With over 500 active cases of COVID-19 across much of the far north, some are wondering why the province moved to remove mask mandates and many public health restrictions across the province, opposed to a more regional approach.
“Southern Ontario is putting the pandemic behind them, but for those of us that live in the far north, the pandemic is not over,” said Kiiwetinoong MPP and the NDP’s Indigenous and Treaty Relations Critic, Sol Mamakwa.
Mamakwa says that leadership with the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority have said they were not consulted prior to the decision, and fly-in communities should have been spoken with before the decision was made, as their situations are drastically different than most communities in Ontario.
“Why were northern public health officials not consulted before the decision was made to lift the majority or public health protections?” asked Mamakwa, during Question Period at Queen’s Park.
As of March 21, SLFNHA is reporting a total of 522 cases of COVID-19 across their catchment area, which includes over 30 communities spread throughout the far north.
Those cases include 213 in Deer Lake First Nation, 18 in Kasabonika Lake First Nation, 16 in Keewaywin First Nation, 54 in Lac Seul First Nation, 129 in Pikangikum First Nation and 30 in Sandy Lake First Nation.
In response, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health, Robin Martin with the Progressive Conservatives, says culturally-appropriate care continues to be a priority for the province, and they’ve been working closely with SLFNHA.
“We remain committed to working collaboratively with our Indigenous partners and communities working on programs that will improve access to safe and effective healthcare services,” says Martin.
“In addition to surge capacity supports, the province has assisted in providing a request for assistance to the Canadian Armed Forces for the provision of Canadian Ranger supports on the ground and in the community,” she adds.
Indigenous Services Canada says members of the Canadian Rangers are continuing to assist Kasabonika Lake until March 24. Rangers recently departed from Mishkeegogamang First Nation after assisting the community for about a month.
“The only thing I heard there was ‘our First Nations’. You don’t own us. You don’t own First Nations,” responded Mamakwa, before detailing the COVID-19 outbreak in Deer Lake for other MPPs.
“Deer Lake First Nation is in a major COVID outbreak. It’s about 23 per cent of their population. Their workforce is very low. Community members have stepped up to support households in isolation. That’s all the support they have,” explained Mamakwa.
Mamakwa has previously said COVID-19 outbreaks are much more dangerous in First Nation communities, which have historically lived with overcrowding due to limited housing stock, a lack of clean drinking water and a lack of healthcare resources from the provincial and federal governments.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our government has taken action to support First Nations and other remote communities in Ontario,” adds Martin. “To be clear, we know that First Nation communities are facing challenges. That’s why we have taken swift action to ensure these communities have been identified as a priority group.”
Making matters worse, vaccination rates remain low across most of the Kiiwetinoong riding. SLFNHA says all eligible age groups in their area have lower vaccination rates compared to provincial averages for first, second and third doses, except for first doses in children between 5 and 11.
ISC says as of March 16, over 88 per cent of residents over the age of 12 in First Nation communities have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 28 per cent receiving a third dose. As well, about 51 per cent of children aged 5 to 11 have at least one dose.