Kashechewan First Nation confirms first COVID-19 related death
The Porcupine Health Unit (PHU) reported a COVID-19 related death in the James and Hudson Bay region on Saturday afternoon.
The Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) later issued a press release confirming the death was that of a Kashechewan First Nation community member.
“WAHA has received authorization from the leadership of Kashechewan First Nation to state that this death is in their community,” read the release.
“We wish to offer our sincere condolences to the family, leadership, and community members of Kashechewan. We send our thought and prayers to you all, praying for peace and strength in the days ahead.”
PHU’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Lianne Catton, also offered her condolences in a news release issued Saturday.
“On behalf of the PHU, I would like to extend my most sincere condolences to the First Nation community, and especially to the family and friends of the deceased,” said Dr. Catton.
On June 13, the federal government deployed Canadian Rangers and nurses along with funding for food, PPE, and testing among other supports. The assistance came following pleas from community leaders and area representatives urging the government to step-in.
After weeks of calling on the federal government to take action, Timmins-James Bay MPP Charlie Angus penned a letter to Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness MP Bill Blair where he warned of a potential disaster in the community.
On June 18, the Canadian Press reported that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a statement from his home, would be sending additional support to Kashechewan and that the army would be remain in the community until at least the end of June. In the statement, Trudeau also said the deployment of Canadian Rangers to Kashechewan had been approved in late May.
Frustration amongst community leaders over the government’s delayed response also prompted a response from Minister of Indigenous Services Marc Miller who fielded the critiques by saying the situation was “increasing alarming” and that the outbreak would not have been as severe had the government acted sooner to address the housing inadequacies faced by the community.
In direct response to Chief Leo Friday’s charge that overcrowding, and the government’s lack of response to the problem, was responsible for the spread of COVID-19 in the community, Miller agreed.
"He's absolutely right," Miller said at a June 23 press conference.
"There have been investments. There obviously have not been enough."
Since the community issued a State of Emergency in May 2020, over 200 of those in Kashechewan’s 1500 person population have tested positive for COVID-19, many of them children under the age of 12.
PHU does not release information as it relates to an individual who tests positive for COVID-19, such as age or sex, out of respect for the family. No further information will be released.
If you think you may have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has it, first self-isolate and complete the on-line COVID-19 Self-Assessment to determine your next steps.
If testing is required, seek testing through one of the assessment centres across Ontario. You can also call the Porcupine Health Unit at 705-360-4819 or toll-free at 1-800-461-1818.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.