Soon after Katrina, Canadian billionaire Frank Stronach airlifted a planeload of desperate refugees to his Florida racetrack estate and provided them with food, shelter and the option of a permanent home.
Since then the process has continued and now, in a small Louisiana town, permanent houses are going up within a new community, complete with sports fields and the beginnings of an organic farm.
It's easy to be sceptical and even joke about this "social experiment" - and some locals are doing just that. Yet, those more directly involved are generally happy and appreciative of a solution that seems to be working a lot better than many of the other approaches to providing for the people of New Orleans.
UPDATE December 2007:
New Orleans Times-Picayune: For some N.O. evacuees, Canadaville a dream that's come true
UPDATE September 2010:
Canadaville - Did Stronach's generosity foster independence or dependence?
August 27, 2006: Canadaville doing well.
See http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1156630230994&call_pageid=968332188854&col=968350060724
Posted by: JN | Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 06:28 PM