What do I tell people

Dear sir:
Imagine sitting at your computer when all of a sudden you hear a thundering crash coming from your bathroom? You run down the hallway to find that your daughter has fallen through the bathroom floor after stepping out of the shower.
Her leg is still stuck, she struggles to free herself, but hears you pounding on the door desperately trying to gain entry. She is vulnerable, not wanting to open the door because she is disrobed. You nervously begin to holler at her but she doesn’t respond because she is embarrassed because her leg is stuck in the hole and she finds it difficult to free herself.
Finally, she manages to get free and struggles to open the door. She sustains personal, emotional, and physical injury.
This, dear reader, is what happened to my daughter, but the accident could have been prevented had the Couchiching chief and council addressed the issue back in 1993 when my application for housing renovations went unnoticed.
I’ve been submitting applications for housing renovations for years but to no avail. Yet in 1996, our chief and one councillor, who currently hold office, received their housing renovations. The chief received $5,644.20, through his wife, while the councillor received exactly $5,000.
A grave injustice was committed in 1996 when my application for housing renovations was intentionally ignored.
Would the readers like to know what I received for housing renovations after my daughter’s incident in the bathroom last fall? I received a piece of plywood which was only good on one side to cover up the hole in my bathroom floor.
During a housing inspection report conducted on Oct. 2, 2002, it was recommended that the subfloor system be replaced as soon as possible in order to prevent further accidents in the bathroom.
It also was recommended that repairs/upgrades to the bathroom be undertaken as per the Aug. 9, 2002 inspection report.
I was informed in March of 1999 that my house was in good condition and could easily be renovated to extend its life for another 20 years, but my application for housing renovations laid dormant again for years.
Since the accident when my daughter fell through the bathroom floor, mold and mildew now filtrate throughout my house. The floor in the bedroom adjacent to the bathroom is spongy and probably water damaged.
Both my children suffer from asthma and I am worried because my son’s bedroom is adjacent to the bathroom and he is inhaling the mold and mildew filtrating from the bathroom every day.
My daughter even received a doctor’s note stating that the flooring in the bathroom should be repaired as the extra dust and mold exposure were causing the flare-ups of her asthma.
Several times the ambulance had to take my daughter to the hospital.
I had approached the chief in April and asked him to help me, but all he said was “What do I tell people when they see you getting housing renovations.”
I then asked him if he could at least get someone over to do an estimate. The chief said that was something he could do. But to this date, I still haven’t seen anyone come over to do an estimate.
One of the councillors couldn’t participate in the voting process because he is my brother. Two other members of council tried to assist me, but all I received was a letter from the band manager dated April 3 stating that the chief and council would provide me with a $1,500 contribution toward the renovation of my bathroom, which would enable me to address the health and safety issues of my home.
Chief and council gave me until April 15 to decide whether or not I wanted to accept the cheque, but I refused it. Chief and council now consider the matter closed, but it is not closed for me!
What do I tell people? The chief claims there are no dollars to assist me, yet he and council provide and allocate dollars to other areas, such as the Borderland Thunder (who, at one point, were in a deficit of $89,178.09), the Red Dog Inn, and the Heron Landing Golf Club.
Trying to get help from the chief and council is like dealing with Saddam and his regime, and the band members would be considered the Iraqis people.
Signed,
Monica Morrisseau