Mark Slapinski
The Canadian government has sent the military, known as the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), to a remote Indigenous reserve in Northern Ontario. Boots hit the ground on Saturday, as the CAF moved in to do an assessment of the Covid situation. The move is being directed by Bill Blair, former cop turned Minister of Emergency Preparedness.
On Saturday Bill Blair announced that the Canadian military had made its way to Northern Ontario to support a Covid-stricken Indigenous reserve. Bearskin Lake First Nation is a First Nation reserve in Kenora District, Ontario, located 425 km north of Sioux Lookout. Blair wrote, “CAF members arrived in Bearskin Lake First Nation today to conduct an initial assessment. Officials from across government are working closely with community leadership to get support where it is needed.”
Officials in the region called on the federal government to send assistance in a news conference Friday, including staff and essential supplies. Media reported that the temperatures in the area are -30 degrees, and many people require heating. Despite his efforts to assist the troubled Indigenous reserve, Bill Blair was still labelled a “racist” by some critics.
