EABAMETOONG FIRST NATION — Eabametoong Chief Solomon Atlookan expressed the “tremendous shock” he felt when he arrived at the scene of yesterday's fire at the John C. Yesno Education Centre.
He was even more shocked when the investigation turned up what could be signs of arson. The Nishnawbe Aski Police Service arrested two young suspects in connection with the fire, which consumed the entire building.
“When I did hear that it could be arson, it was unbelievable. I couldn’t believe that could happen to our school," Atlookan said.
"My initial reaction – like anybody else – was anger. But, after a while thinking about it - I can’t approach it that way. I have to hold back a bit and see how we can get through that initial shock and anger. I think we did very well in doing that – coming together and saying, ‘okay, this has happened, what we need to do now is step back and say let’s do something about it rather than sitting idly by,” Atlookan said.
Atlookan held meetings this morning with Eabametoong’s partner organizations and leaders from across the region, including Matawa, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), and MPP for Kiiwetinoong, Sol Mamakwa, who also spoke with Dougall Media about the fire.
Mamakwa recognized that this is an emotional time for everyone in Eabametoong First Nation, but he also pointed out that this fire is part of a larger series of problems.
“There’s multiple factors that come into play when you don’t have fire suppression equipment and the training to respond to fires like this,” Mamakwa said.
It was in October that Dougall Media spoke with Eabametoong’s Fire Chief John Slipperjack and learned about a new wildfire rapid attack bush truck that Matawa secured through a partnership with the province and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC).
Due to the lack of a solid ice road, the wildfire truck has not yet made it to the community.
Mamakwa made it clear that this is just one of many infrastructural issues that Eabametoong First Nation have been facing.
“It’s important as well to recognize that a few years ago they had a housing crisis – they’re still in a housing crisis. They still don’t have the reserve land to build more homes and that requires discussion between the province and the feds to get more reserve land. They have to ask both levels of government to build on their own land.
"What we saw happen, should not have happened. When we talk about proper infrastructure whereby you have the water systems within the school – even security, we need security in these schools to be able to respond to these things,” Mamakwa said.
While there are questions as to how Eabametoong First Nation will carry on education in the community, Atlookan mentioned that there are a few options including a return to COVID protocol wherein classes are held online or reevaluating some of the bigger spaces located in the community.
He also said that a “community representative taskforce” is in place internally to facilitate the transition for students and staff, and to ensure that the building of a new school stays on-track.
In 2019, Eabametoong First Nation began the process of designing a new school building with funding from ISC but that school has not yet been built.
Atlookan said that the new school came up in meetings with Eabametoong partners and it’s at the top of their priority list.
“We want to get that on the way right away, as quickly as we can. We also made it that we – Eabametoong First Nation – want to be the lead on this, how we want to proceed moving forward and how we want to get the funders to come in and work with us. And we want to move fast. It’s something that needs to take place immediately,” Atlookan said.
With the loss of the JCY Education Centre, leaders have stressed the urgency with which this project must be pushed through to construction.
“We all know that the federal government has the fiduciary responsibility for the education of Indigenous kids and that should be their priority and goal – and that should happen immediately,” Atlookan added.
Mamakwa said that it’s going to take the combined effort of community leaders and both the federal and provincial governments to make it happen.
“This will take some time. We need to fast track things and we need to come together. Not just the feds but the province has to be involved as well – they cannot just continue to want the minerals and the lands that we have on these traditional territories, they have to be part of the solution,” he said.
Either way, the loss of the JCY Education Centre affects the whole community.
“Everybody has a memory with that school and it’s personal - it’s raw,” Atlookan said.