Latest news with #Neskantaga
CBC
4 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Neskantaga First Nation calls for more federal support after community evacuation cut short
Social Sharing Chief Gary Quisses says Neskantaga First Nation's evacuation lasted 46 days — but he wasn't ready to bring his community members home. The remote Ojibway First Nation has been under a state of emergency since April 13, prompted by flooding and a strong smell of fuel at its nursing station, the only access point for medical services in the community. That week, more than 130 evacuees and their pets were flown roughly 450 kilometres to Thunder Bay, Ont., in order to have their health-care needs met. In all, more than 175 evacuees ended up staying in the northwestern Ontario city for well over a month. Quisses said evacuees returned to Neskantaga last weekend, after Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) sent him a letter saying the federal government would no longer support its evacuation after June 4. According to Quisses, Neskantaga was not told why its evacuation was no longer being supported. Meanwhile, three other communities in the region are under evacuation due to nearby wildfires, sending hundreds of people to southern Ontario from Wabaseemoong Independent Nations, Deer Lake First Nation and Webequie First Nation. While a temporary nursing station has been set up at a home in Neskantaga, Quisses said there's still a lack of equipment there to meet people's needs. "It's very challenging at the moment," Quisses told CBC News in an interview Thursday. Now, he's calling for support from the federal government to build a brand new, permanent nursing station in Neskantaga to replace the existing health centre, which has been boarded up. CBC News has reached out to ISC about Neskantaga's evacuation and calls for a new nursing station to be built, and is awaiting a response. Last month, a spokesperson for ISC told CBC News that remediation work at the nursing station began April 22. "Initial investigation indicates that the flood and fuel smell were likely a result of a failed sump pump and used fuel spill kit that was being stored in the basement," said ISC spokesperson Jacinthe Goulet. Infrastructure issues adding up Fewer than 400 people live in Neskantaga. Its nursing station was built in 1994, and Quisses said it's been in poor condition for years. "It's pretty old already and it's never been renovated. It's always having issues, finally triggered where we have to call for [a state of] emergency," Quisses said. "Right now, the community thinks we don't have proper health care. It's not recognized as a nursing station." Meanwhile, Neskantaga remains under a long-term boil water advisory that's been in place for 30 years — the longest in effect in Canada. Quisses said his hope is that swift action is taken to improve Neskantaga's health-care infrastructure. "Every time we request something, the only movement there is when we put the state of emergency [in place]," he said. During the evacuation, community members missed out on the spring harvest, while students lost a lot of days at school. It's important for people to understand the ripple effect of infrastructure issues in the remote north, Quisses explained.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Last-minute changes to Ontario mining bill are not good enough, First Nations say
A stream runs along the outskirts of Neskantaga First Nation, part of northern Ontario's mineral-rich Ring of Fire region, on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young TORONTO — Ontario First Nations say the provincial government's last-minute changes to a controversial mining bill are not good enough and have come too late. Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 49 First Nations in northern Ontario, says the province should scrap Bill 5 and draft new legislation alongside Indigenous leadership. The proposed law seeks to speed up the development of large projects such as mines, and while First Nations are not necessarily opposed to such moves, they want a seat at the decision-making table. The legislation proposes to create so-called 'special economic zones' that would suspend provincial and municipal laws for certain projects. The province intends to name the Ring of Fire as the first such zone, but ministers have promised that affected First Nations will be consulted first. A filibuster by New Democrats and Liberals forced a delay in the committee process to adopt the bill, but the province still hopes to pass the bill into law next week. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025. Liam Casey, The Canadian Press
CTV News
28-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Ontario to amend mining bill, add Indigenous economic zones amid First Nations uproar
A stream runs along the outskirts of Neskantaga First Nation in Neskantaga, Ont., Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young TORONTO — Premier Doug Ford's government is set to capitulate to some First Nation demands on a controversial mining bill, though it will not kill the proposed law outright, The Canadian Press has learned. Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford and Mining Minister Stephen Lecce say the province will amend Bill 5 to explicitly include duty to consult provisions throughout the bill. The bill, which seeks to speed up mining projects, is set to go through amendments Wednesday at committee as it moves towards becoming law. The new law would create so-called 'special economic zones' where it can suspend provincial and municipal projects, but will also add in 'special Indigenous economic zones' at the request of First Nations for projects they want fast-tracked. The province is set to designate the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario as the first such zone, a move that has set off a firestorm of anger among First Nations, many of which have pledged to take the fight to the land. But Rickford and Lecce say the province will not designate the Ring of Fire a special economic zone until it meaningfully consults with all First Nations in the area. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025. Liam Casey, The Canadian Press
CTV News
28-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Ontario to amend mining bill, add Indigenous economic zones amid First Nations uproar
A stream runs along the outskirts of Neskantaga First Nation in Neskantaga, Ont., Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young TORONTO — Premier Doug Ford's government is set to capitulate to some First Nation demands on a controversial mining bill, though it will not kill the proposed law outright, The Canadian Press has learned. Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford and Mining Minister Stephen Lecce say the province will amend Bill 5 to explicitly include duty to consult provisions throughout the bill. The bill, which seeks to speed up mining projects, is set to go through amendments Wednesday at committee as it moves towards becoming law. The new law would create so-called 'special economic zones' where it can suspend provincial and municipal projects, but will also add in 'special Indigenous economic zones' at the request of First Nations for projects they want fast-tracked. The province is set to designate the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario as the first such zone, a move that has set off a firestorm of anger among First Nations, many of which have pledged to take the fight to the land. But Rickford and Lecce say the province will not designate the Ring of Fire a special economic zone until it meaningfully consults with all First Nations in the area. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025. Liam Casey, The Canadian Press
Hamilton Spectator
20-05-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Community in crisis: The closure of Neskantaga First Nation's health centre compounding state of emergency — that's about to get worse
The plywood board nailed over the entrance to the Rachel Bessie Sakanee Memorial Health Centre in Neskantaga First Nation is spray-painted, 'CLOSED.' Five weeks after Neskantaga's chief and council declared a state of emergency and evacuation, they shuttered the community's nursing station permanently after soil tests revealed fuel in the groundwater under the building. The diesel tank needed to power the facility had been replaced in November, but Chief Gary Quisess said these results show either a spill or a leakage has occurred and that they confirm the site has no long-term viability as a health centre. 'It's on the opposite side of the building from the fuel tank, so it's kind of puzzling,' he said. 'Underground, the water table is high in some places. There's a stream, an underground spring, under every hill.' On April 13, the temperature jumped from below freezing to 12 degrees Celsius, thawing snow banks quickly and flooding the health centre for the third consecutive year. A thick smell of fuel surrounded the building for 25 metres in every direction, patients showed symptoms consistent with environmental contaminants, and experts worried that mold could be a factor. Chief and council issued an evacuation order on April 14. Two-thirds of Neskantaga's 300 on-reserve members have since been living 450 kilometres southwest, in Thunder Bay. The few remaining in the community demonstrated outside the condemned building on Friday, demanding action to replace the health facility. Quisess said he told visiting Indigenous Services Canada on May 14 that if testing proved the site to be contaminated, Neskantaga would request that a new facility be built. 'Hopefully, we'll be heard and it will put some action in so the work can get done early,' he said. 'There's going to be more testing. By next week, we're going to have a report and a thorough investigation.' A duplex has been converted into a temporary health station, using equipment nurses moved from the condemned site. The first flight of evacuees returned home on May 18, with priority given to school-aged children. The school boiler that broke in early April and cost students 10 school days prior to the evacuation has now been fixed. Teachers have been holding classes in Thunder Bay hotel conference rooms to ensure they meet the mandated number of classroom days. Quisess says every action is being taken so young people don't bear the cost of this state of emergency. 'It's getting close to graduation date so they'll have to work hard to get their year,' he said. Their return comes as Ontario prepares for two days of committee discussions on May 22 and 26 over Bill 5 , the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act. Among reductions of rigour in the environmental review processes, the Act would also allow for fast-tracked permit granting and development in 'special economic zones.' Premier Doug Ford has said the first such designated zone would be in the proposed Ring of Fire , a 5,000-square-kilometre mineral deposit downriver from Neskantaga. The community has ordered chief and council to take a firm position against Ring of Fire development without their consent. Members voiced opposition at Queen's Park last week joining the chorus of First Nations condemning Bill 5 for what they say infringes on their rights to consultation and accommodation. Quisess said between the school, the health centre, a 30-year boil-water advisory — the longest in the entire country — an opioid crisis, and poor roads, the link between the Crown failing to honour basic needs in local infrastructure and constitutional partnerships over major resource projects is clear to the community. 'First Nations are suffering right now with everything. All the federal and provincial infrastructure we've put in, we have nothing,' Quisess said. 'I was given a culture and I respect my culture. There's no price on a culture. We love our land, we love our resources. I don't know how they're going to deal with that. 'They're going to have to deal with us, and with our culture.'
