Caution Urged by First Nation Amid Wildfire Concerns

As wildfires continue to rage near Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek, Chief Wilfred King expresses his concern about community members returning home too soon.

Also known as Gull Bay, the First Nation has been in a state of emergency since mid-July. About 200 adults from the community are still displaced in Thunder Bay.

The community sits off Highway 527, which has been closed for several weeks between Thunder Bay and Armstrong due to wildfire threats.

However, as temperatures have dropped and fire hazards have decreased in the area, King fears that Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) may lift some restrictions meant to keep communities safe.

To the north of Gull Bay First Nation lies Thunder Bay 36, the largest uncontrolled wildfire in Ontario spanning over 306,000 hectares.

To the southwest are Dryden 34 (over 46,000 hectares), Dryden 35 (more than 31,500 hectares), and Thunder Bay 56 (almost 8,000 hectares).

A sign is seen indicating the closure of Highway 527 at Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek – Gull Bay First Nation – which has been extended to the Highway 811 junction. (Marc Doucette/CBC)

Thunder Bay 36, Dryden 34 and Dryden 35 make up what’s known as the Rinker Lake Complex.

“There are 16 wildland firefighting crews from Ontario and Alberta, two 20-person crews of wildland firefighters from Mexico, heavy equipment operators, pilots, overhead staff from Ontario and Québec, and an Incident Management Team assigned to the Rinker Lake Complex,” says Ontario Forest Fires’ website.

“Across these fires, firefighting crews are focused on establishing hoselines, patrolling for and extinguishing hot spots, and installing and maintaining values protection equipment.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, forest fire hazards were low across most of northwest Ontario; however, areas closer to the Ontario-Manitoba border faced moderate to high hazard levels.

Still, “we’re very concerned that we’re surrounded by wildfires, and until these fires come under some form of control that may alleviate some of our concerns,” King told on Tuesday.

“Right now we’re not happy with the process or progress nor with MNR’s lack of willingness to reach out to us about these situations.”

Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources Mike Harris provides an update on northern Ontario’s wildfire situation during a news conference at Toronto’s Emergency Management Headquarters on July 17th. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

has reached out to MNR for their comments regarding Gull Bay’s concerns but is still waiting for a response.

A spokesperson for Ontario’s minister responsible for emergency preparedness stated that as of Tuesday approximately 1,653 people remain displaced due to wildfires in the region.

Dramatically more than that were evacuated last month when over 2,800 people were affected at peak wildfire activity this summer.

‘We don’t want to be in a situation where we’re evacuating again’

KIng mentioned there are several factors involved when considering lifting restrictions such as public safety aspects; fire behavior; containment efforts; operational requirements; along with ensuring people can safely access affected areas again.

“What I’ve been told is that we need about three or four days of heavy rain in order to make an impact,” King shared.

Heavy rainfall occurred recently in Thunder Bay last week. (Marc Doucette/CBC)

While his community members eagerly await their return home , King emphasized patience while leadership assesses everything properly.

“We’re holding our own , but if [evacuees] do go back , we want it done right so we don’t face another evacuation situation,” he explained.

“That would create significant distress among members , plus it would be challenging once again finding them lodging back in Thunder Bay if needed.”

Continued calls for public inquiry into wildfire response

Last month , King pushed for a public inquiry into how the Ontario government responded to recent wildfires after Namaygoosisagagun First Nation (also called Collins First Nation) lost everything along with Whitewater Lake First Nation.

First Nation chiefs reaffirmed their demand for accountability during a press conference held at Queen’s Park last week.

“I feel a public inquiry is necessary in order to prevent this type of thing [from] happening in future,” King stated.

Additionally , The Office Of The Auditor General Of Ontario confirmed they’re performing an audit specifically assessing Wildland Fire Management processes under Wildland Fire Management Act.

King hopes this report supports concerns raised by chiefs within First Nations communities.

< pm Although forest fire danger ratings appear less severe compared than last month , he reminded everyone that “we're only halfway through fire season.”

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