[IPSM] Statement from Kashechewan

[Nora Butler-Burke]

(note: you can probably find articles about this in the media. Two men
recently died in a fire in a jail in Kashechewan, a northern "ontario"
Cree community. This is the same community that was evacuated late last
year due to water contamination.)

Statement from Kashechewan

Another tragedy strikes our community

Two young men are burned to death and another policeman is severely burned.

Two men incarcerated in a combustible converted house police station died
today. Policemen were severely burned trying to get them out.

Two young men died in a caged inferno, leaving their families devastated.

For many years, we have been asking for a new police station that would meet
the Provincial standards. We have been requesting this from NAPS and the
Province for many years, even before I was elected, previous Council had
requested this. Few years back we submitted a proposal for a community
complex that would also house a new adequate police station and a fire hall
which was flatly refused. With a combustible holding cells and no fire
station, the two young men never had a chance.

We are people here. You would not treat animals with such cruelty and
neglect. Shame on Ontario, shame on Canada that would let such things happen
at this day and age.

Yesterday also, a 29-year young man died.

He was struck with a sudden heart attack that took him from his young
family.

While it is not unusual for people to die at this tender age, what is
significant in this case is that when this man was having the attack, his
family was frantically trying to get him professional attention. You see
there is no ambulance in Kashechewan. Not even paramedics.

I can't help but think that if he received help when he needed it, he would
still be with us today.

This man like today's two were unfortunate to be living in Kashechewan. Like
many in my community, I believe that if we had adequate facilities to hold
detainees and proper professional health services which is available to all
Canadians, these men would have seen their kids graduate and start their own
families.

This is not the first such incident in our forgotten community. Many of us
bled while waiting for help. Many had to be moved with broken limbs in the
back of a truck to an ill-equipped nursing station and wait for hours to be
air-lifted and mended down south. This story happens every day here.
Children suffer, young and old suffer from the lack of health and other
services.

What does it take to have the Government act? More of our blood? Does more
people need to senselessly die?

I blame the Federal government for not having a fire station. I blame both
the Federal and Provincial governments for the inadequate police station. I
also blame the Provincial government for the lack of an ambulance and
paramedics. Both levels of government had let my people down resulting in
this tragedy. A year and a half ago the Minister promised an ambulance and
paramedics for my community and still nothing happened. For that, I also
blame the bureaucrats for not acting on the Minister's promise.

We call on the Provincial and Federal governments to step up to their
responsibilities immediately and provide us the same level of services
afforded to all Canadians.

Again I say; Shame on you Canada. Is this the way you treat your citizens,
your partners, the people who own, and had this land taken away from them.

Leo Friday, Chief of the forgotten people of Kashechewan
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