First Nations ignored in vaccine plan: leaders

Indigenous communities in northeast were not consulted by province, chiefs say

Two leaders of large northeastern Saskatchewan First Nations are waiting for the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in their communities, despite rising case numbers in the region.

Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Chief Peter Beatty said communities like his have been “ignored” by the province, which began administering the first shots of a two-dose vaccine developed by Moderna to health-care staff and vulnerable populations in the north this week.

In the northeastern corner of the province, which is grappling with rising case numbers, Beatty and other leaders said they're unsure when their vaccine doses may arrive.

“My understanding was this would be fair and equitable, and not targeted for one section of the province or regions, but it would be across the board,” he said.

Vaccinations were slower to start in the north because the first vaccine delivered to Saskatchewan has to be stored at ultralow temperatures, making transportation a challenge.

Beatty and leaders like Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook- Searson said there are still too many questions about the rollout. Cook- Searson blamed a lack of consultation.

“These decisions are not being made locally, where they should be made,” she said.

Beatty said he wrote a letter to the province expressing his concerns and included Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), the federal agency that delivers health services in First Nations.

To assist vaccination efforts, an ISC spokeswoman pointed to supports like its vaccine working group and its plans to establish more discussions between provinces, First Nations and the federal government.

Cook- Searson said she and the mayors of nearby communities La Ronge and Air Ronge also wrote to the province's Ministry of Health, pressing the government on its vaccine rollout in the far northeast and asking the province to explain why local medical health officers weren't consulted.

While active case loads have trended downward in Regina and Saskatoon in recent weeks, the area the Ministry of Health defines as the far northeast has seen a rise in caseloads.

As of Monday, the Northern Inter-tribal Health Authority reported 246 active cases in its jurisdictions, including 136 in the northeast. The NITHA declared a new outbreak on Monday in Stanley Mission.

NITHA medical health officer Dr. Nnamdi Ndubuka said he shares the chiefs' concerns over being left out of the initial allocation. He said the NITHA wasn't consulted about when and where the first doses would be delivered, but that it did engage in discussions afterward.

Chief Beatty said communities in the far northeast are “left out, totally ignored in that plan” as it stands.

He supported the Lac La Ronge letter and said available vaccines should be enough to treat frontline workers in his region.

“At least protect them. If you do that, you're at least one step ahead.”