FNLC OFFERS CONDOLENCES IN THE DEATH OF INFANT IN THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE
Statement
APRIL 24, 2020
FNLC OFFERS CONDOLENCES IN THE DEATH OF INFANT IN THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE
(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) The First Nations Leadership Council was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of an infant in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside earlier this week and sends sincerest and heartfelt condolences to the mother and all residents of the Downtown Eastside community during this time.
Read moreOPEN LETTER: Indigenous Leaders, Doctors, Nurses And Others Call For Closure Of Construction Camps
April 21, 2020
Premier John Horgan
BC Minister of Health Adrian Dix
BC Centre for Disease Control
We, the undersigned, are writing to request that you immediately shut down construction activities at all B.C.'s large industrial work camps and megaprojects.
Three factors make this step urgent.
Indigenous Leaders, Doctors, Nurses And Others Call For Closure Of Construction Camps
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Indigenous Leaders, Doctors, Nurses And Others Call For Closure Of Construction Camps
In general, B.C's response to the pandemic appears to be showing promising results. Yesterday ((Monday) there were 52 new cases reported in B.C. (a two-day total), compared with one-day totals of 606 in Ontario and 836 in Quebec. This is grounds for some cautious optimism, but we should not lose sight of the fact there are still significant vulnerabilities within our province's overall response. One of these is the Downtown Eastside and B.C.'s homeless population, where the first Covid-19 cases are being reported. Another is the province's prison system, where there are significant outbreaks and the first deaths being recorded. A third point of vulnerability is long-term care facilities, where a high death rate has taken place in over two dozen infected facilities.
Read moreUBCIC Calls for Emergency Interjurisdictional Meeting to Address Housing the Homeless during COVID-19 Crisis
News Release
April 20, 2020
UBCIC Calls for Emergency Interjurisdictional Meeting to Address Housing the Homeless during COVID-19 Crisis
(xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlR ilwətaʔɬ/selR ílwitulh (TsleilWaututh)/Vancouver, BC. – April 20, 2020) The day after a group of homeless advocates and their supporters temporarily occupied a portion of an elementary school in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is calling for swift action from governments and agencies to house the homeless during COVID-19 and beyond.
Read moreCOVID-19 in prisons stands to be a death sentence for overincarcerated Indigenous peoples
BC First Nations Justice Council
British Columbia Assembly of First Nations
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
First Nations Summit
COVID-19 in prisons stands to be a death sentence for overincarcerated Indigenous peoples
Indigenous leadership demand proactive response from governments
(xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlR ilwətaʔɬ/selR ílwitulh (TsleilWaututh)/Vancouver, BC – First Nations leadership across BC is united in calling for immediate action to protect incarcerated peoples amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read moreRights Groups React to Prisoner Death in Custody; Call for Public Inquest and Immediate Release of Prisoners to Stop Dangerous Spread of COVID-19
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rights Groups React to Prisoner Death in Custody; Call for Public Inquest and Immediate Release of Prisoners to Stop Dangerous Spread of COVID-19
April 17, 2020, VANCOUVER, Coast Salish Territories – Prisoner rights, human rights, Indigenous and civil liberties groups are reacting to the horrific news of a death in Correctional Service of Canada’s custody of a person incarcerated at Mission Institution in BC. Mission Institution is the site of the largest COVID-19 outbreak at a federal institution in the country.
Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Must be Respected During COVID-19
April 14, 2020
Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Must be Respected During COVID-19
During the extreme challenges caused by the current threat of the coronavirus, our Nations and organizations are profoundly concerned with ensuring respect for Indigenous peoples’ rights, particularly their rights to self-determination, health, security and well-being. Related Treaty rights of Indigenous peoples must also be fully considered.
Read moreOPEN LETTER: Immediate and Sustained Measures to Protect Vulnerable Communities in the DTES from COVID-19 Transmission
Dear Premier Horgan, Minister Mark, Minister Simpson, Minister Darcy, Minister James, Minister Dix, Minister Robinson, Minister Mungall, Minister Fraser and Ms. Dean:
We are writing to express our grave concern for the vulnerable residents living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), where high levels of trauma, poverty, crowding, homelessness, drug addiction, and mental illness create a high-risk environment for a potential aggressive outbreak of COVID-19. Indigenous peoples are disproportionately represented in this vulnerable population, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic stand to exacerbate thea intergenerational trauma, marginalization, violence, cultural and traditional knowledge loss inflicted by colonization.
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