Leaders from Neskantaga First Nation are calling for assistance from provincial and federal authorities to address the urgent need for a new healthcare facility, as vulnerable community members face their second evacuation this summer. The remote Ojibway community, situated approximately 440 kilometers northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario, declared a state of emergency on August 4 due to a sewage leak at the sole nursing station in the First Nation, which has fewer than 400 residents.
The incident occurred just five days after over 140 community members had returned home from Toronto following an evacuation prompted by nearby wildfires. Chief Gary Quisses highlighted that the community had previously sought support for a new healthcare facility during a three-month evacuation last year caused by flooding and fuel odors at the nursing station, but a definitive response had not been received.
Neskantaga has been under a boil water advisory for 31 years, marking the longest ongoing advisory in Canada. The current situation has left community members feeling overwhelmed and stressed, according to Quisses.
More than 250 evacuees have been relocated to Toronto, with Quisses estimating that the nursing station’s foundation will require complete replacement due to the manual removal of raw sewage that has seeped into the ground.
During a news conference at Queen’s Park, Neskantaga leaders, along with Kiiwetinoong NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa, addressed the pressing need for improved healthcare services in the community. Mamakwa emphasized the vital role of existing services like the Neskantaga nursing station in providing essential care to vulnerable populations.
The nursing station, constructed in 1994, suffered a sewage leak on August 4, leading to the setup of a temporary facility offering only basic medical services. Indigenous Services Canada has been engaged in assessing the situation and collaborating with the First Nation on next steps for restoring the facility, with no fixed timeline provided.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation officials visited Neskantaga to evaluate the situation and offer support. The community’s ongoing water and wastewater crises have been exacerbated by the lack of clean drinking water for decades, as highlighted by Kerry Black, a water and wastewater expert at the University of Calgary.
Black stressed the need for sustainable funding directly allocated to First Nations to enable them to maintain their infrastructure and devise lasting solutions to address the persistent challenges. The enduring infrastructure failures in Neskantaga have had profound effects on community members’ mental health, as noted by Charla Moonias, a child and family services prevention worker for the First Nation.
Despite the complexities involved in addressing the community’s healthcare and infrastructure needs, Quisses hopes that the current situation will draw attention to the dire conditions faced by Neskantaga residents amidst development initiatives in the region. The lack of essential services like emergency response systems and proper healthcare transportation further underscores the urgent need for comprehensive support in the community.
