KIIWETINOONG - In 2018, the Kiiwetinoong became its own riding, splitting off from the Kenora-Rainy River district. Mamakwa won the riding and become the first MPP of Kiiwetinoong under the banner of the NDP.
However, this year’s election is a startling upset as the Progressive Conservatives have a stronger majority lead over the New Democrats.
Is that going to stop Mamakwa? The answer is a resounding no.
He is ready to go back to Queen’s Park and fight for the rights of the people in his riding.
First thing on his to-do list. Get the people in his riding what they so desperately need – access to clean drinking water.
“It’s almost a feeling of relief. Just because it was a tough campaign. I never took anything for granted, said Mamakwa with relief. “We were confident, but we never took that for granted. We will continue to be the voice of Kiiwetinoong. We will make sure there is equity and quality when we talk about access to health care, when we talk about access to water, and when we talk about the fires. So, it’s really important to have that voice and make sure that the government changes in that way.”
One of the major problems Mamakwa highlights is access to clean drinking water.
When asked what he plans to do first, Mamakwa said, "One of the things I heard about in the north end is access to clean drinking water. We need to have access to water for the children, but also a lot of people spoke about nuclear waste that’s coming down and we need to be able to address that. The north has not been consulted and that one has been very clear to me.”
The Nuclear Waste Management project affects more than just the population of Ignace and Wabigoon. The river that flows around those areas also enters the rivers in the north. The public is quite concerned about the potential hazard to the environment.
The nuclear waste project is set to finalize its area section for the repository site later this year with a potential site being set up near Ignace. However, residents outside of the township feel their concerns are being ignored, wanting the Nuclear Waste Management Organization to extend their public input to a broad consensus outside the community of Ignace.
It looks like Mamakwa has a lot on his plate over the next four years; however, he is hungry to get important things done.
