Neskantaga First Nation evacuated vulnerable residents not because of advancing wildfires, but because road closures cut off access to food, water, fuel and medical supplies. Chief Gary Quisess says the crisis exposed long-standing gaps in emergency planning and supply chain coordination for remote First Nations, calling for stronger infrastructure and contingency plans as wildfire season continues.
Chief Gary Quisess knew it was time to panic when mothers in his community started running out of food for their infants. Northern Ontario wildfires had forced the closure of the key highway link in the supply route to his fly-in community, blocking essentials like food, fuel and water.
At the first opportunity he had, the leader of Neskantaga First Nation rounded up the most vulnerable members of his community and transported them to safety.
Chiefs in Ontario say they were left to self-evacuate before homes burned to ground, after being told there was no imminent threat
Community members spoke to the Star at the largely deserted reserve, home to more than 300 residents in homes lined up on a…
First Nation chiefs and community members are highlighting the dangers that follow evacuees after they have fled northern Ontario…
Forest fires in northwestern Ontario have devastated several communities, forcing widespread evacuations and destroying homes and…
Residents of one First Nations community went door to door warning neighbors before fleeing by boat. More than 900 fires continue…
Miiyah Paavola fled her home in northwestern Ontario this week. “If we had waited any longer, we would have been dead,” she says.
