First Nations Health Ombudsperson Office

06/12/2026

"During National Indigenous History Month, we take time to honor the strength, resilience, and knowledge of our First Nations communities. One of our teachings is that health is more than physical well-being, it is also a balance of body, mind, spirit, and our connection to askîy (the Earth). As we reflect, we are reminded of the resilience of our people and the importance of reconnecting with Mother Earth. Our traditional medicines are essential to healing and wellness, and some of the medicines we see today are rooted in First Nations traditional knowledge. Willow bark for pain relief (now aspirin), mint for digestion, and cedar and sage for healing are just a few examples of teachings that have supported generations and continue to do so. With fewer areas of Crown land available to live our way of life, we want to uplift the Treaty Land Sharing Network, who help connect people who gather medicines with safe spaces to do so." Osemis Isbister-Bear, First Nations Health Analyst, FNHOO

https://treatylandsharingnetwork.ca/

The Treaty Land Sharing Network connects farmers and other landholders with Indigenous land users needing safe access to land to practice their way of life.

06/11/2026

In June of 2025, Dwight’s Coffee House opened its doors in the downtown core in Prince Albert, SK. Gloria Sanderson opened the coffee shop and named it after her late son Dwight Whitehead. Dwight’s Coffee House is more than just a coffee house; it has become a community hub, leaving a legacy, building connections, and healing. The origin and heart came from a mother’s grief, and the heart is the family that keeps his memory alive. We know that grief is not meant to be carried alone, and opening Dwight’s Coffee House is an example of community and family medicine. National Indigenous History Month is highlighting our past, celebrating our stories and achievements, but also honouring how we survive, heal, and rebuild.

Photo: Teena Monteleone/paNOW

06/10/2026

"Muriel Luther contacted our office to share her story about the largely undocumented “Indian Wards” that existed inside public hospitals. She recalls that as a child (in the late 1950’s), she spent eight months in a windowless basement room in Holy Family Hospital in Prince Albert, isolated from non‑Indigenous patients, kept in traction, and subjected to long, lonely days with limited contact from her parents. Her experience reflects a broader but poorly recorded practice of separating Indigenous patients due to racist fears about disease. Because these wards were never formally acknowledged, very little has been documented, and many who endured them have never been recognized. With survivors now elderly, there is growing concern that this hidden history may disappear unless more stories are shared." - Brenda Robertson, FN Health Analyst, FNHOO.

06/09/2026

"Dehumanization means denying people their full humanity, and for First Nations, its legacy is still evident in our health care system. Our health analysts hear the stories every day. First Nations people continue to face culturally unsafe care, distant services, and the dismissal of our symptoms and concerns amid persistent discrimination. These are not isolated events. They are the predictable outcome of systems never built to protect our wellbeing. Naming this truth is part of reclaiming our dignity and demanding health care that is accessible, respectful, and grounded in the humanity of our people." Brenda Robertson, FN Health Analyst, FNHOO.

06/08/2026

August 2026 commemorates 26 years since Lakeview Lodge opened its doors, a long-term care home owned, operated and located on the Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation in Treaty #4 territory. Providing services for over a quarter-century, Lakeview Lodge was the first on-reserve care home in Canada owned and operated by a First Nation.

Photo: Echo Lake, the Lakeview Lodge overlooks this scenic lake.

06/07/2026

After many years of advocacy and planning, the Shirley Bighead nihtāwikihāwasow and ohpikihāwasowkamik Birthing and Childrearing Lodge opened its doors in Treaty 6 territory on Sturgeon Lake First Nation. The official grand opening was Wednesday, April 29, 2026.

"Designed in accordance with the Inherent Birthing Law enacted by SLFN — which asserts jurisdiction over birthing in accordance with inherent rights and the Treaty 6 Medicine Chest Clause — the lodge will allow mothers from SLFN to give birth on their own territory, and mothers from surrounding Indigenous communities to give birth in accordance with Cree ceremony." (source: Sturgeon Lake First Nation)

The Midwifery Model in Sturgeon Lake First Nation announced the first baby born on-reserve in February 2022, the first in 50 years.



Photo: Lakeland Loghomes & Timber

06/06/2026

"In 1935, Chief George Dreaver successfully took the Crown to court because his band was being wrongly charged for medical supplies that should have been covered under the medicine chest clause." (source: Yellowhead Institute)

Learn more about your Inherent & Treaty rights, the medicine chest clause, treaty right to health, and the history of the land we share. 🧡

06/05/2026

Often, we hear about the Indian Trust Fund, but what exactly is it?

The Indian Trust Fund was originally created by consolidating First Nations' wealth without their consent to pay for the government's own administrative costs.

What is your understanding of the Indian Trust Fund? Feel free to comment, and offer your view, and knowledge around the Indian Trust Fund.

06/04/2026

Listen to CBC The 306 with Peter Mills' interview with the First Nations Health Ombudsperson, Dianne Lafond, who speaks about the Compassionate Intervention Act. The interview can be found on their website, and the interview was at 4:50pm CST today. META does not allow for posting news articles, and links.

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The First Nations Health Ombudsperson Office (FNHOO) is the first of its kind in Canada. Established to address grievances from First Nations peoples regarding their healthcare experiences, FNHOO seeks to tackle both local and systemic racism and discrimination within the healthcare system. FNHOO's mandate is to foster a healthcare environment that respects and upholds the Inherent and Treaty Right to Health for First Nations individuals, ensuring it is culturally inclusive and responsive.



Photo: CBC

06/04/2026

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-103-the-306

Listen to CBC The 306 with Peter Mills' interview with the First Nations Health Ombudsperson, Dianne Lafond, who speaks about the Compassionate Intervention Act.

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The First Nations Health Ombudsperson Office (FNHOO) is the first of its kind in Canada. Established to address grievances from First Nations peoples regarding their healthcare experiences, FNHOO seeks to tackle both local and systemic racism and discrimination within the healthcare system. FNHOO's mandate is to foster a healthcare environment that respects and upholds the Inherent and Treaty Right to Health for First Nations individuals, ensuring it is culturally inclusive and responsive.

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