Kathleen Wynne wants the First Nations Chiefs to quickly take action in advancing the Ring of Fire development while the Chiefs and their communities are dealing with a crisis that continues to happen in Thunder Bay. First Nations youth are dying and being found in the rivers, the leaderships, families, and communities of these precious lives need to see meaningful progress with these investigations in weeks, not months, or years. It’s been 17 years since Jethro Anderson, one of the youth found in the rivers, was presumed to have drowned. Now more youth are in the death toll with the recent tragedies that have happened in the Thunder Bay river systems.
How does Premier Wynne expect the Chiefs to make a quick decision when this crisis is happening? She continues to hope progress can be made on her stance with the Ring of Fire when the families of the Indigenous youth that “drowned” in the Thunder Bay rivers have not seen progress in years for the answers they seek.
Wynne wants progress on the transportation infrastructure. Meanwhile, the progress for the MMIW inquiry is failing families. The First Nation leaderships must address these issues that continue to affect their communities and off reserve members. Kathleen Wynne squanders her willingness and commitment to strengthen the relationship with First Nations when she pushes the Chiefs with deadlines for industrial development while they continue to deal with unanswered questions of the seven youth, especially the two most recent youth who lost their lives in Thunder Bay under suspicious circumstances.
The families of the Indigenous youth who died in Thunder Bay, and the families of the MMIW inquiry will still be seeking answers in their struggle for justice when Wynne celebrate’s the upcoming Canada150. We have nothing to celebrate.
Jennifer Wabano
