Chief Gary Quisses says Neskantaga First Nation’s evacuation lasted 46 days — but he wasn’t ready to bring his community members home.
The remote Ojibway First Nation has been under a state of emergency since April 13, prompted by flooding and a strong smell of fuel at its nursing station, the only access point for medical services in the community.
That week, more than 130 evacuees and their pets were flown roughly 450 kilometres to Thunder Bay, Ont., in order to have their health-care needs met. In all, more than 175 evacuees ended up staying in the northwestern Ontario city for well over a month.
Quisses said evacuees returned to Neskantaga last weekend, after Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) sent him a letter saying the federal government would no longer support its evacuation after June 4.
According to Quisses, Neskantaga was not told why its evacuation was no longer being supported.
Meanwhile, three other communities in the region are under evacuation due to nearby wildfires, sending hundreds of people to southern Ontario from Wabaseemoong Independent Nations, Deer Lake First Nation and Webequie First Nation.
While a temporary nursing station has been set up at a home in Neskantaga, Quisses said there’s still a lack of equipment there to meet people’s needs.
“It’s very challenging at the moment,” Quisses told CBC News in an interview Thursday.
Now, he’s calling for support from the federal government to build a brand new, permanent nursing station in Neskantaga to replace the existing health centre, which has been boarded up.
Indigenous Services Canada responds
According to ISC, the repatriation of Neskantaga evacuees was led by the First Nation, and took place gradually between May 18 and June 1.
During the evacuation, community members received support from:
- Canadian Red Cross.
- Matawa First Nations Management.
- Nishnawbe Aski Nation.
- Nodin Crisis.
“Additionally, ISC provided funding through the Emergency Management Assistance Program to ensure the community received the necessary support during its state of emergency,” a spokesperson told CBC News in an emailed statement Friday.
However, Quisses said the community remains under a state of emergency.
As for the nursing station, ISC said the flood and fuel smell were likely a result of a failed sump pump and used fuel spill kit that was being stored in the basement. Remediation work at the nursing station began April 22.
“This work was temporarily paused, at the request of the First Nation to allow for further assessments of the health centre. The further assessments of the health centre were facilitated by Matawa.
“All parties have just received the report and discussions are underway to determine next steps for the Rachael Bessie Sakanee Memorial Health Centre,” said a spokesperson for ISC.
All health services, besides telehealth, dental and x-ray, are available at the community’s temporary nursing station, they said. A provincially-funded physician was in the community from May 19 to 23, and those who need further care can receive medical transportation support as needed, said ISC.
Infrastructure issues adding up
Fewer than 400 people live in Neskantaga. Its nursing station was built in 1994, and Quisses said it’s been in poor condition for years.
“It’s pretty old already and it’s never been renovated. It’s always having issues, finally triggered where we have to call for [a state of] emergency,” Quisses said.
“Right now, the community thinks we don’t have proper health care. It’s not recognized as a nursing station.”
Meanwhile, Neskantaga remains under a long-term boil water advisory that’s been in place for 30 years — the longest in effect in Canada.
Quisses said his hope is that swift action is taken to improve Neskantaga’s health-care infrastructure.
“Every time we request something, the only movement there is when we put the state of emergency [in place],” he said.
During the evacuation, community members missed out on the spring harvest, while students lost a lot of days at school.
It’s important for people to understand the ripple effect of infrastructure issues in the remote north, Quisses explained.
“Everything [is impacted] when there’s an emergency,” he said.
