NESKANTAGA — An urgent call to all levels of government is being issued by Chief Gary Quisses of Neskantaga First Nation — "the time for talk is over."
“For decades, Neskantaga has been forced to survive without the basic rights that other communities take for granted—clean water, access to health care, safe infrastructure,” said Quisses in a news release Sunday.
“Our current state of emergency is not just a public health emergency—it is the direct result of systemic neglect.”
More than 100 community members have been evacuated to Thunder Bay, following the closure of the community's nursing station. Many others, including 26 children still remain in the community with two nurses working a temporary makeshift clinic, according to a news release issued by Matawa on behalf of the First Nation.
“Medical staff and leadership have warned that a serious health event cannot be safely managed under current conditions,” according to the release.
Quisses is calling for immediate action, grounded in both Canada’s legal responsibilities and its public commitment to Truth and Reconciliation with mobilizing emergency health services to the community, accelerating deployment of Red Cross and Canadian Rangers.
“We are still operating in survival mode,” said Chief Quisses. “Our children are still at risk. Our health care workers are exhausted. We need more than promises—we need boots on the ground, now.”
Federal political leaders are called on to travel to Neskantaga to witness firsthand the conditions being endured, and deliver a written emergency plan outlining what services are available now, when the temporary health clinic will be operational, and timelines for full restoration of the nursing station.
“Reconciliation is not just a word. It’s a commitment. And that commitment must come with action,” said Chief Quisses. “If this crisis were happening in any other community, the response would have been immediate. Our people deserve the same urgency and the same dignity.”
The release said restoration work at the nursing station is expected to begin early next week and will take approximately 10 to 14 days, an engineering and fire safety assessment will be conducted on April 23 and a new duplex has been identified for conversion into a temporary clinic, with renovations to be completed by a local contractor.
A fifth flight of evacuees is being expected to leave on Sunday, as the fourth flight departed Friday evening, after weather delays.
