COVID-19 Daily News Digest – November 2, 2020
Tatsikiisaapo’p Middle School temporarily closed for a week due to positive COVID case
Officials from KBE, Blood Tribe Department of Health, Indigenous Services Canada – First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIB) and Blood Tribe Emergency Management have completed contact tracing and all close contacts of the positive case are in isolation.
Shade said the closure of the school will allow for a thorough cleaning and disinfecting as per all necessary health protocols.
“KBE planned for and expected COVID-19 to enter into our schools given that there were over 600 new cases of COVID-19 in Alberta on Friday, October 30, 2020,” Shade stated.
Manitoba Hydro reduces workforce at Keeyask over COVID-19 cases on site
The utility’s move comes after a First Nations advocacy agency and four northern First Nations called on the province to move the Keeyask construction site to red, or critical, according to the province’s colour-coded pandemic response system.
“With the increasing number of COVID cases we’re seeing in Manitoba and the escalation of levels in the RestartMB Pandemic Response System announced Friday, we feel that this decision — informed by the latest guidance from public health officials — is absolutely the right course of action to take,” said Jay Grewal, Manitoba Hydro’s president and CEO in a news release issued late Saturday.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-hydro-covid-19-reducing-workforce-keeyask-1.5785453
We have to run — we’re in a hurry’: The midnight marathon changing the lives of Indigenous youth
“Walking is good but it takes too long; that’s why we run. We’ve got to move this country forward, these young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders forward, and we’re in a hurry.”
To a generation of Australians in the 1980s, the moustachioed “Deek” put marathoning on the map.
To a generation of young First Nations peoples, he’s the person who understands you don’t unwind decades of systemic discrimination and dysfunction with the stroke of a pen, or a social media campaign.
Instead, his foundation promotes healthy living with genuine empathy, care and, most importantly, time.
Federal Government announces $120 million in COVID-19 funding for Indigenous kids
“Indigenous Peoples and communities continue to face unique challenges during the pandemic,” said Trudeau. “We will continue to listen to them, and ensure that students, children, parents, and communities have the support they need to keep safe and healthy and properly respond to this crisis.”
“This pandemic has been particularly hard on children and youth of all ages,” said Miller. “We must ensure that they get the necessary support to be able to learn and thrive in a safe environment.”
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/federal-government-announces-120-million-014828110.html
Some indigenous groups surprised to learn of $60M housing fund for N.W.T.
“How long [has the territorial government] been sitting on it?” asked Jean Marie River Chief Stanley Sanguez. “Because when I had a meeting with the minister and [NWT Housing Corp. president and CEO] Tom Williams and their colleagues from Yellowknife in Fort Simpson, they never said anything about that $60 million.”
“This is a shock to me, that there’s $60 million in the N.W.T.,” said Katlodeeche First Nation (KFN) Chief April Martel. “I’m just looking for $20,000 so our people on the reserve can have running water. This fund can do so much for KFN.”
Culturally Safe and Trauma-Informed Practices for Researchers during COVID-19
COVID-19 is currently significantly affecting First Nations communities in BC – and bringing back memories of devastating past pandemics. Learning from history, we know that research with First Nations people and communities requires careful attention. During this time of emergency when many are experiencing uncertainty and stress, it is essential to take a culturally safe, trauma-informed approach to working with First Nations. Cultural safety is achieved when the research process results in an environment free of racism and discrimination and people feel safe to participate in research.i This means respectful engagement, adhering to Nation-based protocols, and recognizing and striving to address power imbalances inherent in research by creating space for First Nations health and healing philosophies and practices to ground projects.
https://researchethicsbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TIC-during-COVID-19-FNHA-October-2020.pdf