Remote First Nation Health Care focus of Inquest into the Death of Ruthann Quequish
An Inquest into the death of Ruthann Quequish is taking place in Thunder Bay between July 29, 2024 and August 16, 2024. The Inquest, which is being streamed live in English and Oji-Cree, will focus on the challenges in accessing health care in remote First Nations like Kingfisher Lake First Nation where Ms. Quequish was living prior to hear death.
Ms. Quequish died on April 1, 2017, after repeated visits to the community nursing station in the week leading up to her death.
Like many remote First Nations, Kingfisher Lake First Nation has limited health infrastructure and few health care providers in the community. Doctors are not stationed in the community permanently, leaving weeks-long gaps where nurses are the primary health care providers for community members. Specialized health services often require being flown out to urban centres, but access to those services can be restricted unless the primary care providers agree the services are needed.
It is expected the Inquest will hear that more healthcare providers are needed in Kingfisher Lake, just like in many other communities in the north, in addition to the need for enhanced services and more access to specialized care.
Ms. Quequish attended at the nursing station almost daily in the week leading up to April 1, 2017. On the night of her death, she attended the nursing station but was discharged to her home. She died in the early hours of the following morning. The medical cause of her death was ketoacidosis due to untreated diabetes.
The Inquest jury will be asked to determine what could have been done to help Ms. Quequish in the days leading to her death, in the hopes of creating recommendations that could prevent similar deaths in the future.
Coroner’s Inquests in Ontario have previously examined remote nursing stations in the context of emergency services, in the 2018 Inquest into the death of Ina Matawapit of North Caribou Lake First Nation. The 2023 Inquest into the death of Moses Beaver of Nibanamik First Nation also examined some elements of health care in a remote First Nation, from a mental health provision perspective. The 2016 Inquest into the death of Romeo Wesley of Cat Lake First Nation considered how medical professionals and police interacted in the context of a remote First Nation’s nursing station.
It appears that the Inquest into Ms. Quequish’s death will be the first time an Ontario Coroner’s Inquest has examined primary care in a remote First Nation. The Inquest is an opportunity to consider the systemic challenges in the primary health care system on reserve, at a time when many individuals, Nations, and organizations are working to transform Indigenous health care.
Edwards Bell Jewitt LLP is honoured to represent Kingfisher Lake First Nation and Shibogama First Nations Council at this important Inquest.
Viewers can access the English and Oji-Cree live stream of the proceedings here.