Indigenous leaders demand better accommodations for those travelling to Winnipeg for medical care

Leaders are demanding better accommodations for those travelling from remote First Nations to Winnipeg for medical care.

Leaders are demanding better accommodations for those travelling from remote First Nations to Winnipeg for medical care.

Cockroaches, bed bugs and mice are just some of the conditions patients face in hotels designated for their stays in the city, according to Fox Lake Cree Nation Chief Morris Beardy.

“These are our elders that we’re talking about and kids we’re talking about,” he said. “It’s time to move on beyond these really crappy hotels.”

Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) told CTV News it has billing agreements with 52 hotels across the province, with 31 in Winnipeg and 21 in rural Manitoba.

One of those facilities is The Marlborough Hotel, where dozens of demonstrators gathered Sunday to demand better treatment for Indigenous women and girls. The outcry came after a video taken at the hotel shows a young Indigenous woman with her hands zip tied behind her back.

“I was shocked. I was angry, and I couldn’t believe that people would stand by and let that happen,” said Keewatin Tribal Council Grand Chief Walter Wastesicoot.

Winnipeg police and the hotel say the woman was loitering and threatened staff with a knife before she was detained. An 18-year-old woman was charged with assault with a weapon. The charge has not been tested in court.