First Nation hit with multiple COVID-19 cases sees confrontation at community checkpoint

GULL BAY FIRST NATION – A delivery of donated food sparked tension over the weekend in Gull Bay First Nation, a community about 200 kilometres north of Thunder Bay that’s been hit with multiple cases of COVID-19.

Videos circulating on social media show a confrontation between a group seeking to enter the community to drop off food donations on Saturday and a Gull Bay Police officer, who denies them entry. The group consisted largely of members of the First Nation who now live off-reserve, who said they raised thousands of dollars in grants and donations to fund the delivery, which filled a number of trucks and trailers.

“We’re band members, why are we not allowed to go in our own reserve?” one group member asks a police officer in one of the videos uploaded to Facebook.

“For the safety of the people on the reserve,” the officer replies.

“You guys have got to load the food in those other trucks, it’s that simple,” the officer later tells them.

The group ultimately loaded the food donations into vehicles belonging to Gull Bay residents, who organizers say dropped off the food throughout the community. But the incident has left a sour taste in the mouth of many community members, including Chief Wilfred King.

King said the donation is appreciated, but that the community has been clear in asking non-residents not to visit after the community was hit with COVID-19 – there are now seven confirmed cases, and two other suspected ones, he said.

“We’re trying to tell our non-resident members to stay away, because we don’t know where they’ve been and there’s a good chance they might be positive [for COVID-19],” he said. “We don’t want any more infections in the community. I think that’s very understandable – every First Nation across this region has done that, as far as I know.”

King said he believed the drop-off and attempt to enter the community amounted to a political stunt.

“To me, it’s all politically motivated,” King said. “It had nothing to do with people in Gull Bay having a shortage of food. The organizers, the people behind it are running for chief and council [in the next election].”

One organizer behind the donation, Khanena Nowegejick, disputed that assertion. Nowegejick has family ties to the community, though she’s not technically a member of the First Nation. She said she wanted to help after seeing the community’s only store, which offered limited food supplies, was closed when the owner, who is also her cousin, contracted COVID-19.

“Immediately I’m thinking, there’s no store there,” she said. “I’m a mom and I don’t drive, I can’t imagine being in this pandemic and not being able to go walk to the store to get bread or milk.”

Nowegejick said she’s concerned about community members who may not have access to a vehicle, with the nearest grocery stores in Armstrong or Thunder Bay. She began to make calls and eventually raised over $3,000 for an informal campaign to help the community with food donations.

Members of the group say Gull Bay residents’ needs are going unmet through the COVID-19 crisis. Henry Belmore, a member of the First Nation who lives in Thunder Bay, volunteered the use of his truck to help deliver food Saturday. He said community members are hesitant to leave for groceries, but aren’t receiving support.

“They’re basically getting no help from the chief and council right now,” he said.

Nowegejick said other First Nations have given out food aid during the COVID-19 crisis, and didn’t understand why Gull Bay had not done the same.

King, meanwhile, said there’s no food security crisis in the community and there are measures in place to assist, should anyone be struggling.

“As far as I know, nobody has come to chief and council asking for food,” he said. “Nobody has officially made that request.”

The chief said he had developed a plan for the safe transfer of the food donation with one of the group’s organizers, and was frustrated when it wasn’t followed.

“We made a plan about how this was to be delivered in a safe way,” he said. “When we found out they didn’t follow the plan and they were just going to pass right through the checkpoint, we said no, that’s not going to happen.

“I think what bothers me the most... there was approximately 30 or 40 people there, there was no social distancing. We want to make sure the community is safe. I think they’ve really put themselves at risk, and they also put other community members at risk.”

Ultimately, King said the donated food was left in driveways of some residents who did not want it or were not home, while dogs got into some of the packages. He said it's one example of why he prefers those who want to help go through official channels. One example is local group Roots to Harvest, who King said have worked with the community for years and are helping to organize food deliveries using health precautions.

“If people want to donate, we’d like them to go through one of our agencies that we deal with, so we know the food is being handled properly.”

In the video, members of the group also express frustration that contractors working on community projects are being allowed in to the community while band members are not. One group member appears to momentarily block the path of one contractor's pickup truck.

“Come on guys, I’m trying to work to help you guys out,” the driver tells the group.

King said those contractors are at work on a new water treatment plant, something the community has been seeking for decades. He said because the work is considered essential by the provincial government, the band was worried they could be sued by contractors if they halted construction. He added the community has taken precautions to minimize risks.

“What we’ve said is, we’d have none of our band members working on the site, only external workers would come in, they’d have passes to get through the checkpoint, they’d go directly to the site and after they’re finished their work they’d directly leave,” King stated.

King said if people want to help the community, he prefers it’s done by donating to partners the community works with, like Roots to Harvest, who he said have systems in place to address the risk of contamination with COVID-19.

Nowegejick said her group’s fundraising efforts have raised more money since Saturday’s drop-off. She said they intend to continue helping the community, but hope to avoid any further conflict.