Over 900 wildfires are currently raging across Canada, significantly affecting First Nations communities. Thirteen Nations have been issued evacuation orders, impacting 2,182 individuals who have had to leave their homes.
The Namaygoosisagagun (Collins) First Nation experienced a devastating wildfire that nearly obliterated their community in under an hour, compelling residents to escape by boat. Many reported having only a few minutes to collect their belongings before flames engulfed their homes on Wednesday. Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige confirmed in a statement that all community members have been accounted for, pending a comprehensive assessment.
“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share that our member First Nation, Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, has been devastated by an unexpected and fast-moving wildfire that advanced toward and through the community, causing extensive damage and destruction to homes and community buildings,” Debassige said in the statement.
Out of the 903 fires raging as of Friday, 750 remain uncontrolled, and 43 ignited within the last 24 hours.
The situation is most severe in Ontario, where seven First Nations have evacuated due to the 193 ongoing fires there. As reported by the Chiefs of Ontario, several communities have been evacuated under mandatory orders enforced by their leaders with assistance from the Ontario Provincial Police. Among those affected are Namaygoosisagagun, Whitesand First Nation, Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek, and Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek.
Numerous non-Indigenous communities across the province have also received evacuation orders.
Located about 125 miles north of Thunder Bay and inaccessible by road, the Namaygoosisagagun (Collins) First Nation’s residents received no advance warning from provincial or national authorities, nor any evacuation assistance, according to Debassige’s comments to The Canadian Press. Community members reportedly went door-to-door to alert neighbors, with over two dozen fleeing by boat as the fire approached.
Meaghan Daniel, a lawyer representing Collins First Nation, informed The Canadian Press that residents are being denied assistance because the national government does not recognize it as a First Nation.
Despite being recognized under the Indian Act as First Nations people, the community itself lacks official recognition. Its leaders have long sought this status. Daniel sent a letter to Mandy Gull-Masty, the Indigenous Services minister, urging the agency to provide the emergency, recovery, and rebuilding support that recognized communities receive.
“To be clear, if Namaygoosisagagun is denied access to the emergency and rebuilding supports available to recognized First Nations, it will not simply suffer a slower recovery. It may lose forever the opportunity to rebuild the community its members spent decades creating,” the letter states, according to The Canadian Press. “In those circumstances, the question is not merely whether recovery will be delayed. It is whether Namaygoosisagagun will have a future in the place it has called home since time immemorial.”
In an emailed statement to The Canadian Press, Eric Head, a spokesperson for the agency, announced that efforts are being made to identify the community’s immediate needs and coordinate support accordingly.
As these events unfold, other First Nations are working through the processes necessary to declare states of emergency and evacuate.
During an emergency meeting on Wednesday, Ontario Chiefs expressed frustration over bureaucratic hurdles in accessing emergency response services and the lack of communication from government officials about emergency declaration procedures.
“Jurisdictional disputes and administrative delays have immediate consequences and put lives at risk,” said Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict. “The priority of our leadership is to get people out as quickly and safely as possible. This needs to be everyone’s priority rather than financial discussions and technicalities.”
Benedict added that community members are uniting to support one another.
“We are on the front lines of this catastrophe that is having international impacts. Our First Nations leadership, emergency responders, and community members are working to protect their people and homelands,” Benedict stated.
On Thursday, the Assembly of First Nations, during its national assembly in Ottawa, passed emergency resolutions to support Namaygoosisagagun and other affected First Nations. It also urged the federal government to provide ongoing support throughout the crisis.
The Anishinabek Nation called for prayers for those coping with this unprecedented loss.
“We ask that you please keep Chief Paavola, the citizens of Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, and all those affected by these wildfires in your prayers, and give them the privacy, time, and space required as they navigate this devastating situation,” the Nation said in a statement. “We send our heartfelt condolences, and our thoughts are with Namaygoosisagagun members who have suffered this tremendous loss of their entire community; our Anishinabek Nation family will be with you.”
Grist provided additional information for this story.
