Manawan to get its own ambulance service after 20 years of lobbying
Atikamekw community relied on paramedics from municipality 88 kilometres away
The Atikamekw community of Manawan is finally getting its own ambulance service.
The community in the Lanaudière region of Quebec has been pushing for 20 years for their own ambulance, having to wait two hours or more for paramedics to arrive from the closest municipality.
They relied on the service out of Saint-Michel-des-Saints, which is 88 kilometres away. Those paramedics have made 450 trips between the two towns this year.
Members of the First Nation with a population of around 1,800 have complained that deaths could have been avoided if ambulances had been able to get on site earlier.
The parents of an eight-year-old girl who drowned in Lac Métabeskéga in 2016 spoke out last year to demand better emergency response services in the community.
The coroner made no mention of the ambulance service in the report, but the parents were convinced that paramedics might have been able to revive her.
"I am relieved to see finally a happy ending to this long saga," said Chief Paul-Émile Ottawa.
"There were many barriers to get what we deserve, but the arrival of this permanent ambulance service in Manawan is proof that with perseverance, anything is possible."