Ensuring First Nations communities have cellular coverage would help responses to emergencies such as the mass stabbing on Hollow Water First Nation, a Manitoba grand chief said Monday.
“That should just be a no-brainer. We have to have connection to emergency services,” Grand Chief Jerry Daniels said in an interview.
An 18-year-old woman was killed and several others were hospitalized last Thursday after a series of stabbings on the reserve.
The suspect — Tyrone Simard, 26 — fatally stabbed his 18-year-old sister, wounded seven others, and later died after driving a stolen vehicle and colliding with an RCMP officer responding to the tragedy, RCMP have said.
Hollow Water is not a remote community. It is about 200 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg and connected by road. But it is outside cellular coverage areas to the south, east and west.
The community’s 1,100 residents rely on alternatives such as land lines and Wi-Fi calling. By all accounts to date, authorities responded quickly last week as community safety officers were on site and RCMP officers from multiple detachments in the region drove to the scene.
Health officials said Monday four patients from the community have been discharged since the attack — the most recent person on Sunday — and the rest are expected to be released in the coming days.
The RCMP officer injured in the collision with the suspect remains in hospital, RCMP said.
Hollow Water and other First Nations deserve the same type of connectivity as other communities, Daniels said. Aside from safety issues, connectivity would help economic development and public services, he said.
“These are all reasons why First Nations are basically considered second-class citizens within their own country.”
Bell Canada says it currently covers about 99 per cent of the Canadian population and is expanding coverage further.
“Bell is working with all levels of government to enhance and grow our wireless network in addition to our ongoing work to build new towers across Canada, including in Manitoba,” the company said in a written statement.
Mike Moroz, Manitoba’s minister of innovation and new technology, said he is working with the federal government, which regulates telecommunications, on improving service.
Moroz expressed optimism over the fact that Buckley Belanger, a member of Parliament from northern Saskatchewan, was appointed this year as federal secretary of state for rural development.
“He understands the reality on the ground in some of these communities. He understands the importance of making progress,” Moroz said.
(This report by Steve Lambert of The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2024)
