Santaya Tyo-Greyeyes had a fever, was vomiting and had trouble breathing when her mother brought the toddler to the clinic at Norway House Cree Nation on June 27, aunt Bernadette Smith told reporters outside the Winnipeg funeral home on Thursday . The First Nation is located approximately 500 kilometers north of the capital. Smith, who is also the MLA for Winnipeg’s Point Douglas riding, said her niece was not assessed or screened when she arrived. Instead, Smith said her sister, Angel Tyo, was told to give her daughter some Tylenol and bring her back if things got worse. Tyo monitored her daughter throughout the night when her condition did not improve or worsened. Santaya died the next day after her family rushed her to the hospital when they found she had stopped breathing during a nap, Smith said. Smith said her family believes the girl’s death could have been prevented — and they want to be held accountable for how the situation was handled when they first went to the clinic, which is attached to the hospital. Santaya Tyo-Greyeyes died last week, her family says. (Submitted by Sabrina Leister) The family is “fighting for justice for Sandaya,” Smith said, adding that her family is seeking an investigation into the child’s death. “She doesn’t have a voice, but we have to be her voice now.” Indigenous Services Canada said it was aware of concerns about health care at Norway House and that a review of patient safety was already underway at the time of the child’s death. CBC News asked if there would also be an investigation into the child’s death, but has yet to hear back. RCMP confirmed in an email that they responded to a child death in the community on June 28 around 6:45 p.m. Under Manitoba’s Homicide Investigations Act, all child deaths are investigated, spokesman Cpl. said Julie Courchaine. Generally speaking, Mounties respond to and receive instructions from the medical examiner, he said. Manitoba’s Child and Youth Advocate, who receives notification of all deaths of people under the age of 21 in the province, confirmed in an email that the matter fell within that scope as there was “a commensurate mix of services against in the 12 months before the child’s death.” Smith said her family does not yet know the cause of her niece’s death, but they are expecting a preliminary autopsy report Thursday. The family is also still dealing with questions about the loss of another relative. Smith and Tio’s sister, Claudette Osborne-Tio, disappeared in 2008. No one has seen or heard from her since. Smith said Santaya leaves behind her father, Jeff Greyeyes, and eight siblings who wonder what happened to their sister. “This is a two-year-old girl. This is a baby. No parent should ever have to bury their child,” Smith said. He said it was particularly disappointing that the incident happened at Norway House, the same community where Jordan River Anderson died in 2005 amid a dispute over how much the government would pay for his health care.
The Jordan Authority
His death sparked what is now known as the Jordanian Principle. That policy says when the federal and provincial governments disagree about which level is responsible for providing services to First Nations children, they should help the child first and argue over the bills later. “It’s troubling because Norway House is ground zero for the Jordan Authority and then here you have another incident of a lack of health care being provided to First Nations children. This should not be happening,” Smith said. Norway House Chief Larson Anderson said leadership in the community will help the family as much as they can as they cope with the loss – one he said is hitting the tight-knit First Nation hard. “This is a really devastating loss for us,” Anderson said. “We want to get to the bottom of it and prevent something like this from happening again.” Grand Chief Garrison Settee of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak said in a press release later Thursday his office has also been in contact with representatives of the child’s family and will seek answers to questions surrounding her death.
The family believes the little girl’s death could have been prevented
A family from the Norway House Cree Nation says their 2-year-old daughter, Santaya Tyo-Greyeyes, died after being sent home from the Health Center without receiving medical attention. They want to be held accountable for how the situation was handled when they first went to the clinic, which is attached to the hospital.
