Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Some Metis leaders in Wood Buffalo fear they have been left out of Alberta’s vaccination plans because none of them have been incorporated as Metis settlements.
Phase 1B of Alberta’s COVID-19 vaccination plan includes elders over the age of 65 on First Nations and Metis settlements. All Albertans over the age of 75 are included in this plan.
The municipal hamlets of Conklin, Fort McKay and Janvier are mostly Metis. But, community leaders say elders between 65 and 74 in those communities have been left out of the plan.
“We really don’t know much yet,” said Shirley Tremblay, president of Conklin Metis Local 193. The community’s health-care is limited to two nurses that visit Conklin twice a month, but they have not been able to provide any updates on vaccines.