Medical Waste on James Bay Winter Road

During the evening of Monday, March 11, 2019, medical waste was found between Moosonee and Fort Albany on the James Bay Winter Road. Among the waste that was found was one container that broke on impact causing some blood samples and used needles to fall out of the container on the road.

We are taking this incident very seriously and have begun an investigation into how this medical waste came to be on the James Bay Winter Road.

The medical waste was returned by community members to our Attawapiskat and Fort Albany hospital sites and stored securely.

Our senior administration became aware of the issue the next morning on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 and began taking immediate action to ensure the safety of community members traveling on the winter road and the protection of any personal health information that may be labeled on the medical waste materials.

We have followed up with the community members who returned medical waste items from the winter road and instructed these individuals to go to their nearest emergency room for a medical assessment. We have also reached out to our public health contacts in Attawapiskat, Kashechewan and Fort Albany to alert them to the situation. The contract transportation company returned to do sweeps of the winter road on Tuesday to make sure any remaining medical waste was picked up.

All medical waste will be stored onsite until our investigation is concluded.

If you think you see medical waste on the winter road DO NOT TOUCH IT. Make note of your location, the kilometer point and let us know by calling 705-658-4544. We will go and pick up the waste safely.

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