Nishnawbe Aski Nation
100 Back Street, Unit 200 P7J 1L2 Thunder Bay, ON, Canada

ONWA will be offering Pfizer for an Indigenous youth clinic this Thursday morning for youth aged 12-19 at the Valhalla. Please have your community members either call in from 10 to 2pm or register online as soon as they can. Please pass this message on to other indigenous partners. https://www.onwa.ca/covid-19-resources or call 697-1753

The latest fire update can be found here: https://www.nan.ca/news-events/fire-updates/

Dear Porcupine Residents, We are concerned and we need your help. Cases in our area are continuing to increase. With these cases, we are seeing individuals you...nger in age, who are now getting sicker, and has resulted in increased hospital admissions. The variants are spreading faster and easier. We cannot stop the spread without your continued help and vigilance. We ask that you STAY HOME and continue to follow public health measures whenever you must leave the house for essential reasons and essential work. We ask that you get vaccinated as soon as possible if you are 18+. Pfizer vaccines are available for 16-17 years old who cannot work from home and will also soon be offered to all youth 12-17 years old. We ask that you share this message with your friends, family and neighbours. We can do this. We are all in this together. Sincerely, The Porcupine Health Unit

Hey NAN Youth! Check out this event being held tonight! Two-Spirit Elder Blu Waters will be sharing knowledge on our Two-Spirit community.

Today we stand in support of gender equality and against discrimination. Remind everyone in your life that they are loved, no matter who you are or whom you love. #StandUp4HumanRights today and every day. #IDAHOBIT #IDAHOBIT2021

As of May 18 at 8: 00 a.m. individuals who are 17 years old and are turning 18 in 2021 will be eligible to book their COVID-19 vaccination appointment for the Pfizer vaccine at select clinics. Find out which clinics are offering vaccines at www.ontario.ca/bookvaccine

Health Transformation would like to hear how you are staying healthy during COVID-19! See poster for all the details

Restorative justice uses Indigenous law to restore relationships, initiate accountability, ensure restitution and bring peace back into the community. Check out how the University of Victoria is incorporating Indigenous law into traditions of the Canadian Justice System. #RJWeek https://www.youtube.com/watch

NAN First Nations have taken extraordinary measures to keep safe during the coronavirus pandemic. If you are experiencing anxiety and depression please contact NAN Hope. Help is available. You are not alone. https://buff.ly/3lZKpPF #ChangeBeginsWithMe #NAAW

Amber’s Fire Safety Campaign is reminding families to always supervise children when they are using a microwave oven. Use only microwave-safe food containers or dishes and never use aluminum foil or metal in a microwave oven. If you have a fire in the microwave, leave the door closed, turn the oven off and unplug it from the wall. If the fire does not go out, get outside and call your local emergency services. Think about fire before it starts! #AmbersFireSafety

Calling all young people aged 16-29 for the Traditional Medicine Workshop! Register here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx See poster for all the details!

The Executive Council & the NAN Women’s Council recognize survivors of violence & those who were taken from us. Their memory guides our work to protect the vulnerable & create a world where all women & girls can live free from violence. #GenerationEquality #ViolenceAgainstWomen

What does restorative justice mean to you? Help NAN Legal celebrate #RestorativeJusticeWeek by submitting your artwork!

In March, we held a Justice Symposium with Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service (Official) & NALSC. Restorative justice was a theme throughout the Symposium. Our Justice Symposium website highlights the work being done in our communities on restorative justice and the programs available!: https://nanjusticesummit.ca/

There are many resources available to improve health & wellness during the coronavirus pandemic including counseling, addiction services & mental health supports. If you need help, contact your community health professionals, local health authorities, Tribal Councils or NAN Hope. https://buff.ly/3lZKpPF @ChangeBeginsWithMe #NAAW

NAN Hope is a telephone & Virtual Rapid Access Centre. If you are struggling and need help please call our toll free, confidential helpline at 1-844-NAN-HOPE (4673) or visit nanhope.ca. This number will connect all NAN members, both on and off-reserve, to 24/7 rapid access to crisis services, mental health & addictions support in your communities, and clinical & mental health counselling. Since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, work has been done in partnership with Region...al Health Authorities, Tribal Councils, and community organizations across NAN territory to address the need for timely mental health supports. We found there was a need to promote the health and well-being of our community members who are struggling to cope with the added stress and anxiety of the pandemic. The Mental Health and Addictions Pandemic Response Program has been designed to integrate with existing mental health supports in the region. In turn, it bridges existing gaps to ensure that every individual seeking support has access to culturally safe and community-based mental health services when needed. We want to thank everyone involved in this very important work. Your contributions will work to ensure that timely support is accessible to all NAN members when they need it.

In case you missed Wally McKay on Wawatay Radio today, listen here https://nancovid19.ca/?p=3844

Commitment to Action Needed After Meeting on Racism Against Indigenous Peoples in Health Care Thunder Bay, ON: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler says a firm commitment to action is needed following today’s virtual meeting between Indigenous leaders and federal and provincial Ministers on racism in Canada’s health care system. This meeting was held in response to an egregious example of the failure of the health care system, tragically resulting in the dea...th of Joyce Echaquan. Joyce’s husband shared a heartbreaking plea to find ‘Justice for Joyce’ and we will stand with him, said Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler. The experiences shared by Indigenous leaders, health care professionals and grieving families painted a tragic picture. If Canada, the provinces and territories are serious about change they must support our right to health self-determination, recognize and respect a framework that addresses the health disparities for Indigenous Peoples, and commit to an urgent plan for implementation. A scathing 2015 report by the Auditor General revealed Canada’s racist, two-tiered health system. It showed how the perception in Ottawa is far from the reality of what happens at the community level in remote First Nations, and documented the continued failure by Health Canada to address the health care needs of First Nation communities, which has severely marginalized their health. Similarly, the 2019 Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls found, persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses as the roots of genocide against Indigenous women and girls in this country. First Nations have always experienced a two-tiered health care system one for Indians, and one for everyone else. The Indian system is such an atrocity that many of our people were once used as guinea pigs for medical experimentation. The system was built this way, and the effects are still felt today. It has always been racist, and racism kills that’s the bottom line, said Fiddler. We look forward to participating in a follow-up meeting in January 2021, but there is a lot of work to be done before then. ‘Racism in the Canadian health Care system can be fatal,’ begins a 2016 report by the Indigenous Health Working Group of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada. It highlights how systemic racism has been identified as a major barrier to positive relationships and care between physicians and Indigenous patients. https://www.nan.ca//commitment-to-action-needed-after-mee/

Amber’s Fire Safety Campaign encourages families to teach children how to escape on their own in case of a fire. Practice different ways out. If you must escape through smoke, Get Low and Go under the smoke to your way out (your head should be at the height of electrical outlets). Close doors as you leave if not hot to touch (closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire). #AmbersFireSafety

Join our team!! We are currently recruiting a Temporary Task Team Researcher and Analyst. Head to our website to learn more about this great opportunity! https://www.nan.ca/news-events/careers/

Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler got his flu shot. Now it's your turn!

NAN COVID-19 Bulletin- October 15, 2020 https://nancovid19.ca/?p=3841

In case you missed Deputy Grand Chief Derek Fox' COVID-19 update on Wawatay Radio, listen here https://nancovid19.ca/?p=3878

NAN Health Transformation would like to hear how you are staying healthy during COVID-19! See poster for details

Health Alert: Hand Sanitizer Products may be Contaminated - DO NOT CONSUME! The Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) has issued a public alert that hand sanitizer products circulating in Thunder Bay may be contaminated with methanol. Three people were brought to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre Emergency Room with methanol poisoning on October 8, 2020, who reported that they drank hand sanitizer. According to the Health Unit, there are additional individual...s who may have consumed the same batch of hand sanitizer and are at risk of methanol poisoning. Please be warned that methanol is poisonous and can cause organ damage, visual impairment, and death. Symptoms include confusion, drowsiness, seizure, trouble breathing, fast heart rate, nausea, or vomiting. Symptoms may be delayed 12-24 hours after exposure. The Health Unit advises that anyone who has been exposed to hand sanitizer containing methanol should seek immediate medical care, and asked for the public’s assistance with the following: If you see anyone who is severely intoxicated and/or showing any symptoms of methanol poisoning, call 911 immediately. Inform clients that hand sanitizer products may be contaminated with methanol and that they should not consume any hand sanitizers. For more information: Thunder Bay District Health Unit, 807-625-5900 or www.tbdhu.com NAN COVID-19 website www.nancovid19.com

In case you missed Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler on Wawatay Radio today, listen here! https://nancovid19.ca/?p=3839

NAN in partnership with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is proud to offer free books delivered to your community. See poster for more details!

New fire update

NAN Amber’s Fire Safety Campaign wants to thank Marc Laliberte, a Fire Safety Advisor for Puspeewin Services, for his safety tip of the day on heating and electrical safety! With the cold weather fast approaching, it is important to keep this in mind! Think about fire before it starts! For more tips and resources head to https://www.nan.ca/resources/fire-safety/ #AmbersFireSafety #FirePreventionWeek #FireSafety

Globe and Mail Opinion by Tanya Talaga How much more pain does Canada need to see before progress is made for Indigenous people? ...Continue reading

NAN COVID-19 Bulletin- October 8, 2020 https://nancovid19.ca/?p=3835

NAN Amber’s Fire Safety Campaign welcomes Dave Paxton from Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue! Dave is here to share his fire safety tip on carbon monoxide detectors and their importance in every home. For more information head to https://www.nan.ca/resources/fire-safety/ #AmbersFireSafety #FirePreventionWeek #FireSafety

NAN CONGRATULATES MISSANABIE CREE FIRST NATION ON SETTLEMENT OF HISTORIC LAND CLAIM THUNDER BAY, ON: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, on behalf of the NAN Executive Council, congratulates Missanabie Cree First Nation for reaching a historic claim settlement with their federal Treaty partner for reserve land promised under Treaty No. 9:... We join with the leadership and members of Missanabie Cree to celebrate this historic settlement to secure land they rightfully should have received more than 110 years ago. This agreement concludes the outstanding Treaty obligation of the federal Crown and helps right this historic wrong. Congratulations to Chief Gauthier and Council, past leaders, Elders, youth and ancestors who have played important roles in achieving this settlement. Reclaiming their home after more than a century of effort with the federal government is a historic achievement that all members can be proud of. It is a long journey for the people of Missanabie Cree, and we are pleased to see the Crown honour an outstanding Treaty obligation that will help to create new opportunities for this community. The settlement was announced yesterday by the community and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett. It provides the community with approximately $150 million in financial compensation and the ability to add up to 3,200 acres to their reserve land base. This will allow for Missanabie Cree to develop infrastructure, education and economic opportunities, creating meaningful employment, proper housing and healthcare, and implement green energy strategies. Missanabie Cree was promised reserve land for their people when they adhered to the Treaty in 1906, but did not receive a reserve land base until 2018. Missanabie Cree First Nation is located in the Algoma District within the boundaries of Chapleau Game Preserve in northeastern Ontario. https://www.nan.ca//nan-congratulates-missanabie-cree-fir/