Pikangikum First Nation /CKDR Staff Files
Nursing staff have been reinstated in Pikangikum First Nation, as talks with the government regarding the removal of Ontario Provincial Police continue.
Health care staff returned and resumed regular service the night of Saturday April 10th, after being pulled from the community not long after the OPP were expelled by the Chief and Council.
According Mathew Hoppe, Chief Executive Officer of the Independent First Nations Alliance, “Chief and Council met with Indigenous Services Canada Minister Miller and key staff on Saturday afternoon. Although the overall Policing issue is still unanswered, the return of regular nursing service to the community is much appreciated news.”
Since leaving three weeks ago, the Community and IFNA were left having to fill the overnight nursing void with temporary nursing support in order to keep the community safe.
According to Chief Dean Owen “the community provided extraordinary security measures and personnel to the Nursing Station in order to alleviate anxiety and motivate Government to allow their Nurses to return and help resume operations as soon as possible. We are pleased with the decision to return Nursing services to Pikangikum, and we welcome the nurses back as we consider them part of our community and appreciate their role in keeping our members safe.”
Chief Owen continues “now we can get back to the issue of Police Services in Pikangikum. Although there are many ideas circulating, we do not yet have a solution that is satisfactory to our Community. We are a proud and strong First Nation; we need a resolution that matches our community’s wishes. This event has taught us that we must have better control of policing and other government services provided in our community, which we now understand are not in our control.”
In a statement, Police say due to allegations of misconduct involving OPP members, Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has also been called to investigate.
