Former Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) grand chief Sheila North announced May 14 that she is seeking to become the next grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. A member of . . .
Photograph By Ian Graham
Canadian Armed Forces members currently stationed in Thompson to assist with mass vaccination efforts in Northern Manitoba First Nations assemble to receive thank you gifts from Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak May 8. Photograph By Ian Graham
Canadian Armed Forces members currently stationed in Thompson to assist with mass vaccination efforts in Northern Manitoba First Nations listen to Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee prior to a gift-giving ceremony at the Thompson Airport May 8. Photograph By Ian Graham
Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee speaks to a Canadian Armed Forces member assisting vaccination efforts during a May 8 gift-giving ceremony at the Thompson Airport.
Announced and commenced in late March, Operation Vector has seen as many as 200 military personnel deployed to a staging area at the Thompson Airport with the goal of helping First Nations deliver 100,000 vaccinations in 100 days. Equipment supporting the mission includes a C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, up to two Chinook and two Twin Otter helicopters and other military vehicles. Duties performed by Canadian Armed Forces members include co-ordinating the delivery of supplies, administering vaccines to patients and transporting community members to and from clinics where required Prior to Operation Vector, the armed forces assisted more than 50 northern and Indigenous communities to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, providing assistance at Rod McGillivary Memorial Care Home in The Pas, as well to Shamattawa First Nation, Pauingassi First Nation, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Red Sucker Lake, Garden Hill First Nation, Cross Lake and Mathias Colomb Cree Nation in Manitoba. T
I came through fine after the shot, with few side effects - the only one I had was a slightly sore left bicep, which is where I got my shot. I know some people who have had slightly more severe side effects - chills, nausea, more severe arm pain - but I don t know a single person in my own life who s had the shot and now regrets it. It brings with it a feeling of hope that feels almost foreign right now. We, as a region, have had very few reasons to feel positive in the last little while. This is a light at the end of the tunnel that’s been the last year or so - a long, difficult, tedious slog. Sitting at home has never felt more arduous. I haven’t seen more people in Flin Flon this excited about “getting the dose” since… well, ever. Especially since the phrase “getting the dose”, until fairly recently, wasn’t exactly positive.