Latest news with #DeerLakeFirstNation
CBC
18 hours ago
- General
- CBC
Over 800 Deer Lake First Nation wildfire evacuees returning home after weeks in Toronto
Social Sharing A month after being displaced by the region's largest wildfire, hundreds of evacuees from Deer Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario are returning home. The first plane out of Toronto, where roughly 885 people have been staying for the past four weeks, left on Friday, Chief Leonard Mamakeesic told CBC News. The community is first bringing back its essential workers, who will then be able to prepare the First Nation for the large-scale repatriation of the rest of its members. "Everybody's happy, right? Everybody wants to go home. It's really exhausting here. They want to be able to sleep in their own home," said Deer Lake's head councillor, Jeremy Sawanis. "It's so noisy in Toronto, too." The remote Oji-Cree community, located in Treaty 5 territory, is about 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay. It's only accessible by air or winter road. Its evacuation was prompted by Red Lake 12, a wildfire that's now more than 194,000 hectares in size. However, the fire is moving away from the community, and crews are starting to take down the sprinkler systems that have been protecting the First Nation's homes and essential infrastructure. For Sawanis, being in Toronto has been a big culture shock. "I spend my whole time out in the bush, right? This just gets depressing after a while," he said. "I should be out fishing and hunting, [I] need to be on the land." Meanwhile, more than 2,000 evacuees from Sandy Lake First Nation remain in communities in southern Ontario, also because of Red Lake 12. Its evacuation was assisted by the Canadian Armed Forces earlier in June. Mamakeesic hopes all of his community members will be back in Deer Lake by Tuesday. There's been high demand for planes over the last few days, with members of Keewaywin First Nation also returning home, which pushed Deer Lake's repatriation back a day or two, he said. "Everybody is still with us. We have not lost anybody," Mamakeesic said. "That is my main goal — get everybody back home safe." 'People do care' Earlier this week, fire information officer Alison Bezubiak of Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) told CBC News that recent rainfall and cooler temperatures have offered reprieve to FireRangers on the front lines. However, as the weather has been warming up over the last couple days, the wildland fire hazard has worsened, and is considered primarily moderate across the southern half of the region and high across the Far North. "More rainfall is expected over the weekend into Tuesday," Ontario Forest Fires said in its latest update, on Thursday evening. Since the evacuation began, Mamakeesic said, he's learned three key lessons: patience, the importance of working together and the value of communication. He's been satisfied with the accommodations provided in Toronto and the security services offered by ISN Maskwa, an Indigenous emergency operations centre, which were supplemented by his own members, he said. "[I have] gratitude for all the patience and people that have reached out to help us. There are surrounding tribal councils that have reached out, the Lions Club as well, and there's people that have reached out [from] surrounding organizations as well — they're dropping off donations," Mamakeesic said. "People do care."
CBC
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
After weeks of escalation, rainfall has reduced wildfire hazards across northwestern Ontario
Social Sharing Recent rainfall has reduced the wildfire hazard across northwestern Ontario, though the region's largest wildfire is now more than 194,000 hectares large. Red Lake 12 — the fire that has forced community evacuations in Deer Lake First Nation and Sandy Lake First Nation — remains not under control. However, precipitation and cooler temperatures have given FireRangers more breathing room over the past few days and have also reduced smoke levels. "The impact of the recent precipitation is expected to keep fire behaviour minimal over the next few days," fire information officer Alison Bezubiak of Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) told CBC News on Tuesday. However, thunderstorms this past weekend have created the potential for holdover fires caused by lightning, which crews will be monitoring over the next week, she said. "Holdover fires can remain undetected and may not become visible until conditions dry out, winds increase and temperatures rise, sometimes surfacing more than a week after the initial strike," Bezubiak said. Red Lake 12 has 23 firefighting crews assigned to three divisions on the fire's south and eastern perimeters, supported by 18 helicopters, including four heavy helicopters with increased bucketing capacity, Ontario Forest Fires said in its latest update. As of Tuesday night, there were two dozen wildfires in the northwest, though only four were considered not under control. These include Sioux Lookout 18 near Cat Lake First Nation, which is more than 23,000 hectares large. "An incident management team is assigned to this wildland fire, as well as 10 FireRanger crews and five helicopters," Ontario Forest Fires said. "Conditions are expected to continue drying gradually throughout the week." Nipigon 5, the 10,800-hectare wildfire that prompted Webequie First Nation's evacuation, is now being held, and evacuees are back home. Fire suppression gains made in Kenora area Crews have made significant headway in the Kenora fire management sector, as a fire known as Kenora 14 was officially called out on Monday. Other fires, Kenora 20 and Kenora 32, are now both under control as of Tuesday, Bezubiak said. "Kenora 14 and Kenora 20 in particular were challenging fires in challenging locations. We commend the hundreds of firefighting personnel, overhead staff, flight crew, support staff, the incident management teams, everybody who dedicated their time and expertise to bringing these fires to their current status, which was also helped along by that recent rainfall," she said. With summer officially here and festivities such as Canada Day coming up, Bezubiak said it's important for people to abide by outdoor burning regulations to prevent the spread of human-caused fires. "We encourage anybody who's planning to celebrate Canada Day with fireworks to exercise extreme caution and consider attending an organized fireworks venue instead of setting off your own inside Ontario's fire region," she said. For example, people can be charged under the Forest Fires Prevention Act for their part in wildfires caused by hot residue from fireworks. "It is extremely important to extinguish any residue after setting off fireworks. It's also important to check with your local municipality, as they may have local burn bans or burn bylaws that prohibit the use of fireworks within municipalities," Bezubiak said. Those planning to light a campfire are also reminded to "build your fire on rock or bare soil to prevent it from spreading, keep it small and fully extinguish it with water when you're done," she said.
Globe and Mail
20-06-2025
- General
- Globe and Mail
Northern Ontario wildfire evacuees get used to life – and the food
Claudia Linklater sits at the stovetop range in the kitchenette of her west Toronto hotel room, opening and pouring cans of tomato soup into a big stockpot full of rice and ground beef soup. 'It has to be Campbell's,' she says about the specific brand of soup that her fellow community members prefer. The mother and grandmother from Sandy Lake First Nation is one of about 2,000 wildfire evacuees forced out of the fly-in community over 1,000 kilometres away in the remote dense boreal forest of Northern Ontario. About 400 evacuees from Sandy Lake have been displaced in a cluster of four Mississauga hotels since June 7. And approximately 800 evacuees from nearby Deer Lake First Nation are in a different cluster of hotels in the GTA. Ms. Linklater's room is one of the few equipped with a kitchenette. She's taking advantage by preparing home cooked meals palatable to the homesick tastebuds of the remote north. Two large plastic bins full of prepared bannock dough – one plain and one raisin – made by another Sandy Laker get delivered to Ms. Linklater's room for frying. The bannock and soup is a taste of home, a welcome distraction from the uncertainty of when Ms. Linklater and thousands of others can return. The mother of four will continue to prepare homemade meals for her fellow evacuees using donations to get the groceries needed, inspired by her late grandmother who used to cook for others. 'She would try to feed as many people with what she had,' Ms. Linklater said. Deer Lake First Nation was fully evacuated about a week before Sandy Lake, by the same fire that threatened Deer Lake's airport, the wind spreading it at rapid speeds toward Sandy Lake about 70 kilometres away. The fire, measuring 183,000 hectares, is still considered out of control by the fire officials. It's destroyed traditional hunting camps and electric infrastructure but has spared major damage to the communities or homes. In a makeshift 'band office' on the second floor of another hotel, Deer Lake First Nation Chief Leonard Mamakeesic sits at a large table with his band councillors for their regular evacuation update call with joint emergency management partners of about 80 people. According to the Joint Emergency Management Steering Committee evacuation standards manual obtained by The Globe, 'when a First Nation community notifies the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) of their emergency situation and requests an evacuation due to an emergency, the PEOC in partnership with the requesting community, involved tribal council, other Indigenous partners, provincial ministries, and federal departments will coordinate the preparation for and conduct of a safe evacuation.' On this particular morning, however, the call is cut short before an update could be provided when those on the other end learn that MPP Sol Mamakwa and Ontario legislature speaker Donna Skelly are present, as invited guests of Deer Lake. Moments prior, The Globe and Mail was also asked to leave the virtual meeting after being invited by Mr. Mamakeesic. Ms. Skelly said in an interview she was disappointed about the dropped call and would be speaking with the ministers of emergency preparedness and response and natural resources. 'I think they have a right to hear the latest on the fire in their community, and whether or not there's a plan moving forward to get them back home, or whether they still have to wait to get the fire under control.' The Conservative MPP, who removed Mr. Mamakwa from the legislature earlier this month for unparliamentary language, said her visit with the Deer Lake leadership and evacuees is part of her efforts to connect with the north. '[Sol and I] have, I think, a common goal to do as much as we can for people, not just in Toronto. That's my problem with politics in Ontario, it's so Toronto focused,' she told The Globe. Ms. Skelly said she was glad to see the evacuees settling in but empathized with the challenges of being so far from home. 'Keeping people together is important, but also how anxious it must be and how much you would want to go back. I'd be bored to tears,' Ms. Skelly said. Sitting outside the hotel on a bench with other Deer Lake evacuees on a humid day, Gordy Meekis finishes his cigarette. 'I miss my boat,' he said. 'I'd rather be in the bush than out here.' Life in the hotels isn't a vacation for the evacuees. Many are put to work for their communities and with provincial officials who oversee logistics and planning. Safety and social issues are a priority for leaders like Mr. Mamakeesic and farther distances from home in large urban cities such as the GTA, where many have never been, add to vulnerabilities. The communities implement their own measures such as nightly curfews and prohibiting alcohol and drugs in hotel rooms, with some success. Emergency operations companies are often contracted by Indigenous Services Canada to act as host sites for evacuees, providing 24-hour wraparound services. Paul Syrette, the director of operations for ISN Maskwa, an Indigenous emergency operations, said it's a responsibility they take seriously. 'If there's anything that is the biggest and most important piece of taking care of the folks when they arrive at the host locations, is health,' Mr. Syrette said. Opinion: As northern Canada burns, southern Canada makes climate change worse In some cases the evacuation has been a blessing in disguise. One evacuee from Deer Lake with an already diagnosed brain aneurysm was able to get immediate medical treatment that likely saved his life, Mr. Mamakeesic said. That's a luxury not afforded back home where access to a hospital and doctor can take several hours, sometimes days, and where the only way out is by plane. 'If he was in Deer Lake, I don't think he would've survived,' Mr. Mamakeesic told Mr. Mamakwa and Ms. Skelly in their meeting. Vice-principal of the Sandy Lake elementary school Glenn Soriano and 15 other Filipino educators working in Sandy Lake were among the first to be evacuated. Many of them already had homes in the GTA where they could return. The group cooked and delivered traditional Filipino dishes and 'rez' favourite Kraft Dinner with hot dogs to their fellow community members. 'This is one way of showing our appreciation to how they treat us over there. We are treated as the same as the community members,' Mr. Soriano said about his experience living and working in Sandy Lake for the past five years.
Globe and Mail
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Massive wildfire near two Ontario First Nations is ‘like a sleeping giant,' MPP says
A provincial legislator says a massive wildfire that has forced the evacuation of two northern Ontario First Nations is like a 'sleeping giant' at the moment. Sol Mamakwa, the New Democrat representative for Kiiwetinoong, visited Sandy Lake First Nation on Thursday. Much of the community of 2,000 people has been forced to leave for different parts of Ontario because of the fire known as Red Lake 12. Ontario officials say the fire is more than 160,000 hectares in size and not under control. Smoke map: Squamish wildfire harms air quality in Whistler as warnings in place in B.C, Alta., Y.T. Wildfire evacuees from remote north faced with hard decisions about their pets The same fire earlier forced the evacuation of Deer Lake First Nation, though fire rangers have now successfully created a fire break around the perimeter of the community. Mamakwa says about 200 people remain in Sandy Lake First Nation, along with the fire rangers. 'It's pretty much like a sleeping giant, the officials told me,' Mamakwa said. Fire rangers and community members are busy working around the clock to protect buildings, he said. They are setting up sprinkler systems around many buildings, including the community centre, as well as around large fuel tanks. 'This fire is just massive,' Mamakwa said after flying over it when he arrived Thursday around noon. There wasn't much smoke near the community when he landed, but by the time he left around 6 p.m., smoke began billowing again. Mamakwa has been asking several levels of government for years to invest in bigger and better runways in remote First Nations. The military flew in with massive CC-130 Hercules planes to help with the evacuation at Sandy Lake, but the aircraft 'could not take the full capacity because the airstrip is too small,' he said. Despite that, the 'organized chaos' of getting nearly 2,000 people out of the community was successful, he said. Wildfires have been raging across northern parts of Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Webequie First Nation east of Sandy Lake has also been evacuated due to a different fire that is about 11,000 hectares in size and is not under control. More than 10,000 people in Saskatchewan and 21,000 in Manitoba have been forced out of their communities because of the fires.
CBC
06-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Air quality warnings, burn bans in place as wildfires expand across northwestern Ontario
As wildfire smoke from northwestern Ontario and Manitoba pervades southern parts of the province, the region's wildfires continue to grow. The area's biggest wildfire is Red Lake 12, which is more than 66,000 hectares large and not yet under control. The fire prompted the evacuation of Deer Lake First Nation last week, sending hundreds of community members to Toronto. "Crews continue to work hoselines on the flanks of the fire closest to the community and maintain sprinkler setups on buildings and infrastructure," Ontario Forest Fires said in its latest update online Thursday night. Meanwhile, provincial crews are tracking five other fires of note in the region: Kenora 20, which is more than 36,000 hectares large and not under control; the fire triggered evacuation orders for Ingolf and Wabaseemoong Independent Nations in mid-May, sending evacuees from the First Nation to Niagara Falls. Nipigon 5, which is more than 8,800 hectares large and not under control; the fire prompted the evacuation of Webequie First Nation members this week to Barrie. Kenora 32, which is located within Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, is not under control, at more than 7,700 hectares large. Kenora 14, which is under control at over 1,600 hectares large. Kenora 34, which is being held at 18 hectares large. Much of northwestern Ontario remains under a restricted fire zone, first issued in mid-May and then expanded at the end of the month. "No open air burning, including campfires, is permitted within the boundaries of a restricted fire zone. Portable gas or propane stoves may be used for cooking and warmth but must be handled with extreme caution. All burning permits are suspended," Ontario Forest Fires says on its website. Other restrictions in place include travel bans, use of waterways, and NOTAMS (notice to airmen) about limited drone usage permitted in the areas of Red Lake 12 and Nipigon 5. The wildland fire hazard remains high to extreme across the region. As of Thursday night, there were 18 active fires being tracked, at various stages of control. Dozens of air quality warnings, statements in effect As of Friday afternoon, several air quality warnings were in effect in the region, for areas including: Big Trout Lake — Kasabonika. Ear Falls — Perrault Falls — Western Lac Seul. Fort Hope — Lansdowne House — Ogoki. Kenora — Grassy Narrows — Whitedog. Pickle Lake — Cat Lake. Pikangikum — Poplar Hill — MacDowell. Red Lake — Woodland Caribou Park. Sachigo Lake — Bearskin Lake. Sandy Lake — Weagamow Lake — Deer Lake. Sioux Narrows — Nestor Falls — Morson. Summer Beaver — Wunnummin Lake — Kingfisher Lake. Webequie. "Wildfire smoke is expected to shift further north today as winds become southwesterly. Wildfire smoke may remain in place for the next several days for many areas," Environment and Climate Change Canada said in Friday's warnings online. "People more likely to be impacted by wildfire smoke, including people aged 65 and older, pregnant people, infants and young children, people with an existing illness or chronic health condition, and people who work outdoors, should avoid strenuous activities outdoors and seek medical attention if experiencing symptoms." Common symptoms include eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches or a mild cough. People are urged to keep their windows and doors closed as much as possible, and to wear respirator-type masks if they are spending time outdoors. "Protect your indoor air from wildfire smoke. Actions can include using a clean, good quality air filter in your ventilation system and/or a certified portable air cleaner that can filter fine particles," Environment and Climate Change Canada says. Dozens of communities across the province remain under less severe air quality statements. In northwestern Ontario, these include: Armstrong — Auden — Wabakimi Park. Atikokan — Shebandowan — Quetico Park. Beardmore — Jellicoe — Macdiarmid. City of Thunder Bay. Cloud Bay — Dorion. Dryden — Vermilion Bay. Fort Frances — Emo — Rainy River. Geraldton — Longlac — Caramat. Gull Bay — Black Sturgeon Lake. Ignace — English River. Kakabeka Falls — Whitefish Lake — Arrow Lake. Manitouwadge — Hornepayne. Marathon — Schreiber. Nakina — Aroland — Pagwa. Nipigon — Rossport. Savant Lake — Sturgeon Lake. Seine River Village — Mine Centre. Sioux Lookout — Eastern Lac Seul. Upsala — Raith. White River — Dubreuilville.
