Ottawa – Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible of FedNor is announcing is announcing today an additional investment of $1.2 billion for the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) Hospital Redevelopment Project.
Funding towards the redevelopment project will serve the 12,000 people in the Weeneebayko region, providing them with fair access to quality healthcare services closer to home. This includes the construction of a new hospital facility, administrative offices, staff accommodations and a dedicated Ambulatory Care Centre on Moose Factory Island.
Canada is also accelerating investments to make health and safety improvements to the existing Weeneebayko General Hospital facility. As the redevelopment project progresses, this will ensure that patients in the Weeneebayko region have access to essential healthcare services, as close to home as possible.
This federal funding, which will be flowed through the Province of Ontario and WAHA, will ensure that Indigenous Peoples and patients in remote northern Ontario communities have the healthcare services they need now, and into the future.
Everyone in Canada deserves fair access to quality health care – regardless of who or where they are. This announcement is moving us closer to making this a reality for First Nations. It also represents a critical step on the path to reconciliation.
“We have been clear since the beginning that the Federal Government would be there to get this hospital built. This $1.2 billion announcement will help First Nations in Northern Ontario have fair access to quality healthcare. Thanks to the leadership of the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority, the 12,000 people in the Weeneebayko region will have the services they need closer to home.” – Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada
“We welcome the federal government’s commitment to fund the completion of the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) Hospital. This marks a significant step forward in fulfilling a longstanding promise. However, the delay in prioritizing the health and well-being of First Nations highlights the urgent need for culturally informed care that upholds First Nations inherent and Treaty rights and our right to self-determination.
Moving forward, we expect the government to continue fulfilling its commitments to First Nations by ensuring transformative change towards First Nations-led health care programs and services. This includes sustainable funding, increased capacity and improved healthcare facilities that are strengths-based and culturally informed.” – National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak
Assembly of First Nations (AFN)