COVID-19 Daily News Digest – July 17, 2020
Letter: Bigotry is also a virus that needs fighting
And like COVID-19, it won’t just go away on its own. We have to track it and attack it. We have to trace it, isolate it, and call it out. By name. Persistently. We have to propose anti-racist policies, pass anti-racist laws, and push for anti-racist consequences.
We have to stop passively and proudly saying we’re not racist. And we have to start actively and loudly being anti-racist. We have to listen to those with lived experience.
Legal groups launch court application over sharing of COVID-19 test data with police
“Sharing COVID test results with police is not necessary, and in fact undermines an effective public health approach to this pandemic,” said Abby Deshman, director of the CCLA’s criminal justice program, in a statement.
“Strict protocols will be enforced to limit access to this information,” and first responders will no longer have access to the data after the emergency declaration is lifted, the province said.
COVID-19, climate change, inequality: Centering rights and environmental protection
What the COVID-19 and climate crises have in common, is that while they both have the potential to impact anyone, they do not impact everyone equally.
The impacts of both COVID-19 and climate change have revealed both vertical inequality (between individuals) and horizontal inequality (between status groups), reinforcing long entrenched paths of discrimination and inequality based on caste, race, and gender and socio-economic situation.
Provincial governments are setting the stage for more violence against Indigenous Peoples and their lands
Saskatchewan and Alberta claim commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Yet both have passed laws that fortify patterns of colonial violence against Indigenous communities and lands.
The militarization of law enforcement, expanded police powers and empowerment of civilian violence have long marked white colonial violence on Turtle Island. It appears that provincial governments are gearing up for more of the same.
Schools need more supports to reopen, Mamakwa
“Far North, remote and Indigenous communities, whose schools and homes don’t have access to broadband, are being left out. Their remote locations mean students cannot access broadband anywhere else,” said Mamakwa.
“Students in fly-in northern communities won’t be able to complete mandatory online courses to finish their studies. Our students deserve equitable access to technology and education, whether they attend a provincial or a First Nations school.”
https://kenoraonline.com/local/schools-need-more-supports-to-reopen-mamakwa
Pandemic fears keep 10 coastal First Nations closed in B.C.
“We don’t have the resources that other communities have that are more urban and metro,” said Slett.
“Having a rapid tester … is a resource we think should be in our community (so there can be) screening of tourists that want to visit rural and remote communities.”
COVID-19 Rates Among Indigenous Australians Are Low Thanks to an “Extraordinary” Aboriginal-Led Response
The expected health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians “completely reversed” thanks to increased training within Aboriginal-controlled health services, Indigenous-tailored media messaging and the promotion of consistent, culturally appropriate health literacy.
During a panel discussion on the success of the Aboriginal-led health response, hosted by The Australia Institute think tank, Stanley said the health outcomes among Indigenous Australians are “better than any other Indigenous nation internationally.”
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/covid-19-rates-indigenous-australians/
Emails show how oil patch lobbied Alberta Energy Regulator for coronavirus relief
Oil and gas companies in Alberta used the coronavirus pandemic to press for temporary rule changes, including some based on “purely economic issues” that had nothing to do with preventing the spread of COVID-19, reveals an April 20 internal briefing note released by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER).
But in this case, it took a freedom of information request from Global News to prompt the regulator to release a partially-censored copy of the records that show how it reached its decisions.
Chiefs content with province’s pandemic communications
It’s quite a contrast between two provinces.
In British Columbia, some Indigenous leaders are furious provincial government officials did not receive consent or even consult with them regarding pandemic reopening plans.
In Ontario, however, some chiefs are praising provincial officials for not only keeping them abreast of plans but also, at times, bombarding them with information.
Yukon charts course to increase local food production
“Recent events surrounding closures of borders and impacts on large-scale food production have only increased Yukoners’ interest in developing our capacity to produce food in our own backyard.”
The Yukon government estimates that locally-grown food represents about one per cent of Yukon’s total food consumption.
Pillai said he believes reaching “double digits,” or 10 per cent, is an achievable goal.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-agriculture-policy-2020-1.5652209
June Overdose Toll Hits Record; 15 Times More Deadly than COVID-19
“That each one of these deaths was entirely preventable makes this emergency all the more tragic.”
Pandemic disruptions to cross-border supply chains have caused the street supply of illicit drugs to become increasingly toxic. About 15 per cent of deaths in June involved fentanyl concentrations, compared with eight per cent in January.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2020/07/16/June-Overdose-Toll/
First Nations say more people are out on the land this year around Whitehorse — and leaving a mess
Kane says the COVID-19 pandemic and physical distancing rules mean that a lot of people are looking to get outside these days, closer to home. So First Nation settlement lands in and around Whitehorse are being well-used by campers, hikers, ATVers, and others.
“We do have wildlife monitors that go out on a daily basis to patrol settlement lands and traditional territories. So just from their reports, there’s a definite increase,” Kane said.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/first-nations-whitehorse-settlement-lands-mess-1.5653051
HALF OF OKLAHOMA IS “INDIAN COUNTRY.” WHAT IF ALL NATIVE TREATIES WERE UPHELD?
“As important and right on as this decision is, it does not give tribes anything new,” Sarah Krakoff, a law professor at the University of Colorado, told The Intercept. “There are these treaty promises and treaty rights, but tribes have to litigate to make them real, especially in the modern era, because from the time the treaties were negotiated until now, federal Indian policies abandoned commitment to treaties.”
https://theintercept.com/2020/07/17/mcgirt-v-oklahoma-indian-native-treaties/
Saltwater Eco Tours offers unique Indigenous tourism experience via boat
“Although there is a lot of Indigenous experiences all over Australia, we wanted something that was on the water, that reflected the culture from this area.”
“COVID-19 has had a huge impact on our tourism industry. We need new experiences like Saltwater Eco Tours to entice visitors back to the Sunny Coast and share the message that we’re ‘Good to Go in Queensland’.”
Chance to seek justice’ after First Nations’ water advisories lawsuit certified as class action: lawyer
A recent court decision could mean billions of dollars for First Nations without access to safe drinking water — if a class-action lawsuit is successful.
A Manitoba lawsuit seeking compensation from the federal government for First Nations under drinking water advisories was certified as a class action this week.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/lawsuit-class-action-first-nations-water-1.5652581
COVID-19 taking a toll in prisons, with high infection rates, CBC News analysis shows
A preliminary analysis by CBC News suggests that, despite prevention measures such as releasing thousands of low-risk offenders, infection rates are still five times higher in provincial jails and up to nine times higher in federal facilities than in the general population..
Overall, 600 inmates and 229 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and three people have died in federal or provincial correctional institutions for which data was available, CBC’s analysis found.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prisons-jails-inmates-covid-19-1.5652470