lagoon for the community.

"We had a chance to move back to Granville Lake, but we have to move back to outdoor privies, which is at least two steps back, instead of taking two steps forward to try to better our community," says resident Leslie Baker.

Baker says outhouses are not a good option because when it's too cold outside, people would use pails indoors rather than going out to the outhouse, a situation she says is unsafe for families with children.

The province says the lagoon plan isn't feasible; it also wouldn't be completed before the end of the year.

Baker says being relocated to Leaf Rapids has prompted another problem for his people. "About 90 per cent of our people – including kids – have turned to alcohol and drugs in Leaf Rapids," he says.

The province has hired someone to help the Granville Lake residents adjust to life in Leaf Rapids. That person is looking for a way to help them deal with alcohol and drugs.