The Manitoba Métis Federation had their monthly meeting in Portage last night.  Director of the Southwest Region Will Goodon was one of the speakers and he shared some big news.

"In the federal budget back in February, the Minister of Finance announced that there was going to be 500 million dollars for Métis Nation housing," says Goodon. "It's something that we've been working on for a long time.  It's something that's very needed in our communities."

Goodon added one of the best things about this money is it's from government and goes to government.  The funds will be directly given by the federal government to the Métis government with no middle-man.  He adds he's formulated strategic planning sessions to see what can be done with the money and where it will make the most sense to use it.  Whether this is in new construction, mortgaging or investing are questions that Goodon says need to be considered.  Once that's done, Goodon has plans to figure out what exactly how to use the money.

"We need to take this out on the road and do some consultations," notes Goodon. "They would be direct with the communities and with the people.  Then we would hear exactly what their priorities are.  We've heard plenty as to how senior's housing is probably the highest priority over the last two years.  But what else?  There are going to be other things that need to be talked about.  There are going to be other things that people want to have in their communities."

Goodon notes decisions will have to be made, but they will strive to do as much as they can.