Repairs to Neskantaga First Nation nursing station expected to start Tuesday
Community has been in a state of emergency since nursing station flooded this month
Repairs to the nursing station in Neskantaga First Nation are expected to get underway Tuesday, after it flooded just over a week ago prompting the community to declare a state of emergency on April 13.
In a media release Sunday, the First Nation said repairs are expected to take several days to complete.
An evacuation of the community has also taken place, with members being transported to Thunder Bay, Ont., which is about 450 kilometres from the First Nation.
Neskantaga Chief Gary Quisess said, however, that more than 100 members remain in Neskantaga, but another flight to Thunder Bay is being arranged.
"It is frustrating," he said. "I'm requesting for somebody to come and see [with] their own eyes.
"We're not making this up, and this is real. This is reality."
Neskantaga Coun. Bradley Moonias said he's been in talks with the federal government since the nursing station flooded, and has been pushing to get a mobile clinic set up in the community.
Moonias said there have been repeated problems at the nursing station over the past two or three years.
"It floods every year and nothing's been done about it," he said. "Once the thaw starts, lots of water comes in.
"This year that happened the same as last year, but this year was different. There was a strong smell of fuel in the building."
This is not the first time community members have been evacuated to the city; challenges with its water treatment plant resulted in evacuations in 2019 and 2020.
The community faces the longest boil-water advisory in the country. It has been in effect for 30 years.
Meanwhile, the community has identified a duplex that can be converted into a temporary clinic.
In the release issued Sunday, Quisess has called on the federal government to:
• Mobilize emergency health services to Neskantaga, including a fully-equipped mobile medical unit.
• Accelerate deployment of Red Cross and Canadian Rangers to provide support.
• Federal political leaders to travel to Neskantaga to witness firsthand the conditions being endured.
• Deliver a written emergency plan.
Neskantaga has two nurses working out of a temporary clinic.
In an email to CBC News on Monday, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) spokesperson Pascal Laplante said four additional ISC staff were deployed to the community on Monday to help support the transition to the new temporary clinic in the duplex.
ISC is also funding the deployment of Red Cross staff to both Neskantaga and Thunder Bay, and is co-ordinating the evacuation with the community.
"ISC has shared a written summary with Neskantaga leadership outlining available emergency health supports, timelines for temporary and long-term service delivery, and health facility remediation activities," the email states. "This plan is being implemented in close collaboration with the community and partners."
Regarding the nursing station, Laplante said work is scheduled to begin Tuesday, led by First General Contractors. Some work there has already taken place, including removing flood water, installation of fans and dehumidifiers, and the delivery of air purifiers.
Neskantaga officials said repairs to the nursing station will take ten to 14 days to complete, Laplante said in his statement that the nursing station "is expected to be re-occupied this week, based on provincial public health standards and occupational safety requirements."
In a statement issued Monday, the executive council of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) said it supports the leadership of Neskantaga in their call for support.
"The situation in Neskantaga is very alarming and requires an urgent, coordinated response from all levels of government," the statement reads.
"This is a crisis situation, and the people of Neskantaga need to be assured that help is on the way. We urge all government agencies and everyone involved to prioritize their responses to ensure that the immediate needs of the community are being met, and that plan of action is implemented to address the long-term health needs of the community."