QUEENS PARK – Sol Mamakwa, MPP for Kiiwetinoong, released the following statement following the tragic death of Cat Lake’s Nashie Oombash:
“Today I ask Premier Doug Ford, again, to act now to address the health crisis in Cat Lake. The province has not only a moral obligation to act, but a legal obligation to act. Ontario is a signatory to Treaty 9, and the province is responsible for health in First Nations communities.
I urge Premier Ford to send an emergency health team to investigate this crisis, and provide any temporary housing that may still be needed, as his minister Greg Rickford said would be provided. Anything less is unconscionable. This health crisis continues to send children to the hospital and put the lives of seniors and families at risk, and the community is now mourning the tragic death of Nashie Oombash.
Oombash was just 48 when she died. She was a mother, grandmother, and wife.
Oombash passed away in Thunder Bay after seeking treatment for pneumonia and breathing problems – problems that her doctor linked to mould in her home. Many of the homes in Cat Lake are uninhabitable due to black mould, and it has now been more than a month since the community declared a state of emergency.”
