Conflict between Kamsack Residents and Neighbouring Reserves

In 1962, a conflict emerged between residents of Kamsack and residents of the three neighbouring reserves. John Emms describes this as an issue of the town's residents reacting to what they perceived to be the social dysfunction and community breakdown on the reserve. For example, the reserves had not held band council meetings for several years, nor were there been any meetings between reserve and Kamsack town officials. John Emms was sent to mediate as a community development official, and the NDP government put in place a system in which bands could contract their social services to government agencies in order to receive the same access to services as the neighbouring non-native community.