Eabametoong First Nation wants medical supplies and support from the provincial and federal governments to respond to COVID-19.
The remote community says they’re not impressed by the federal government’s suggestion they may receive isolation tents and temporary shelters. They say these are the same “pitiful” measures taken in 1920, when “doctors were brought into our remote traditional territories and
homelands with their tents.”
Officials say the state of on-reserve healthcare for First Nations is “embarrassing,” and are asking for an emergency plan by First Nations, Canada, and Ontario to respond to COVID-19.
They also recommend preparing the nursing stations in First Nation communities immediately with supports, resources, equipment and supplies.
The community is 360 kilometres north of Thunder Bay and has been under a boil-water advisory for over 18-and-a-half years and under a state of emergency since July 2019.
