TORONTO – The chief of Attawapiskat wants Ontario to declare a state of emergency to deal with what she says is a looming health crisis on her reserve.
Chief Theresa Spence says people on the reserve near James Bay are living in makeshift tents with no plumbing or running water, some for as long as two years.
Many of those families include babies or young children, she says, and they are living in mouldy, overcrowded, unheated homes without fire alarms or smoke detectors.
With as many 90 people living in one trailer, Spence says immediate action is required before the winter deal with a growing risk of infectious diseases, burns and frostbite.
If the army has to be called in to evacuate children as an emergency measure, Spence says, then that’s what the government must do.
Mushkeguk Grand Chief Stan Loutis also says the reserves aren’t getting enough money to build housing and roads, and also wants agreements with miner DeBeers reopened to help the First Nation fight poverty.
The provincial government gets a 13 per cent revenue cut from DeBeers’ nearby mine, he says, while Attawapiskat gets one per cent.
“Never mind these impact benefit agreements, we’re saying we want to share in the revenue of any activity that happens in our land,” Loutis said.
While the chiefs are seeking longer-terms solutions, Spence says emergency housing is her top priority.
“It’s really a crisis that we’re facing in our community and I think it’s time for the government to really accept and understand what’s going on and deal with it,” she said.
“We’re in a Third World situation. It’s not improving, so it’s time for both governments to recognize and work with us. Kids and the elder are at risk.”
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