More than a month after declaring a state of emergency over a sewage spill at its nursing station, Neskantaga First Nation is facing another setback after a fire damaged its temporary health-care facility.
The remote Ojibway community, about 440 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, has fewer than 400 residents. Around 250 vulnerable members are still staying in Toronto after being evacuated because the nursing station became unsafe.
Chief Gary Quisses said inspections found serious problems with the original clinic, including mould and construction work that did not meet code. He is calling on the federal government to approve a new nursing station instead of another feasibility study.
The temporary clinic is still operating, but it is not designed to support medical equipment. Community leaders are exploring other options, including modular buildings and repurposed trailers.
Neskantaga has also been under a boil-water advisory for 31 years, the longest in Canadian history.
Matawa First Nations chiefs are backing the community’s request for a new health facility and want federal and provincial governments to create a working group to help respond to the ongoing emergency. Chief Quisses said many evacuees are struggling with isolation as families remain displaced ahead of the school year.
