Northern care home evacuation tricky

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This article was published 12/05/2022 (915 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Relocating residents and staff of a remote northern care home to Winnipeg would be complicated at the best of times, but when multiple communities are evacuated by flooding and vying for lodging, it’s an even bigger challenge.

“All the hotel rooms are being booked up because of all the other communities that are being evacuated for flood reasons,”said Deon Clarke, a band councillor at Norway House Cree Nation, who is helping to co-ordinate the move.

On Friday, most of the 21 elders of the Pinaow Wachi care home in the community at the north end of Lake Winnipeg, were to arrive at their new temporary home in the city — the band’s medical boarding house at 333 Maryland St.

Their 20 caregivers who live in Norway House, however, needed some place else to stay and that has been a challenge, he said.

The First Nation was aware of that challenge, but couldn’t tolerate having its elders live in the aged facility for another two months. It has broken hot water tanks and problems with its sewage system that will take an estimated three months to repair.

“That’s why, the moment we decided to make this move, I said, ‘We gotta move fast.’ We can’t wait for the province because I know the province’s worried about other First Nations, the feds are worried about other First Nations and it is a big task to accommodate everybody,” said Clarke. “Two thousand people are being displaced at the moment.”

Some of the care home staff will stay with family in Winnipeg, he said. Others need a place to stay.

“We’re looking for ten hotel rooms that are just temporary until we can find more long-term Airbnb or a rental or something,” said Clarke.

The community wanted to make sure the uprooted elders have their regular caregivers, he said. They want to make sure those who’ve stepped up and agreed to work so far from home are are take care of, too.

“You can only stay in a hotel for a few days,” he said. Staff will work seven days on, seven days off; they have time to return to their home community 452 kilometres away by air.

The band is waiting for the provincial and federal governments to determine who will pay for the air transport: three charter planes and medevac flights for five residents who require medical care, said Clarke.

Indigenous Services Canada said Friday it is working with Norway House and the provincial government “on next steps for the transport of residents to another interim facility and options for reimbursement, and for repairs needed on the existing facility.”

The federal department will provide funding for repairs and its technical services staff are in contact with the community’s public works department, a spokesman said.

“We will work with the community and the province once the full cost of the repairs are determined,” the federal spokesman said.

The temporary residence on Maryland Street has been inspected by the province, and Shared Health provided medical beds and commodes, Clarke said.

Some of the care home residents are familiar with the lodging because it’s where they stay when they’re in Winnipeg for medical appointments, the councillor said.

“Some of the feedback I’ve been getting from some of the elders is they’re actually getting excited for this trip. They’re going to a place that they’re all familiar with,” he said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca