Kashechewan First Nation (Update)
Date: June 17, 2021
Classification: Unclassified
Fully releasable (ATIP)? Yes
Branch/Agency: EMPB
Issue:
The Province of Ontario sent a request for federal assistance (RFA) on May 31, 2021 for the support of Canadian Armed Forces Rangers in Kashechewan. The RFA was extended for an additional two weeks on June 10, and a second RFA for additional support was approved on June 16.
Proposed Response:
- The Government of Canada is committed to providing assistance to provinces and territories to protect and support Canadians during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
- Should a province or territory make an official request for federal assistance (RFA), there is a well-established process in place for managing RFAs, through the Government Operations Centre, that includes interdepartmental consultation and coordination of all departments as required. Since January 2020, the Government of Canada has supported 90 Requests for Federal Assistance.
- In addition to significant Federal supports for this community from my colleague at Indigenous Services Canada, on May 31, the Province of Ontario requested federal assistance for the support of Canadian Armed Forces Rangers (CAF) to provide assistance to Kashechewan First Nation.
- In response to this request, the federal government deployed up to 15 CAF Rangers to the community to provide support for an initial period of 14 days. A 2 week extension was approved on June 10.
- I am happy to announce that yesterday I approved an additional RFA for federal supports including additional CAF members, have been deployed to Kashechewan today to help manage the current outbreak.
- There has been outstanding collaboration between the responding organizations from all orders of government in response to this emergency, and I want to thank all those on the front lines who continue battle to keep Canadians safe.
Responsive lines
- Emergencies are managed first at the local level. If they need assistance at the local level, they request it from the provinces or territories. If the emergency escalates beyond P/T capabilities, the provinces or territories seek assistance from the federal government.
- The Government of Canada’s pandemic response provides provinces and territories with two streams of federal assistance. COVID-19 federal surge capacity requests for federal assistance are managed by Public Safety Canada for emergency management support and the Public Health Agency of Canada for public health support, respectively.
Background:
On May 25, 2021, Kashechewan First Nation (FN) declared an emergency due to the number of COVID-19 outbreaks in the surrounding communities of Timmins, Moosonee and the proximity to other James Bay communities that are also managing outbreaks. While at that time there were no confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kashechewan FN, the Chief mandated a community-wide lockdown as many residents had to travel to attend medical and other appointments, leading to 11 close contacts within the community requiring isolation. The Chief has requested federal assistance from Canadian Rangers to support the lockdown and isolation needs of the community.
On May 30, 2021, the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre facilitated a request for federal assistance on behalf of Kashechewan FN in the form of Canadian Rangers to supplement Kashechewan FN personnel in supporting the isolation mandate of the community. Federal support was requested to begin immediately and continue for fourteen days from date of deployment, or when the outbreak/mandatory isolation is manageable within local resources, including Indigenous Services Canada funded positions within the community, with an option to extend by up to fourteen days based on periodic reassessment prior to the expiry of the initial fourteen day period.
On May 31, 2021, the federal RFA for Kashechewan FN for assistance managing the COVID-19 isolation requirements was approved for an initial period of 14 days, with an option to extend by up to two weeks based on periodic reassessments.
The active COVID-19 case count has reached 40 and is not believed to have peaked. In addition, the community is experiencing a housing crisis where overcrowding has had an impact on the community’s ability to isolate and control the spread of COVID-19. The community continues to not have adequate staff to support all tasks associated with the outbreak. This support required includes:
Canadian Rangers were requested to provide the following supports:
- Integration with the community leadership to coordinate activities with the Chief and Council;
- Provision of logistical and general support to include, but not limited to, transportation assistance, delivery of food, water, and supplies, to those in isolation; and
- Support to a program of public awareness on health measures in effect.
On June 7, Joint Task Force Central provided their 7-day reassessment, confirming that staffing shortages still exist in the community and recommended continuing Canadian Ranger support. As a result of the ongoing community needs, an extension was requested to continue supporting with the tasks outlined above. This extension was approved to remain in effect for two weeks.
As of June 16, 2021, there are 210 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the community, including the Alpha variant. Despite ongoing support from the Canadian Rangers, efforts of local resources and support provided by Indigenous Services Canada, the community continued to have insufficient resources available to support all tasks associated with the outbreak, particularly for a prolonged duration. The Chief had requested further federal assistance from CAF to support the isolation mandate of the community as all practicable commercial and non-governmental options have been considered and are currently not feasible given the immediacy of the community’s need and the COVID-19 operating environment.
On June 16, an RFA was approved to provide additional CAF resources to the community. CAF will provide general duty support to the community where required, to include, but not limited to, set-up of isolation facilities, and the delivery of supplies, food and water. CAF reports that they will be flying a Chinook helicopter into the community on June 17 with an initial tranche of 11 CAF members. Additional troops may surge into the community in the coming days based on assessments.
Background on Requests for Federal Assistance
Public Safety Canada is working with federal, provincial and territorial partners, through the Government Operations Centre (GOC), to ensure ongoing coordinated responses to COVID-19, natural disasters or other incidents. The GOC is supporting the Public Health Agency of Canada, which is the federal government lead for the response to COVID-19.
The Government of Canada pandemic response provides provinces and territories with two streams of federal assistance. COVID-19 federal surge capacity requests for federal assistance are managed by Public Safety Canada for emergency management support and the Public Health Agency of Canada for public health support, respectively.
There is a well-established process in place for managing RFAs, through the GOC, that includes interdepartmental consultation and coordination of all departments as required. The GOC has established an RFA Secretariat to receive, evaluate, and prioritize all RFAs. The GOC convenes consultation with implicated departments to review RFAs, as required.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Government of Canada has responded to 90 COVID-19-related RFAs.
Contacts:
Prepared by: Evan Mackintosh, COVID Event Team Lead, Government Operations Centre, 613-293-8874
Approved by: Trevor Bhupsingh, Assistant Deputy Minister, Emergency Management and Programs Branch, 613-993-4325
- Date modified: