Nickel Belt News Volume 61 • Issue 7
Friday, February 19, 2021
Thompson, Manitoba
Serving the Norman Region since 1961
Manitoba’s northernmost First Nations nearly free of COVID-19 currently but still have concerns related to the pandemic and vaccinations
BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
Manitoba’s three northernmost First Nations have not been hit hard by COVID-19 so far but the pandemic and longstanding issues continue to be of concern, their leaders said at a virtual press conference hosted by Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) Feb. 9. Northlands Denesuline First Nation Chief Simon Denechezhe said his community of about 1,000 people at Lac Brochet has been fortunate so far, with no known case up to now among residents, but says they would be in a difficult position if the virus did make its way in. “We are lacking in isolation spots, transportation, etc.,” said Denechezhe. Northlands received 100 doses of the Moderna vaccine in January and were able to vaccinate residents aged 65 and older. A second dose was scheduled to arrive sometime this month but may be later due to
production delays. Denechezhe said having more people immunized would lessen his worries about COVID-19 particularly now during winter road season when the otherwise fly-in community is accessible by car. “We need increased access to vaccines,” he said. South of Lac Brochet, Barren Lands First Nation at Brochet had also been COVID-free since the virus was first detected in Manitoba about 11 months ago up until the first weekend of February. The infected person had travelled out of the province. Three close contacts were tested and seven other households quarantined as a precaution against the virus spreading. “It’s worked out for so long and we are glad that we haven’t had many COVID cases,” said Barren Lands Coun. John Clarke. “We’ve seen this virus spread like wildfire in other First Nations.” Clarke’s biggest worry is
the opening of the winter road and the increased access to the community that it provides. “We have security on our winter road but people sneak in and out with snowmobiles,” he said. Sixty doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Barren Lands so far, to elders, health care staff and other front line workers. East of Lac Brochet, Sayisi Dene Densuline Nation, with about 400 residents, has had residents infected with the virus before, but currently there are no positive tests. “We’re COVID-free right now and I pray to the creator that we continue moving this way,” said Chief Evan Yassie. His First Nation received 30 vials of vaccine – about 90 doses – in January and was able to vaccinate the majority of elders and some health care workers. Dr. Michael Routledge, medical advisor to MKO and its new health organization Keewatinohk Inniniw
Minoayawin (KIM), said First Nations citizens currently make up 30 per cent of all active COVID-19 cases in the province, and account for 36 per cent of hospitalizations and 47 per cent of intensive care admissions. The median age of First Nations citizens who have died from COVID 19 is 66, nearly 20 years younger than the median age for Manitobans as a whole who have died from the virus which is 83. He says that while it is reassuring that some MKO First Nations only saw their first COVID-19 cases in February, the pandemic is far from over. “It really is critical that we have everybody continue to practise those fundamental [like handwashing, wearing masks, social distancing and staying home as much as possible],” Routledge said. “We’re still a long way from having the majority of people in communities vaccinated.” Of 5,300 doses of Moderna Vaccine that the provincial
government allocated for First Nations, MKO First Nations received just over 2,200, said MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee. Wider-scale vaccinations are set to begin after the opening of the Thompson Vaxport vaccination site at the airport, currently scheduled for March 1, which has been delayed a month due to low supplies of the Pfizer vaccine that will be administered there. The site will be used to provide community-wide vaccinations to residents of First Nations and remote communities, who will travel to the site by chartered planes or buses. No individual appointments will be available at Vaxport. MKO and KIM will support the vaccination effort by providing on-site translators and greeters as well as boxed lunches for everyone being vaccinated. They will also arrange for overnight accommodation if weather conditions prevent immediate return travel. The provincial government
said Feb. 10 that Vaxport will be able to administer up to 402 vaccine doses per day once it is operational and has vaccine supplies. As of Feb. 17, 4,006 Northern Regional Health Authority residents have been vaccinated. 3,864 of them have received their first dose of vaccine only while 142 have received two doses. “First Nations people in Northern Manitoba need access to a larger and more readily available supply of COVID-19 vaccines,” said Settee. “I want to thank all of the experts who have been working hard to prioritize the limited supply of vaccines in Manitoba. We do expect that First Nation people receive vaccines of the highest efficacy to help them access the best protection from the COVID-19 virus. In the meantime, we continue to encourage public health recommendations for social distancing, wearing masks, handwashing, and limiting travel.”
Thompson city councillor calls for NDP MP to resign BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
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Thompson Coun. Jeff Fountain has twice called publicly for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski NDP MP Niki Ashton to resign her seat in the House of Commons, first in his Facebook group and again in a Feb. 16 interview with Sheila Gunn Reid of Rebel News. Fountain first made the call for Ashton’s resignation in a Facebook live video on Feb. 3 and reiterated the point the following day in a post in which he said that “For too long we have sat quietly while she advocates for issues contrary to our national and local interest.” In his interview with Rebel News, Fountain said his call was largely a symbolic gesture, as he didn’t expect it would actually lead to Ashton’s resignation, but said it was a way to give voice to frustrations some of her constituents have had during her time as MP, dating as far back as a 2010 vote to scrap a bill that called for an end to the long-gun registry, which was successful despite Ashton voting against it. Fountain said other reasons for his call
for Ashton’s resignation included her decision to travel to Greece to visit her sick grandmother after Christmas despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, her support for the Leap Manifesto, which opposes damaging resource extraction activities, and positions she has taken on issues relating to China. “All of these things combined together have led me to call for her resignation,” Fountain told Reid. The councillor originally had hoped to call for her resignation at the Feb. 16 council meeting, he said in his Facebook video, but no mention of Ashton was made at Tuesday’s meeting. A spokesperson from Ashton’s Parliamentary office told the Nickel Belt News that Fountain had the right to his own opinion but pointed out that he had run as a candidate in the Churchill riding in a previous federal election and lost to Ashton. “It’s disappointing but perhaps not surprising that he is now using his position as a city councillor to promote his own personal political agenda,” the spokesperson said,
while also questioning Fountain’s decision to appear on Rebel News. “It is particularly concerning that he would turn to Rebel Media, a notorious far right news organization that has been condemned by many for its promotion of far right conspiracy theories and providing a platform for the founder of the Proud Boys, an extremist group now banned by the federal government. This is an organization that has even been barred from news conferences by the Conservative party.” Ashton said her priority remains speaking out for her riding. “This week, I spoke out here in the North and in the House of Commons in support of the Tataskweyak Cree Nation in their fight for clean water,” she said. “While I am disappointed in what has happened, I will continue to work for our region, including working with First Nations, Métis and municipal governments, including the City of Thompson. While we may have our political differences, the most important thing is to speak out for our region. This will continue to be my top priority.”