Thunder Bay, ON - In these complex, challenging times of the COVID 19 pandemic, the Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) strongly believes that the need to recognize and support the frontline work of the Thunder Bay Police and police services across the province is critical.
Earlier today on behalf of the Ontario Native Women Association, Cora McGuire-Cyrette, Executive Director made a donation using a social distancing drop off approach of 2,500 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) masks at the Thunder Bay Police detachment. This is one of a number of donations where ONWA has shared limited resources.
“It is vital that we acknowledge the police services as they battle the frontlines with us, now is the time for unity and working together. This is what our community needs. We will continue to work with police services to address the safety needs of our community, as we collectively navigate the weeks and months ahead.” stated Mrs. McGuire-Cyrette.
ONWA is the largest Indigenous Women’s organization in Canada; supporting over 14,000 people in the province of Ontario in 2019. In week two of the current pandemic, ONWA provided emergency services to over 1,300 community members provincially. ONWA is currently providing support for more than 1,000 community members weekly across the province, and this number continues to grow. ONWA is one of only a few services providers continuing to work on the frontlines.
The organization currently has 20 service delivery sites across the province, from direct service delivery, to membership organizations; some of which are Indigenous Shelters and partner organizations. ONWA takes this collective approach to service delivery to meet the needs of community. All ONWA sites, membership and community partner organizations are still operating and providing front line services, including crisis response.
It is the work of police services and other organizations that are helping maintain the vital bridge between services and communities through safety, best practices and mutual goodwill. For this ONWA is #grateful.
For more information:
Andre Morriseau, Communications Manager
Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA)
Email: amorriseau@onwa.ca
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