A regional public health emergency has been declared in four northern Manitoba First Nations.
Leaders in the Island Lake First Nations say opioid use, toxic drug supply, HIV, hepatitis C and homelessness have reached a crisis point.
The four communities are Red Sucker Lake, Wasagamack, Garden Hill and St. Theresa Point, which are represented by the Anisininew Okimawin Grand Council.
Leaders gathered in Winnipeg Thursday, calling for prevention, treatment, housing, harm reduction and long-term funding for Anisininew-led care.
“We are not arriving late to this declaration,” said Grand Chief Alex McDougall of the Anisininew Okimawin Grand Council. “We are standing with our relatives across the province and asking the federal and provincial governments to meet that moment with the urgency it demands. Our message today is not an attack on any government. It is an invitation.”
“We should not have to ask different levels of government and jump through several different hoops just in order to get to the resources that are needed for families,” added Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) Grand Chief Kyra Wilson.