Mushkegowuk Declares State of Emergency

Out of great concern for the protection of their citizens from the COVID-19 outbreak and coming high waters, the Mushkegowuk Council of Chiefs declared a state of emergency on March 18, 2020.

 

The landscape in the Mushkegowuk region mainly consists of wetlands (muskeg) and numerous rivers that feed into the James and Hudson Bays. During the spring thaw our rivers become filled with high fast flowing water and cause the ice to break-up and ice jams (dam effects) are often created and cause rivers to overflow into the communities.

 

“The global COVID-19 pandemic, although still in its early stages, is already causing great anxiety and panic and could devastate our communities due to our health and housing sectors being under-resourced and currently under active states of emergencies. And to compound the impacts of the global pandemic, water levels in our rivers are expected to be very high this spring and to likely result in flooding, which will increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission, decrease our ability to combat the virus, and mean we are facing multiple disasters at the same time”, says Grand Chief Jonathon Solomon.

 

In making the declaration, the Mushkegowuk Council of Chiefs state that like all other citizens in Canada (and Ontario) the people of the Mushkegowuk First Nations are required to be prepared and protected by existing federal and provincial government legislation for health pandemics and natural disasters, and call on the governments of Canada and Ontario to respond immediately to their calls to action.