COVID explosion: Community members urge Canada to send troops | Issues of Human Rights

Indigenous people in northern Ontario have called on Canadian troops to send workers to help respond to the COVID-19 epidemic, which Bearskin Lake First Nation has now claimed about half of its population.

Located 425km (264 miles) north of Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Bearskin Lake First Nation is accessible by air throughout the year and via an icy road in winter.

The community announced the outbreak on December 29 due to the coronavirus epidemic, and said Monday that 174 people – about 50 percent of the population – had been tested for COVID-19.

“The virus is evil, and it is not discriminatory,” said Chief Lefty Kamenawatamin words, calls on Canada to send troops to help the community.

“Our children and our children, mothers, and adults are all beaten. We are shaking with the speed of the spread of this potentially fatal disease. The explosion has spread our wealth and power to the end. ”

When the plague began in 2020, Canadian leaders he warned that their areas could be hit hard by systemic problems, including a lack of pure water at other warehouses, limited access to medical care by health care workers, and houses full of people.

Some had raised fears that near larger labor camps – with temporary staff – for Indians can bring about COVID-19 epidemics and put them at risk of causing health problems.

In some cases, First Nations groups built bars banning access to warehouses to prevent people, especially adults, from contracting the virus.

On Sunday afternoon, the Minister of Indigenous Services of Canada Patty Hajdu he said on Twitter that the department approved $ 378,643 ($ 483,000 in Canada) for “several items” of Bearskin Lake First Nation, in addition to other aid last month.

“The funds approved today will cover food security, PPE (self-defense equipment), funding for COVID community workers, and such things as cutting wood and collecting, as requested by the community,” Hajdu said.

In addition, in collaboration with state and federal officials, the minister said Indigenous Services Canada had mobilized an emergency response team, as well as deploying three patient caregivers, paramedics and two health care providers.

To support Bearskin Lake First Nation in their emergency response and the widespread expansion of COVID, ISC has approved $ 483,000 in a number of items plus other resources linked last month ⤵️ 1/3 pic.twitter.com/bVttTqmerg

– Patty Hajdu (@PattyHajdu) January 2, 2022

However, Bearskin Lake First Nation said Monday that “there is an urgent need for outside healthcare and other workers to help care for the people from time to time” because many families live in isolation and need food, water, cut-outs. timber and chemicals.

“We have applied for financial and other government assistance, but we have been told that the assistance we are receiving is limited,” said Kamenawatamin, a senior official.

“We are not getting the money to bring the emergency workers to Bearskin Lake – which shows that we are on our own. I have to ask Canadians and Canadians for help and ask for troops to be sent to us as soon as possible.”

A spokesman for Indigenous Services Canada told Al Jazeera on Monday that it was working with Bearskin Lake leaders, as well as local and regional health officials, “to help communities take action to prevent the spread and provide the support and resources needed to protect them. health is going well ”.

“The ISC is also reviewing the day-to-day situation,” Megan MacLean said in an email. “Based on the latest information from the Chief and the community about the assistance, we are continuing our analysis and hope to add more soon.”

He said the department provided more than $ 3.37m ($ 4.3m in Canada) directly to Bearskin Lake First Nation’s COVID-19 response since March 2020.

MacLean also said Indigenous Services Canada had approved more than $ 19.77m ($ 25.2m in Canada) from the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority to provide “isolation, donation and transportation” in 22 areas, including Bearskin Lake, in 2021-2022.

The National Defense Department did not respond immediately to Al Jazeera’s request for comment Monday if troops could be sent home.

In December 2020, the Canadian government sent troops to help the remote First Nations team in central Manitoba deal with the COVID-19 epidemic after Shamattawa First Nation called for help.

Canada sent the army to search for people infected with coronaviruses and other health checks at Garden Hill First Nation, over 600km (373 miles) north of Winnipeg, Manitoba, in January 2021. The following month, the military was again shipped to Pauingassi First Nation, approximately 280km (174 miles) from Winnipeg, to respond to the operation there.

As of December 30, Indigenous Services Canada he said 1,559 active cases of COVID-19 were reported in First Nations archives across the country.

The department also said that as of December 14, the number of reported cases among First Nations residents living in residential areas was 198.9 per 100,000 – double the number of Canadians.