How Bearskin Lake’s chief led his community through COVID-19 crisis – CBC
More than 220 of the roughly 400 people in the remote community got sick at once, and help was needed
Jan 14, 2022
Bearskin Lake First Nation Chief Lefty Kamenawatamin sits in front of his computer for one last interview about the outbreak that, for nearly three weeks, has overwhelmed his community in Ontario’s Far North.
There’s a bit of glare on the camera, right on his face, so he gets up with some newspaper, and moves off-screen to adjust the light.
“Let me make a little studio,” he laughed.
Kamenawatamin knows what reporters need for the shot. He’s been taking their calls nearly every day for the past few weeks as he recovers from COVID-19 in his home. He’s one of more than 220 people who’ve tested positive since the outbreak began in the fly-in community of roughly 400 people, located 600 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, Ont.
