CAT LAKE FIRST NATION – With nearly 90 homes recommended for demolition, Cat Lake First Nation’s chief and council have declared a state of life and public health emergency.
In a statement issued by the band, leadership, under Chief Matthew Keewaykapow, says the poor state of housing in the community, located 180 kilometres northwest of Sioux Lookout, Ont., had led to “needless illnesses and related deaths.”
The release says an independent housing inspection report shows excessive mould, structural and foundation issues, problems with electrical wiring not meeting standard, limited available maintenance funding, a lack of heat recovery ventilators, roofing problems that have led to leaks, invasive bacterial diseases and lung infections, which have led to excessive medivacs
“Health Canada and (Indigenous Services Canada) have failed to adequately respond to the repeated calls for urgent meetings and meaningful discussion with chief and council and advisors in order to rectify the situation,” the release reads. “A current independent inspection report calls for the demolition of 87 houses.”
The community is home to just 489 people, according to the 2011 census.
Band leadership says the continual squabbling between senior levels of government has led to inequitable access in health care and a lack of meaningful solution to the epidemic proportions of the emergency.
“The Cat Lake First Nation people experience conditions at a level that would be intolerable to the mainstream population of Ontario.”
Leadership is demanding both the federal and provincial governments take immediate action, come up with an intervention and evacuation plan and meet with the chief and council to provide safe, clean and healthy housing built to standard.
They’re also looking for deficiencies to be addressed at the nursing station and for the federal government to quickly approve the necessary infrastructure upgrades to provide and move temporary housing while winter ice roads are still open.
