Toronto Star – First Nations children in Ontario are excluded from the provincial governments commitments “that all schools in Ontario will have access to rapid COVID tests and N95 masks for teachers, as well as upgraded masks for students and HEPA filters in each classroom.”

Excuses from provincial leaders hold that this is the responsibility of their federal counterparts.
The excuses continue from federal officials, who respond that there is limited funding, while local leaders on the ground complain that you can only apply for supplies through a complicated process entrenched in lengthy bureaucratic procedures — and applications rarely yield results.

How many HEPA filters has the Nishnawbe Aski Nation received to date for schools? The answer is none.
“We haven’t seen anything yet,” said Bobby Narcisse, the deputy grand chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 49 First Nations in northern Ontario. “It’s just looking for that equitable access to many of those resources that every other school in the province has access to.” How would parents feel if their child was denied access to safety measures that other children were entitled to, based on their race? Most parents would say this is discrimination and would not tolerate it. Yet we permit it for Indigenous children and youth across the province.
Currently, there is urgency for the children going back to school during the worst health crisis of our lives. Premier Ford says all children have access to supplies to make school safer. We must ensure that this really means all children in Ontario.

The province should now immediately apply Jordan’s Principle, which prioritizes the safety of children first, while addressing jurisdictional infighting over financial payments later.