NESKANTAGA — Neskantaga First Nation has declared a state of emergency as it’s been forced to close its nursing station due to flooding.
An order in council signed by Chief Gary Quisses on April 13 said the flooding at the healthcare facility was discovered that day when water was found to be seeping from the walls and a strong smell of fuel was detected.
The situation “is severely impacting the health and well-being of all our people, including our nurses, nursing and frontline staff,” the order said, adding that “this leaves residents and citizens of Neskantaga First Nation with no access to healthcare, including our most vulnerable and infants who require essential health and medical care.”
Neskantaga is a fly-in First Nation, located about 430 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.
The order declared a state of emergency to the Ontario Provincial Emergency Operations Centre and Indigenous Services Canada “with the aim to resolve this health crisis as soon as possible.”
A media availability about the situation is scheduled for Tuesday.