An encampment near McVicar Creek in Thunder Bay in February, 2025. In Northern Ontario, 3,316 Indigenous people were experiencing homelessness in 2025, up 22.7 per cent from 2024.David Jackson/The Globe and Mail
Indigenous leaders representing Thunder Bay and remote Northern Ontario communities won’t back down on requests that the city declare a state of emergency to address the needs of more than 600 homeless people struggling to survive the polar vortex that has gripped the region.
Leaders from Nishnawbe Aski Nation, representing 49 mostly remote communities north of the city, and neighbouring Fort William First Nation asked the mayor to declare a state of emergency on homelessness last week.
On Thursday, Mayor Ken Boshcoff said council is considering the request and they will meet with Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of NAN, and Chief Michele Solomon of Fort William “in the coming days to discuss the next steps.”
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“Whether there is a declared state of emergency or not, it is important to jointly assess how we can better work together to solve this crisis,” the mayor wrote in his response letter posted to social media.
“We agree that the city cannot solve this alone. As a regional service hub for Northwestern Ontario, Thunder Bay supports residents from surrounding First Nations and municipalities, reinforcing the need for a regional, intergovernmental response supported by sustained provincial and federal investment.”
Mr. Fiddler told The Globe and Mail a state of emergency would not only provide immediate access to the needed provincial and federal response but send an important message as well.
“It would just show our communities and the public that the city leadership is serious about what is happening in Thunder Bay, that they want to work with us,” he said.
Extreme cold weather has gripped Northern Ontario for much of January, with temperatures in Thunder Bay dropping as low as -47 with the wind chill on Jan. 23.
The same day, a letter from Mr. Fiddler and Ms. Solomon was sent to Mr. Boshcoff sounding the alarm.
“There will be people sleeping outside tonight as the temperatures reach dangerous levels. People are dying in the streets, in public parks, and bus shelters. We need to be honest and call this what it is: an emergency,” the undated letter posted to social media states.
Earlier this month, a First Nations woman from a remote community was found dead in a Thunder Bay bus shelter. Her family said she had been living in a hotel in the city while receiving cancer care treatment at the hospital and also struggled with addiction.
The Thunder Bay District Social Services Board said it funds 256 beds, including overflow beds that were added in January as part of the city’s severe weather response plan. The city also extended the operating hours for an outreach van and a transit care bus.
According to the city’s 2024 Point in Time count, 78 per cent of the 557 homeless people were Indigenous. The total number of homeless rose to 652 in 2025, with most living in encampments, emergency shelters and transitional housing. Indigenous people make up approximately 13 per cent of Thunder Bay’s population of about 108,840.
The disproportionate figures are not an anomaly. A Thunder Bay Point in Time analysis found Indigenous people in Thunder Bay were five times more likely to experience homelessness, consistent with other urban cities including Saskatoon where Indigenous individuals are eight times more likely.
The call from the Indigenous leaders was made in the wake of two separate reports released in January – one by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, and the other jointly by the Northern Ontario Service Deliverers Association and the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario – that highlight increasing rates of homelessness, particularly in the north of the province. Projections indicate that homelessness will more than double under steady and weakening economic conditions, from 8,142 individuals in 2025 to 16,900 by 2035.
The AMO report found that the number of Indigenous people experiencing homelessness has almost doubled since 2021, and accounts for 13.2 per cent of the provincial homeless population while making up approximately 2.9 per cent of the general provincial population.
In Northern Ontario, 3,316 Indigenous people were experiencing homelessness in 2025, a 22.7-per-cent increase from 2024. Meanwhile, the total increase for the north was 37.3 per cent, going from 5,930 individuals to 8,142, according to the NOSDA and CMHC report.
It says an annual investment of $435-million, or 1.3 cents on the dollar of Northern Ontario’s $34.6-billion economy would be needed to combat worsening realities.
Mr. Fiddler said while declaring a state of emergency would be mostly a symbolic act of unity, it is also a tool to open doors to needed provincial and federal partners and resources.
Ms. Solomon told The Globe declaring a state of emergency would provide the partnerships needed to come up with a better plan.
“This is a very complex issue that requires some really creative conversation and creative partnerships,” Ms. Solomon said.
Thunder Bay is a service hub for dozens of surrounding communities accessing health care, education, social services, and business. The population of the city and surrounding area is about 146,860. Nishnawbe Aski Nation has approximately 45,000 members living on- and off-reserve.
NAN’s Mr. Fiddler said the federal government needs to step up to address a range of issues from clean water to housing needs for First Nations in the north.
Thunder Bay Councillor Kasey Etreni says longer term strategies involve partnerships with the local social services board, Indigenous housing providers, and service agencies using models that have worked in other cities.
“We solve things by collaborating and working together,” Ms. Etreni said.
Tim Richter, president and CEO of the non-profit Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, said the overrepresentation of Indigenous people experiencing homelessness is part of a larger pattern resulting from systemic dysfunction.