Category: Featured

Some issues at regional hospitals are creating headaches for the ambulance service. Whishe Stacey Captain with the Kahnawake fire brigade on the current issues:

“Right now what’s going on in the area and I don’t think it’s exclusive to Kahnàwake or Montreal or Quebec for that fact, all the hospitals are being overwhelmed. Exactly what the reasons are, I could not tell you, but it has been and continues to affect the Kahnàwake ambulance service and what we can provide to the community.”

Stacey says that whether you’re calling for an ambulance or going to the hospital on your own, wait times are now a daily reality:

“If you’re just looking for a simple quick ride to the hospital, understand you are still going to wait. Showing up to an hospital by ambulance will not make the hospital see  you seen any quicker.”

If the emergency is life-threatening, you’re life won’t be placed at risk:

“If you do have an emergency and you feel that you need an ambulance follow the same procedures as before, please call the Peacekeepers and they will send whatever resources we have available. So, we have 2 ambulances in the community 24 hours a day, so if either of those ambulances are available they will be sent to you, if they are not available, our officer in charge will be sent to you and they will triage you and determine how long you can wait to see what other options are available. If it is a true emergency, we will call  an ambulance from outside to come and get you.”

The Kahnàwake Peacekeepers can be called in the event both ambulances are out and options will be dealt with depending on the severity of the emergency.

The Kahnawà:ke Environment Protection Office (KEPO) will be performing fish sampling in the Little Suzanne River from August 23^rd to September 14^th. Sampling will primarily be done with minnow traps, but hoop nets and electro-fishing will be used in select locations. The traps will be deployed for 18-20 hours at a time with KEPO releasing all native fish with the exception of a few small minnows to be kept as specimens. You are asked by KEPO to not disturb the traps or allow pets to come into contact with them. The effort is part of the larger ‘Aquatic Stewardship Program’ in Kahnawà:ke and will provide a better picture of the health of the creeks and the river.

The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated has informed the MCK that Old Malone Highway will be closed on Monday, August 22^nd, Tuesday, August 23^rd and Wednesday, August 24^th, from 6am until 4pm, east of the CP Rail Tunnel to the intersection of the 132. A detour via the 132/138 Service Road will be in place during the time the work is being performed.

You are reminded to drive with caution and slow down when entering the mobile work zones and respect the Move-Over Law when you see flashing lights.

The planned work is subject to change due to weather conditions, operational constraints or work progress.

An advisory from The Public Safety Division of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke that the Recreation Bay Beach will be closed for the rest of the year for reasons of health and safety. The closure is a result of newly discovered high levels of E. coli bacteria. Recent water sampling by technicians with Environmental Health Services (EHS) of Kahnawake Shakotiia’takehnhas Community Services has revealed a rise in E. coli and has recommended the closure of the beach for the remainder of the season. Technicians also noticed large amounts of bird droppings on the beach from ducks and geese that frequent the area. With the hot temperatures expected over the next few days, water quality will not be safe for swimming. EHS will continue to monitor the recreational waters of Kahnawà:ke until their regular testing schedule ends in October.

Despite issues with unionized school bus drivers in Quebec unwilling to sign their contacts, putting bussing to schools in the province in jeopardy. There are no issues with the buses in Kahnàwake . Those will operate normally, including the ones that go to outside schools. Lindsay LeBorgne is on the Infrastructure Portfolio for the MCK:

“To reassure parents in Kahnàwake that school buses in here are unaffected by the potential strike that is happening outside our territory and our buses will be ready to go as soon as school starts.”

Leborgne explains why the community will not see the effects of any potential bus driver actions for those off-territory busing:

“Our children that go outside Kahnàwake territory across the Mercier Bridge into Montreal will not be affected by this because these are unionized drivers outside our territory, not our bus drivers. This has nothing to do with Kahnàwake bus drivers or buses.”

In an effort to deal with issue of Asbestos containing material in Kahnawake, the Mohawk Council is launching a pilot project that will streamline the operation. First reported in Iori:wase, the project will get underway on a property off Route 207 late next week. Cody Diabo, an elected official at the MCK, has been working on the asbestos file says it will also lower the costs and won’t take more than a couple of days per plot of land:

“There’s nothing wrong with the soil, it’s just like the ACM pieces, total removal of soil in the beginning was the easiest route to take just because we weren’t sure, but projections and working with the experts, we’ve seen it would be a waste of resources not only financial but as well, the soil itself.”

Diabo explaining that the project would involve combing the ground with special equipment.

Expect an overnight lane closure for the Mercier Bridge. The 138 west towards Chateauguay will see 1 of 2 lanes shut from 10pm tonight until Thursday morning at 5am. The closure is in-place for JCCBI drilling work under the span.

Good news to cool down before school starts again. The Sports & Recreation Unit (SRU) of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke announcing that the Orville Park Splashpad has re-opened after undergoing repairs to the electrical system, this work being required  following a lightning strike in late July. The opening is timing perfectly with the warm weekend temperatures expected in the area starting Friday.

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke’s Ohén:ton Í:iente ne Ratitsénhaienhs Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer and Ietsénhaienhs Tonya Perron met with Quebec Premier François Legault this afternoon in Quebec City. This is the first meeting with Legault since he was elected in 2018. It has been noted that the long delay in scheduling this meeting has been a cause for concern, as meetings between Quebec’s premiers and Kahnawà:ke’s grand chiefs have been held as a matter of routine for many years. Sky deer says the meeting was fruitful:

“Late Grand Chief Joe Norton didn’t get an opportunity, we went through challenges and with his untimely passing.  Nonetheless, here we are and after everything that we went through after Bill96 and expressing publicly our frustration and anger, it was important for us to have this face-to-face for me to lay out some of what I feel is important if this relationship is going to move forward. So, overall it went really well.”

Sky-Deer says the premier is willing to work with the mohawk community:

“We got into discussing the issues, language and culture, Bill96, our outstanding hospital agreement the framework relationship moving forward, yeah, a number of things and what basically came out of it was commitment. I think that’s what we came here for that this government is willing to work directly with us as the Mohawk Community of Kahnàwake. He mentioned about ‘nations’  and I said, ‘look’ we’re not speaking on behalf of the Mohawk Nation here, we’re speaking as Kahnàwake, but it would be nice if we could get our sister communities to come from that space and advocate for the issues that are important to all of us.”

There has been added urgency to meet due to Kahnawà:ke’s strong concerns over Quebec’s Bill 96 language legislation. The meeting took place at Mr. Legault’s office from 1 to 2 pm. An online forum will be set-up next week according to Sky-Deer by the Government.