KERM Fund Gets a Boost Amid New State of Emergency in Kahnawake
Written by Paul Graif on 23 December 2021
The Kahnawà:ke Economic Relief Measures (KERM) Board, has increased the fund by $2.5M to a total of $17.5 million since the beginning of the pandemic.
“Given the unfortunate current situation, the virus spreading very rapidly and businesses are being asked once again to comply with measures like 50% allowed in restaurants, businesses and so on, we felt it prudent to look at, even though the fund wasn’t exhausted, the possibility of it being extended beyond January 31st, which was the date,” said Mike Delisle, an elected official on the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake. “There was almost two million (dollars) left. We boosted it again.”
Delisle says the money has come from the Federal government’s COVID-19 reserve.
“The majority of it is out of monies that we received from the Federal government for our COVID reserve, just to ensure that people, like they do in Canada with the CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit), that Indigenous communities have been given access to these funds over the course of the last 18 months plus. So, we still have some of that money left and we do still have other monies in reserve, hopefully not needed because we’re always looking for a rainy day. We understand that it’s been pouring rain and freezing rain, for the last almost two years now, 22 months,” Delisle said.
