Homeless woman facing fines for building herself a home

the Sun offers little heat this morning near the remote northern community of savant Lake it's minus 20 to minus 30 with the windchill so when did you start this I started this last August still Darlene ikan is determined to show me her home that's how I usually get up or at least she says that's what it's supposed to be it's barely the size of most people's living rooms but it's hers and this is what I always dreamed of to have my own shelter to support myself and this is it that's all I got with donated materials and help she started building on the land she grew up on not far from traditional traplines over here right where the brush is that's where our house was these houses they weren't as big as this maybe half the size red we managed to off with no doors at least used to be ten of us at the time her parents raised them all with no running water or electricity until he was injured her father worked for the railway they all lived on this land together I'm thinking like what's the big deal like all I'm doing is uh trying to live where we've lived before that that was my thinking and you know I don't have money to go buy property anywhere else so I thought well this is it here she's been homeless now for several years her dog a downward spiral that began when her 20 year old son committed suicide back in 2003 unable to find work she's been relying on the kindness of friends and relatives for a place to stay I don't eat every day I hope sometimes eat once a day or I'll eat every second day that's just because I don't want to go to other people's houses and eat because I know they struggle to feed their families too so having me as an extra most uh no no I won't do that I'll try to stay with the little house was supposed to be a way to turn things around but instead the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and forestry handed her a stop-work order saying its crown land she has no permit and now she potentially faces tens of thousands of dollars in fines they say everything here is crown land and then we're thinking where do we fit in where do we fit in in our own land and on that I've always asked that too like what do you guys want us to do what is it you guys want from us her own reserve is 20 kilometres away but she doesn't get along with the chief and so she's not welcome there others are in the same situation three years ago she helped the 74 year old elder who was living nearby in an old chicken coop build a small house she was freezing up there yeah her toes got frostbitten nobody should have to live like this at her age regardless of her situation and what she does but when she tried to do the same thing for herself she was charged the ministry says it offered to let her buy the land why would I buy land where we grew up all our lives and you know and they want money for us to live on our land and then we do something against them they charge us money anyway you know so where do we stand on this that that really blows me away ho how the system is like that her situation has attracted attention in what she calls the big city recently over 200 people attended a fundraiser for her defense in Toronto online people show their support Christel Sinclair was an organizer I admire and respect Darlene in that community for taking that stand and people support her this is a woman who should be getting a medal this is a woman who should be recognized as a hero not somebody that we should be putting in jail Steve Watson and dozens of others have now written Premier Kathleen Wynne asking her to intervene these charges should be dropped anybody with any sense would recognize the situation is unjust and when intervene and bring this to an end it's been a long time when we actually said wrong with her Darlene is grateful for the help but at 55 she worries about the future about what's coming next yeah it's been hard it's not easy and living like this I'm frustrated I'm always at the edge of my tears that's pretty where what boils down to most times you're gonna make that into Stoli yeah while she waits for her court date she also worries that what she has managed to build is being damaged by the weather she says she doesn't want charity she doesn't even want running water or electricity all she wants is a roof over her head and a chance to make it on her own so it's gonna be a long winter yeah depending where I'm gonna stay I guess I need a home write read sharon cbc news near savant-like ontario

Channel: CBC News: The National

Views: 1,270,031

Keywords: darlene necan, reg sherren, homeless, homelessness

Id: tIgTiVxZQ3A

Length: 5min 57sec (357 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 01 2014