About 250 people relocated to a hotel in Thunder Bay in late October after an oily sheen surfaced in the community's reservoir.

``That gap amplifies every threat and every harm from this pandemic, from the risk of infection to the stress of lockdown,'' National Chief Perry Bellegarde said.

Shamattawa's battle against COVID-19 has reached crisis levels, with 144 cases of the virus in the community of just over 1,000 and a test positivity rate of 50 per cent.

"When you have 15 people in a small home, that’s not a good situation for everyone.”

Miller's comments came after an outside police agency ruled the actions of Nunavut RCMP, who used a truck door to take down a suspect, were lawful.

Last week, Ottawa committed to $61 million to help Indigenous communities in Manitoba fight COVID-19.

Gros-Louis led the Huron-Wendat First Nation for a total of 33 years, from 1964 to 1984, from 1987 to 1996 and from 2004 to 2008.

Ottawa has agreed to investigate the conduct of construction companies that may have contributed to the current water crisis in a remote Ontario First Nation.

It's not the first time there have been calls to see a pardon for the man known as the father of Manitoba.

"The Canadian Rangers have also been deployed to support the community and should be on the ground as of today," Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller told reporters on Friday.