Ontario Superior Court Justice Helen M. Pierce reserved decision and reasons until May 4 at the Brayden Bushby sentencing hearing for the death of the late Wabigoon Lake citizen Barbara Kentner.
Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler recently stressed the importance of an agreement between the provincial and federal governments to support air carriers serving remote First Nation communities.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation is supporting the call for a Thunder Bay Police video depicting the police dragging a First Nation inmate by the leg across the floor to be admitted as evidence in an upcoming inquest. Aboriginal Legal Services and the families of Don Mamakwa, from Kasabonika Lake, and Roland McKay, from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, who both died while in custody of the Thunder Bay Police, argued during a Jan. 14 motion hearing for the video to be admitted as evidence at the upcoming inquest into their deaths.
Deputy Grand Chief Walter Naveau spoke about the plans to deliver Moderna COVID-19 vaccinations in Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) communities during his WRN (Wawatay Radio Network) update.
“Hopefully one day in the future we will be free to travel about and we can put this all behind us,” Naveau says. “The COVID-19 vaccine is starting to become available in the region and a lot of people are working very hard to get our (citizens) and communities ready.”
The provincial government recently announced about $6 million in funding for 3,170 kilometres of winter roads to Moosonee and 31 remote First Nation communities for the 2020-2021 winter season.
“This funding can also be used to support special projects, which includes bridge improvements, maintenance of crossings and repairs,” says Deputy Grand Chief Derek Fox. “We know that the Ministry of Energy, Northern
Development and Mines (ENDM) has confirmed that they are able to provide a three per cent increase in base funding across the board this year for winter roads.”
Pikangikum’s Cheryl Suggashie was recognized for her efforts to make masks and other items for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Since the lockdown I had more time to sew so I made masks and I made scrubs for the hospital,” says Suggashie, public legal education and communications coordinator at Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation. “They were low on supplies at that time in early COVID-19 so I donated a bunch to them and they sent me a thank you letter, which was pretty cool.”
Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler stressed the importance of getting vaccinated for COVID-19 after his mother was the first resident to receive a COVID-19 vaccination at the William A. George Extended Care Facility in Sioux Lookout.
“This is my mom — the one who has held me and kept me safe,” Fiddler says in a Jan. 7 tweet. “And she is still looking out for me and for all of us in our community by being one of the first in NAN (Nishnawbe Aski Nation) to roll up her sleeve and get vaccinated against COVID-19. This is how we will end this pandemic.”
Indigenous people will be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccinations after the initial rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is provided to long-term care home residents and staff and medical professionals.
In addition to providing COVID-19 testing for Matawa citizens and staff, the Matawa Health Cooperative is also partnering with the Thunder Bay International Airport and Nishnawbe Aski Police Service to do COVID-19 testing.
The Wabun Tribal Council and Wataynikaneyap Power were recently recognized with the Entrepreneurial Community and First Nations Business Award of Excellence awards at the 2020 Northern Ontario Business Awards.
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