CBC Lite Sections News • Canada • Thunder Bay Grand Chief calls Non-Insured Health Benefits program 'Canada's worst insurance company' Sarah Law | CBC News | Posted: June 9, 2026 8:00 AM | Last Updated: 6 hours ago More than 100 people attend rally in Sioux Lookout, call for overhaul of program Image | Anna Betty Achneepineskum Caption: Anna Betty Achneepineskum, a deputy grand chief with Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), speaks to a crowd of more than 100 people Monday in Sioux Lookout, Ont., who gathered for a rally about the federal Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program. (Nishnawbe Aski Nation photo) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab First Nation leaders and health-care providers in northwestern Ontario are demanding the federal government make urgent changes to the federal Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program. The program provides coverage for medical transportation, accommodations and meals for those who must leave their communities for health-care services that aren’t available at home. This often means travelling hundreds of kilometres to places like Sioux Lookout, Winnipeg or Thunder Bay. However, those who use the program say it’s broken, and that people are missing their appointments because travel isn’t being arranged in time or communicated to the recipients at the last minute. Well over 100 people gathered outside the Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) office in Sioux Lookout, Ont., Monday, calling for a complete system overhaul. “The system and the issue is not getting any better, despite the fact that there's been commitments made from the government on improving the service,” said Wayne Moonias, former chief of Neskantaga First Nation, which organized the rally. “This is not just a Neskantaga issue; it's right across the northern First Nation communities.” Image | NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler Caption: Alvin Fiddler is Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), a political-territorial organization which represents 49 First Nations across Treaties 9 and 5. (Sarah Law/CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab The event drew participation from several communities, including Bearskin Lake, Cat Lake, Deer Lake, Kasabonika Lake, Mishkeegogamang, Nibinamik, Poplar Hill, Wapekeka and Wunnumin Lake First Nations. Leaders from Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), Matawa First Nations, and Kiiwetinoong NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa, a member of Kingfisher Lake First Nation, also spoke. NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said he recently met with NAN leaders to discuss the urgency of health-care improvements in the north, “and at that meeting, I described NIHB as Canada’s worst insurance company.” “Their objective is not to keep you well or to keep you alive. Their job and their objective is to operate within the regional envelope that they get every year — that is it,” he told Monday’s crowd. ISC ‘working diligently to improve service levels’ A spokesperson for ISC provided an emailed statement to CBC News Friday, saying the department is working to address people’s concerns. “ISC has been working diligently to improve service levels in the Ontario Region medical transportation call centre. To improve service efficiency, we have increased staffing and training, and simplified internal processes as well as travel request documentation,” wrote ISC spokesperson Maryéva Métellus. Image | Sioux Lookout NIHB rally Caption: (Nishnawbe Aski Nation) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab The federal government announced $764 million for NIHB in April for the 2026-2027 year. “These changes aim to improve travel request processing times, reduce delays, and decrease phone wait times. “Following feedback from clients, First Nations communities and health partners, we are taking action to continually improve. Call centre performance and service levels are continually re-assessed to support improvements to client-focused service,” Métellus wrote. Delayed diagnoses, worse health outcomes Dr. Anna Banerji is a pediatrician who provides regular services in Sioux Lookout. She’s also an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s faculty of medicine. While there have been challenges with the NIHB program for years, Banerji said something has shifted in recent months whereby people are no longer able to confirm the status of their travel arrangements. Image | Anna Banerji Caption: Dr. Anna Banerji is a pediatrician, an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s faculty of medicine, as well as the school's director of global and Indigenous health. (Michael Cooper/University of Toronto) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab “Often you can send three or four faxes and no one responds and you don't hear anything about your appointment — so sometimes people don't even know that they have an appointment. The transportation is not arranged,” Banerji said. “Sometimes what happens, someone will call them and say, ‘OK, you've got an appointment this afternoon, get ready and go.’ “Many people have children or elders that they have to take care of or they have a job, and they can't just drop everything within an hour to get on a flight to go down to their appointment.” The program needs to be fixed and as soon as possible, because anywhere else, other Canadians would absolutely not tolerate it.- Dr. Anna Banerji, pediatrician and associate professor Missed appointments can mean delayed diagnoses, resulting in poorer health outcomes among people who don’t have access to specialists in their home communities, she said. The problem also has a ripple effect on health-care providers. “I was speaking to the general surgeon when I was last up there [in Sioux Lookout] last week who said that he had four pages of patients booked for scopes and only one showed up,” Banerji said. “That was because they were not being transferred out for their appointments.” * Amid year-long state of emergency, Neskantaga First Nation calls for health-care intervention * First Nation medical transportation program in Thunder Bay, Ont., axed over lack of funding Banerji said the federal government's recent cuts to Indigenous services have only exacerbated the issue. “The program needs to be fixed and as soon as possible, because anywhere else, other Canadians would absolutely not tolerate it,” she said. ‘Apartheid of health care’ Dr. Joseph Dooley is chief of staff at the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre and former chief of obstetrics. He echoed Banerji’s concerns and added that when people miss their appointments, “Non-Insured Health Benefits will mark them as ‘did not show,’ and that puts kind of a black mark against them for future appointments.” Image | Joseph Dooley Caption: (Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab This is especially worrisome for expectant mothers; while health-care providers try to get them out of the community well in advance of their due date, this is considered an elective visit by NIHB and isn’t always given high priority, he explained. “These are vital appointments and whether they're going for surgical procedures, diagnostic procedures or to have their baby, it's not acceptable that there is no ability to find out whether or not the insurance company, the travel agency that's supposed to be covering this, is doing their job,” Dooley said. “They are not doing their job at present.” * Dental care benefits for First Nations and Inuit falling behind Canadian standards, say dentists * Federal health benefits program for First Nations and Inuit 'frustrating' to deal with, say clients At the rally, Fiddler said he was born at the Sioux Lookout Indian Hospital. These hospitals were racially-segregated institutions designed to serve First Nation and Inuit patients. “Even though that old Indian Hospital is no longer there, the remnants of what it represents, the two-tiered system — some people call it apartheid of health care — is still very much alive and well today,” Fiddler said. More Stories Like This The related links below are generated automatically based on the story you’ve just read. Loading... CBC Lite is a low-bandwidth website. To see what's new, check out our release notes. For high quality images, media, comments, and other additional features visit the full version of this story. We and select advertising partners use trackers to collect some of your data in order to enhance your experience and to deliver personalized content and advertising. If you are not comfortable with the use of this information, please review your device and browser privacy settings before continuing your visit. 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