National Indigenous News July 20

Darrell Stranger takes a look at some of the latest Indigenous news making headlines across the country. 

Transcript

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This is a look at your National Indigenous News. I'm Darrell Stranger. Shimatawa First Nation has declared a state of emergency as a hepatitis A outbreak continues in Manitoba. Everyone living in the northern community recently became eligible for the vaccine against hepatitis A as it's hit by an ongoing outbreak of the virus, which causes acute liver infection. Shimatawa and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs are calling for immediate strengthening of the public health response in the First Nation about 750 kilometers northwest of Winnipeg. Nearly 1,500 people live in the community, which is only accessible by air or winter road. Kyra Wilson, the Assembly's Grand Chief, said the community needs help educating people about the disease and making sure people are vaccinated and more healthcare professionals to support those efforts. Everyone older than six months is eligible for the vaccine in Shimatowa and in a number of other First Nations that have been hit by the outbreak. At least half of the people in a community need to get the vaccine for community level protection. As of July 5th, 867 cases of hepatitis A had been reported, and seven people have died of the virus in the province since September of 2024. The continuing outbreak, which was officially declared in April of 2025, prompted a travel warning for Manitoba from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control last month. A news release from the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said there is an urgent need for enhanced healthcare capacity, coordinated public health measures, and sustained investments to address conditions that contribute to the spread of preventable infectious diseases in First Nations. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs wants the provincial and federal governments to work with Shimatawa to provide immediate emergency funding to help fight the outbreak and additional health resources, including personnel, medical supplies, and vaccination efforts. The wildfire that forced the evacuation of Wrigley Northwest Territories moved closer to the community overnight into Sunday. It is now seven kilometers from the town. Residents of Wrigley had to leave June 29th because of a fire to the north. On Saturday, as the fire crossed protective lines, the remaining essential workers were forced to flee, joining evacuees who have fled to Fort Smith. In a social media post on Sunday, officials stated that fire retardant had been dropped with backburns or controlled ignitions planned for Monday when conditions are more favorable. Officials said the fire has continued to grow, this time on the eastern flank, but despite all of the updates, they do not expect the fire to reach the community. After nearly four years of paused construction and financial problems, a Metis Cultural Center in Fort McMurray, Alberta is restarting major construction in the fall. What was once billed as a $22 million project will now cost up to $73 million to complete. Projected costs had hit between $115 and $125 million when construction stopped in October of 2022. The Cultural Center is envisioned to be a building with classrooms, a community kitchen, offices, an art gallery, and a museum. In July of 2021, counselors with the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo heard from project leaders that costs had hit around $74 million. Proponents blamed inflation and the economic uncertainty during the COVID 19 pandemic for the increase, as well as adding a lookout tower and indoor theater to the project. A grand opening was originally scheduled for late 2023 after a fall 2020 groundbreaking ceremony, but there is no timeline for when the building will open. That's a look at your National Indigenous News.