As the Assembly of First Nations called on Ottawa Thursday to rebuild a northern Ontario First Nation devasted by wildfire, the province also appealed for federal help with a worsening crisis that is threatening several more communities and spewing acrid smoke across parts of eastern Canada and the U.S.
At their Annual General Assembly in Ottawa, AFN chiefs blasted both the federal and provincial governments for their wildfire response, saying residents of Namaygoosisagagun First Nation received no government support as they fled a blaze that tore through the area on Monday.
“If this community had waited for an official response, we would be recovering the bodies of children, of elders and the men and women of this community,” said Linda Debassige, Grand Council Chief of Anishinabek Nation, a political advocacy group for 39 Ontario First Nations, including Namaygoosisagagun, which is located about 210 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.
A statement from the community’s chief that was read to the assembly told of residents fleeing by 12- and 14-foot boats. “My community has been completely destroyed,” said Chief Helen Paavola in the statement.
“We are devastated and have been left to fend for ourselves. The federal and provincial governments have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to our cries.”
An emergency resolution passed on the floor calls upon the Prime Minister to provide immediate support for Namaygoosisagagun and pledge to rebuild the community.
Speaking at a defence-related announcement in London, Ont., Mark Carney acknowledged the dire wildfire situation across the country and affirmed federal help.
Satellite imagery from Tuesday shows the Fort Frances 14 wildfire, located roughly 130 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont.Planet Labs PBC
In a letter posted publicly Wednesday and sent to her federal counterpart, Ontario Emergency Preparedness Minister Jill Dunlop said that 15 communities in northern Ontario are being evacuated or considering evacuations.
She told Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski that there may need to be simultaneous evacuations, including by air, and that the province may not have enough suitable aircraft to support all who need to evacuate.
Ms. Dunlop said in a statement that the province may need to enlist help from the Canadian Armed Forces.
She added that the provincial emergency operations centre, which co-ordinates the government’s response to major emergencies, is working closely with community leadership, Indigenous Services Canada, Public Safety Canada and the Ministry of Natural Resources “to support the safe evacuation of those at risk.”
“This is a fast-moving and evolving situation,” she said, adding that affected residents should heed the advice of local authorities and follow any evacuation orders.
Ms. Dunlop also asked the federal government to respond within 24 hours, not the usual 48 hours, to ensure crews are ready.
In a statement Thursday, Ms. Olszewski confirmed that Ottawa received the province’s request for air evacuation support “late last night.” She said the request is “precautionary” and that she is in close contact with Ms. Dunlop to ensure that federal resources are rapidly mobilized to assist specific needs as the province continues to lead the wildfire response on the ground.
Fires across northwestern Ontario force evacuations, trigger air quality warnings
Speaking at a hospital announcement in Windsor on Thursday, Premier Doug Ford thanked the emergency crews and first responders who are fighting the wildfires, including, he said, members of the Canadian Armed Forces who helped rescue YMCA campers who were stranded on a lake.
He also said there were no fatalities “which is pretty remarkable, considering the size of the fires.”
Mr. Ford also addressed criticisms that his government is not spending enough on wildland fire response, saying he would never underfund firefighters. He said in addition to base funding, his government has spent hundreds of millions more to protect communities. Mr. Ford said Ontario added 68 new permanent positions and increased compensation for front-line staff, including firefighters, pilots and engineers.
“Our government will continue to spare no expense to protect the people and the communities ahead of the fire season,” he said.
The Premier added that his government has spent $650-million on five new helicopters and five new water bombers. He said he’s requesting more support from Ottawa for additional water bombers and will bring up the topic at next week’s Council of the Federation meeting with other premiers in Prince Edward Island.
“We have also requested that the federal government, including the Canadian Armed Forces, which are incredible people, be prepared to rapidly deploy federal resources,” he said.
“I want to acknowledge the incredible support we’re receiving from across our entire country. That is what makes Canada beautiful,” he said, adding that Ontario is receiving help from crews from Yukon and Alberta.
CN Railway evacuates workers, suspends operations in area hit by wildfire
Cat Lake First Nation Chief Russell Wesley called on Ontario to declare a state of emergency and for a coordinated approach to crisis management after an evacuation order was issued in his community on Wednesday.
Residents are grappling with a loss of power, internet and, for those who can get out, a challenging journey to safety, he said.
The fly-in community located 200 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay has a population of about 680 people living in roughly 120 houses. On Wednesday, one plane carried 55 evacuees to Thunder Bay, who then caught a connection to Toronto.
Two planes were scheduled out of Cat Lake on Thursday, taking a total of 77 evacuees. They will take a journey with stops in Thunder Bay, Barrie and then a final leg via bus to Toronto.
“Because of the sheer volume of evacuations happening in Ontario, the airplane supply is stretched to the max,” Mr. Wesley said.
A fiberoptic line along Ontario’s Highway 599 responsible for supplying surrounding communities with internet has been burnt and is down, he said.
“They have no communication, no cell, no fiber, nothing,” Mr. Wesley said about Cat Lake’s residents. However, there is back-up power for a fire base where two crews remain, a nursing station, the water-treatment plant and the lift station.
As for the residents still on the ground, Mr. Wesley said he is concerned about an immediate food shortage and access to medical care. Thawed deep freezers and wasted food are just some of the first costly effects of the blazes
“Then the longer the evacuation remains, the costs are going to spike significantly,” he said.
Winds out of the northwest could fan the flames of dozens of forest fires that have already devastated communities, including the fast-moving blaze that destroyed homes and buildings on Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, also known as Collins First Nation.
Environment Canada says the community of Armstrong can expect widespread smoke, with wind gusts of up to 40 kilometres per hour for most of today.
There are 177 active wildland blazes in Ontario, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources, prompting evacuation orders in several communities, including Armstrong, Lac La Croix First Nation, Whitesand First Nation, Gull Bay First Nation and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation.
Meanwhile in B.C., residents of the town site of Boston Bar have been ordered to evacuate because of a wildfire that flared overnight, and parts of Pemberton were under an evacuation alert.
With reports from The Canadian Press