Clarence Natomagan’s jubilation turned to disappointment and frustration when he saw what he called a “templated” response from the Saskatchewan government to the call for support in the north amid a COVID-19 outbreak.  Natomagan said he initially felt relieved that the calls for help were noticed. “Premier Moe can say we’re working with them, there’s no refuting…

There are 22 cases of COVID-19 in Indigenous communities in B.C., according to Indigenous Services Canada, but provincial and First Nations health authorities won’t say where exactly those cases are. Keeping the locations of COVID-19 cases undisclosed is a problem, Indigenous leaders say, because it limits what communities can do to trace the illness and protect themselves…

For weeks, First Nation leaders throughout northwestern Ontario have been raising concerns about a lack of resources when it comes to handling the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak in their communities. The chief executive officer of Matawa First Nations told CBC Thunder Bay on April 17 that communities represented by his group didn’t have the resources to…

Indigenous communities will face elevated risks of COVID-19 infections once provinces and urban centres begin easing lockdown restrictions, says a top official with the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch. COVID-19 rates in Indigenous communities are currently running below the national percentage. The First Nations infection rate is at 0.01 per cent of the on-reserve population, while the…

RCMP in Clearwater, B.C., are investigating an incident that took place at the Tiny House Warriors village in Blue River over the weekend.  Blue River is about 175 kilometres north of Kamloops. Kanahus Manuel, a high profile Secwepemc land defender and spokesperson for the village, said she feared for her life when four strangers showed up…

A man who was hospitalized after being arrested by RCMP in Prince George, B.C., has died, leaving behind a large family in grief.  Everett Patrick was taken off life support on Friday and died early Monday morning at the Prince George hospital, according to his sister Miranda Thomas.  The Independent Investigations Office of B.C., which is responsible for…