'Too many unnecessary deaths' in Thunder Bay, Ont., Chief Isadore Day says
Ontario Regional Chief says 'we don't have the right people at the table' to save lives
The regional chief for Ontario First Nations says too many people are dying tragically in Thunder Bay, Ont. and he wants to help develop "a statement of common concern" to address the issue.
On Wednesday, Isadore Day attended the inquest into the deaths of seven First Nations students in Thunder Bay, but said his concern are both broader and more urgent than the inquest mandate can deliver.
"There is a significant number of people dying in Thunder Bay for a variety of tragic reasons," Day said, adding it is not uncommon for two First Nations people to die each week in the city.
There have been "earnest efforts" at addressing concerns around poverty, violence and ill-health, but Day said a sense of common concern throughout the city about the deaths of First Nations people has yet to be established.
'Common concern'
"We don't have the right people at the table," Day said, adding that municipalities don't have the authority to deal with the complex social issues contributing to the tragedies.
A "statement of common concern" would draw in provincial and federal levels of government to deal with the "major social and humanitarian issue," he said, noting the efforts being put into supporting Syrian refugees.
"What is the difference between those refugees and First Nations people leaving their communities to find much better quality of life in the urban centre?" Day asked.
The collaborative work on saving First Nations lives should not wait until March when the inquest delivers its recommendations, Day said, because more people are dying each week.
"We need to establish a statement of common concern that people are dying needlessly, then everyone is very clear about the mandate and the efforts needed to change," Day said.
With that common ground established, "most people are going to say they want to be part of a solution, to move beyond the place we're at," he said.
Watch live streaming video from the First Nation student deaths inquest here.
Follow CBC Thunder Bay report Jody Porter as she tweets from the inquest.