COVID-19 Daily News Digest – December 18, 2020
Canadian company to send PPE to northern Indigenous communities
“Inuit Nunangat represent some of the most remote parts of the world with limited access to resources. We hope to do our part to ensure that front-line workers in these regions have the necessary PPE to help protect their communities,” said Gavin Thompson, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship, Canada Goose.
To make this happen, the company partnered with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national organization which represents Inuit in Canada to coordinate the deliveries. Transportation will be provided by Canada North, the airline that serves communities in the North.
https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2020/12/17/canadian-company-to-send-ppe-to-northern-indigenous-communities/
Ontario Increasing Mental Health and Addictions Services
“With Ontario in a second wave of COVID-19, and with the holiday season just around the corner, it is critical that we act now to make it easier for people to find and access mental health and addictions services,” said Minister Elliott. “We are supporting our most vulnerable populations, while expanding community-based and virtual and online services to close gaps in care and ensure the right mental health and addictions supports are widely available.”
https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/59716/ontario-increasing-mental-health-and-addictions-services
Feds prepping to deliver Moderna vaccine to remote and Indigenous communities
Health officials began administering the Pfizer vaccine to front-line healthcare workers and elderly citizens in the southern part of the country earlier this week.
The Moderna supply is “especially good news for remote locations where the demanding logistics requirements pose unique challenges for equitable access,” said Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada’ deputy chief public health officer.
In a briefing with reporters Wednesday morning, Njoo acknowledged some people were afraid of being innoculated.
But he offered this reassurance: “When Canada authorizes any vaccine, Canadians can be confident that the decision is the result of rigorous regulatory review for quality, safety and efficacy for which our country is widely recognized and respected,” he said.
2020 Was the Year of Indigenous Activism in Canada
In the past, Canadian prime ministers have too often relied on arm’s-length government agencies or provincial governments to address such complaints. But as the protests have shown, the federal government needs to take a more active role in conflict resolution. Indigenous people may make up only about 5 percent of Canada’s population, but vast swathes of the country are 25 to 90 percent Indigenous. And the Indigenous population is growing rapidly, at roughly four times the speed of the rest of the population.
COVID-19’s Impact on the Administration of Justice in Canada’s Arctic
In the Arctic, long-standing challenges to the administration of justice are amplified by COVID-19. Geography, inadequate infrastructure, the continuing legacy of colonialism, and cultural differences, have always made access to the judicial system different from southern, non-Arctic jurisdictions. However, COVID-19 has not only exacerbated the challenges created by the Arctic’s unique context, but also presented new problems in overcoming inequality in the administration of justice. Using Canada as a case study, this article explores the difficulties in the administration of justice in the pre-COVID-19 and current COVID-19 world.
Privacy commissioner rejects First Nations’ COVID-19 data release complaint
“If COVID-19 proximate case information does not represent information about a risk of significant harm to our communities, we don’t know what does,” Heiltsuk Nation chief councillor Marilyn Slett said as the complaint was filed.
Slett and Nuu-chah-nulth president Judith Sayers said the decision fails to recognize the First Nations as self-governing.
“We are angry and disappointed by today’s ruling, which will continue to allow the Ministry of Health to withhold the life-saving information we have been requesting since the COVID-19 pandemic began,” they said. “The situation is more urgent than ever given the exponential jump in infections, hospitalizations and deaths that are occurring to Indigenous peoples.
Vaccines reach COVID-ravaged Indigenous communities
Tribal elder James Scott, a facilities worker at the reservation’s community clinic was the first to be vaccinated. In coming days, shots will go to tribal police, food program workers, long-term care residents and health care workers.
“We are so happy I can’t even describe it,” said Dr. Dakotah Lane, medical director of the Public Health Department and a Lummi Nation member, as he stood in line to get his shot.
Liberals announce money to end boil water advisory for Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte in Ontario
“The announcement that we made public today was the result of a lot of the work with the community and ensuring that they had the funds necessary,” said Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller.
The $18.2 million will be spent to end five long-term drinking water advisories in the territory, which includes the over 2,000 people in Tyendinaga.
“The reasonable foresight that we see in terms of listing, by let’s say spring of 2021, is that there’ll be about 12 communities representing about 20 to 21 boiled water advisories that we’ll still have some work to do in the long-term,” Miller said.
Communication in traditional languages crucial to COVID vaccine rollout
Details of the vaccination plan aren’t yet available, but Dr. Kami Kandola, CPHO, did mention communication strategies are a major subject for the plan.
“One common theme is they are asking that we provide them information on the vaccine in Indigenous languages,” Dr. Kandola says.
This is particularly important as Elders are identified as a priority group for the vaccine.
This will likely be done radio ads in various languages, but she adds engagement with the communities will be critical.
NWT’s vaccine rollout plan is coming soon, Kandola says
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Dr Kami Kandola said NWT government staff are working “as hard and fast as they can” to establish a roadmap for distribution and administration of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine.
The NWT is expected to receive 51,600 doses of the Moderna vaccine between January and March 2021, enough to vaccinate 75 percent of the territory’s residents aged 18 and over.
Toronto Aboriginal Agencies Partner With Freedom Mobile to Keep Indigenous Youth, Families and Seniors Connected
“These phones will allow community members to connect with one another and be able to share important resources and be equipped to stay educated and connected,” said Frances Sanderson, Board President, TASSC. “By donating these phones, Freedom Mobile is helping individuals and families from Toronto’s urban Indigenous community get access to educational resources, vital information about healthcare and government services, while staying connected with family, and informed about local and global news.”
https://financialpost.com/pmn/press-releases-pmn/globe-newswire-releases/toronto-aboriginal-agencies-partner-with-freedom-mobile-to-keep-indigenous-youth-families-and-seniors-connected-500-handsets-with-talk-text-and-data-plans-provided-to-the-toronto-aboriginal-support
Northern First Nation care home residents facing COVID-19 outbreak flown to Winnipeg care home
Twenty-one of the 24 residents of Bunibonibee Cree Nation’s personal care home have left the community as of Thursday evening after testing positive for COVID-19, said Chief Richard Hart.
The majority of them were flown by charter plane to Winnipeg, Hart said, where they will stay in a separate wing of Holy Family Home. A small number of the residents had already been taken to hospitals in Thompson and Winnipeg for medical attention, he added.
“We’ve been assured that they have a separate wing that they can use for our personal care home residents, and that’s the plan,” said Hart.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/bunibonibee-cree-nation-care-home-winnipeg-covid-1.5846667
CFB Shilo toy drive aims to ‘bring a lot of smiles’ to Manitoba First Nations hit by COVID-19
“Everyone’s taking a hit during COVID, but we think it was really important to help to come together as Canadians and First Nations and show our support and do something else, than just have boots on the ground, just to bring a smile to a child’s face over Christmas,” said Master Warrant Officer Clayton Nevell, who is helping organize the drive on base.
Nevell said the idea came from fellow members who had seen first-hand the struggles people in communities, such as Shamattawa First Nation, are experiencing. The fly-in community, located about 745 kilometres north of Winnipeg, has been dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak for weeks.