<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/21/first-nations-ontario-canada-wildfires-evacuations-government>
"Fast-moving wildfires have burned two First Nations communities in Canada to
the ground, as members said they were left to self-evacuate without government
help or emergency alerts.
Thirteen communities in Ontario province have been ordered to evacuate because
of wildfires, most of them First Nations. The Ontario premier, Doug Ford, told
reporters on Monday that close to 2,000 people had been evacuated so far to
cities including Toronto and Niagara Falls.
There are nearly 1,000 wildfires burning across Canada, with about 200 in
Ontario. The prime minister, Mark Carney, said heatwaves and dry weather had
combined to create “one of the most intense wildfire seasons in Canadian
history”.
Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, located north of Thunder Bay in north-western
Ontario, was engulfed by fire on 15 June. About two dozen people quickly
boarded boats packed with their possessions and raced across the nearby lake.
“If this community waited for a mandatory evacuation process, we’d be doing a
recovery mission for the bodies of children, of elders, of men and women,” said
Linda Debassige, grand council chief of the Anishinabek Nation, which
represents 39 Ontario First Nations.
All members safely escaped but the community’s buildings and other
infrastructure were completely destroyed. The Namaygoosisagagun people
evacuated to Thunder Bay, where the Anishinabek Nation has been providing
assistance.
Debassige said that Namaygoosisagagun’s chief, Helen Paavola, had made
inquiries to the federal government in the days leading up to the fire, but the
community had been assured there was no imminent threat."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
