The former CEO of the Notre Dame Hospital in Hearst gave evidence Tuesday at an inquest into a blastomycosis outbreak that claimed the lives of five people in nearby Constance Lake First Nation from four years ago.

Liza Fortier specifically addressed allegations of racist treatment of Indigenous patients at the 40-bed hospital about 40 kilometres from the community and why the board had no First Nations representatives.

Fortier— who was CEO between September 2020 and December 2023— said it would have been helpful to have somone from the community to give insight into their culture and help build better communication.

She said one person from Constance Lake who spoke French was asked to serve on the board, but she said no because she had too much on her plate.

Fortier recalled that form

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