Mishkeegogamang First Nation's inadequate sewage system contributes to health and safety concerns
From the Kenora Miner and News
Septic systems ‘bad news’ story for northern First Nation
By Jon Thompson - November 01, 2007
The same team that discovered gross inadequacies in the Pikangikum water supply has released a health report showing pandemic conditions of sewage systems on the First Nation of Mishkeegogamang.
Twenty three per cent of septic fields in the entire community, which is approximately 250 kilometres north of Ignace on Highway 599, are inoperable where major breakout and pooling is occurring in leeching fields. The locations where the fields were installed were subject to freezing and flooding, a significant number of septic tanks were unable to break down solid waste, many were exposed where they should be covered by 30 to 60 centimeters of earth, and some tanks were missing lids, exposing raw sewage to the open air. Without digging up a single field to survey underground elements, the Northwestern Health Unit found a zero compliance rate.
“Questionable installation, questionable maintenance, absence of inspection and no attempt to remedy the situation. This was a complete bad news story all the way through,” said medical officer of health and CEO of the Northwestern Health Unit, Dr. Pete Sarsfield.
Thirty-one of 100 homes were surveyed by the Northwest Health Unit and 52 per cent of those were found to be of dysfunctional quality. Public health inspector and program manager for environmental health Bill Limerick speculates that if his crew had access to more homes, the number may have been even higher as the team was shown only the worst examples.
“If we did the survey off reserve, it would be totally unacceptable,” Limerick said. “When you have raw sewage on the ground and you’ve got children and dogs exposed to it, it’s a vector for the transmission of disease.”
Sarsfield described having shooed away a dog drinking from an open tank.
Where many of the houses are without windows or screens, flies spawning in the sewage can fly directly into the homes.
According to a 2006 CBC report, homes in Mishkeegogamang house an average of 8.5 people, which is more than the installed septic systems were designed to service.
The report includes half a page of potential resulting diseases including typhoid fever, hepatitis, Norwalk, cholera, hepatitis A, respiratory disease and a host of gastrointestinal and skin diseases.
The health facility in the community was unable to comment, but Sarsfield said from their conversations that they were unable to quantify the health effects because many less severe forms of infection result in flu-like symptoms where seeking medical attention wouldn’t necessarily occur. No clear causal link could be made but local staff indicated to him that they felt it was a problem.
Sarsfield said he speaks for himself and the 39 First Nations in the catchment area of the Northwestern Health Unit when he says the understanding is that responsibility for public health services is a federal responsibility. Yet, he points out, many First Nations are not receiving health services equivalent to non-native communities.
His interpretation of the provincial legislation is that when his office is asked for assistance, he is legally responsible to comply.
In recent years, many First Nations in similar situations have been turning to the health unit for assistance on matters such as water drinking safety, pandemic planning, epidemiological information and control of infectious illnesses.
Kenora MP Roger Valley is standing with the band.
“The lack of respect for First Nations people by the Conservative government is ignoring infrastructure at a local level. Over and over, resources have been taken away from Health Canada.”
Valley uses the example that funding for translators previously available when health needs required travel has been pulled by the federal government.
Mishkeegogamang Chief Connie Gray McKay was unavailable for comment.