Eabametoong grateful for support

Since declaring a state of emergency Oct. 22, Eabametoong has been flooded with support, Chief Lewis Nate reports.
“Other Matawa First Nations leaders have immediately come to our community, and have helped us create a larger voice,” he said. “This crisis is not exclusive to Eabametoong First Nation, it is a situation that many First Nations can face or have dealt with in the past.”
The state of emergency was declared following a string of violent crimes in the community, including murders, arsons and animal mutilations.
These incidents have left community members fearing for their personal safety, Nate said.
Both the provincial and federal governments have committed support as well, Nate said, allocating funds for supplies, security and reconstruction of the community school which was damaged by one of the fires.
“This is short-term assistance to help us restore order in the community, but we also need necessary resources to provide long-term solutions to the larger issues, such as the drug epidemic that triggers much of the crime occurring in the First Nation,” Nate said.
He said the community is participating in group meetings to discuss its needs.
Nate said the community has invested a lot of funding into the crisis over the past year in attempt to move the First Nation forward. However, this had left the community in debt and has forced the reallocation of resources which are now not available for other necessities.
“We are not going to just sit back and wait for help. We need to get our community organized,” Nate said. “We know what the problems are, but what I am telling the people of Eabametoong First Nation today, is that we have to stop blaming each other and move forward. We need to be willing to work together and it has to come from the heart.”