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Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
From flames to Falls: Canada's Indigenous wildfire evacuees take refuge in Niagara
NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario (Reuters) -As wildfires engulfed Manitoba's remote north in late May, Joseph Garry, 63, fled the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation indigenous reserve, also known as Pukatawagan, on a helicopter. With other evacuees, he took three separate government flights before boarding a bus to find shelter in Niagara Falls, Canada's most popular tourist destination, some 2,000 kilometers from home. Scores of wildfires have swept across Canada since the start of May, forcing more than 30,000 people to evacuate in three provinces, spreading smoke into the United States, and disrupting crude oil and mining production. Indigenous communities have been hit especially hard. Although First Nations people make up only around 5% of Canada's population, they are among the most affected by this year's wildfires. Manitoba is struggling with its largest-ever fire evacuation effort. Early evacuees took shelter in community and sport centers in Winnipeg, but the province's cities are running out of space, forcing officials to turn to other locations such as Ontario's Niagara Falls, which has ample hotels. Around 2,000 evacuees from Manitoba and 500 from Northern Ontario are staying in four hotels in Niagara Falls, with more possibly arriving in coming days, according to Jo Zambito, chief of the Niagara Falls Fire Department. While the city is proud to help fellow Canadians during a crisis, Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati urged the federal and provincial governments to consider alternative accommodations as peak tourism season approaches. Indigenous leaders in Manitoba have criticized both federal and provincial governments for inadequate communication and delays in delivering requested resources during the wildfire crisis, while Pukatawagan residents recounted a chaotic and frightening evacuation. Videos shared by residents with Reuters showed military and civilian helicopters buzzing back and forth over the remote community of roughly 3,000 people, landing on the school field as thick wildfire smoke enveloped the area and flames inched nearer, and dozens of people huddled inside a Chinook military helicopter. At one point, a pilot warned Garry and 100 others waiting to board that the fire was only half a kilometer away and being pushed closer by the wind. 'To tell you the truth, it's... It's scary. Not for myself, but for everybody else. Especially children,' Garry said, in tears while speaking at the hotel the federal government is housing him in. Garry, a manager at the local airfield, left all his belongings behind except for a few sets of clothing and was briefly separated from two of his daughters and their children. His 50-person extended family was later reunited in Niagara Falls. Vanessa Hart, 43, a stay-at-home mother from Pukatawagan who was evacuated to Niagara Falls, said that despite repeated pleas from their chief and council, help did not arrive for three to four days. She believes a faster evacuation could have prevented significant distress. "They didn't come and help right away," Hart said. Indigenous Services Canada, which managed the evacuation, said emergency response is a shared responsibility and first response is generally up to local authorities. "The Government of Canada is working alongside First Nation partners, as well as provincial and territorial counterparts, and continues to closely monitor the rapidly evolving wildfire situation across the country," the agency said in a statement. Manitoba's government said in an email that smoky conditions near Pukatawagan early in the emergency response prevented water bombers from providing vital air support. "They (planes) were grounded for all fires in the air support has been used extensively in the north whenever and wherever possible," it added. A date to return home for the evacuees in Niagara Falls is uncertain and depends on when plane and rail access are restored - possibly in one to two months. Wildfire response in First Nations communities has been "pretty chaotic," said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak. She called for more investment in basic infrastructure such as fire hydrants and fire trucks. "We need more coordination. And we've been asking for it for decades," she said. (Additional reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Nia Williams)
Straits Times
09-06-2025
- General
- Straits Times
From flames to Falls: Canada's Indigenous wildfire evacuees take refuge in Niagara
FILE PHOTO: Joseph Garrey, 63, a resident of the Pukatawagan First Nation and among those evacuated due to ongoing wildfires, sits for an interview at a hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Wa Lone FILE PHOTO: Steven Castel, a councillor from Pukatawagan First Nation, reflects on the wildfire evacuation experience during an interview at a hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Wa Lone FILE PHOTO: Selena Castel, a councillor from Pukatawagan First Nation in northern Manitoba and among those evacuated due to ongoing wildfires, sits for an interview at a hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Wa Lone FILE PHOTO: Vanessa Hart, a stay-at-home mother from Pukatawagan, shares her experience during a wildfire evacuation during an interview at a hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Wa Lone NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario - As wildfires engulfed Manitoba's remote north in late May, Joseph Garry, 63, fled the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation indigenous reserve, also known as Pukatawagan, on a helicopter. With other evacuees, he took three separate government flights before boarding a bus to find shelter in Niagara Falls, Canada's most popular tourist destination, some 2,000 kilometers from home. Scores of wildfires have swept across Canada since the start of May, forcing more than 30,000 people to evacuate in three provinces, spreading smoke into the United States, and disrupting crude oil and mining production. Indigenous communities have been hit especially hard. Although First Nations people make up only around 5% of Canada's population, they are among the most affected by this year's wildfires. Manitoba is struggling with its largest-ever fire evacuation effort. Early evacuees took shelter in community and sport centers in Winnipeg, but the province's cities are running out of space, forcing officials to turn to other locations such as Ontario's Niagara Falls, which has ample hotels. Around 2,000 evacuees from Manitoba and 500 from Northern Ontario are staying in four hotels in Niagara Falls, with more possibly arriving in coming days, according to Jo Zambito, chief of the Niagara Falls Fire Department. While the city is proud to help fellow Canadians during a crisis, Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati urged the federal and provincial governments to consider alternative accommodations as peak tourism season approaches. Indigenous leaders in Manitoba have criticized both federal and provincial governments for inadequate communication and delays in delivering requested resources during the wildfire crisis, while Pukatawagan residents recounted a chaotic and frightening evacuation. Videos shared by residents with Reuters showed military and civilian helicopters buzzing back and forth over the remote community of roughly 3,000 people, landing on the school field as thick wildfire smoke enveloped the area and flames inched nearer, and dozens of people huddled inside a Chinook military helicopter. At one point, a pilot warned Garry and 100 others waiting to board that the fire was only half a kilometer away and being pushed closer by the wind. 'To tell you the truth, it's... It's scary. Not for myself, but for everybody else. Especially children,' Garry said, in tears while speaking at the hotel the federal government is housing him in. Garry, a manager at the local airfield, left all his belongings behind except for a few sets of clothing and was briefly separated from two of his daughters and their children. His 50-person extended family was later reunited in Niagara Falls. Vanessa Hart, 43, a stay-at-home mother from Pukatawagan who was evacuated to Niagara Falls, said that despite repeated pleas from their chief and council, help did not arrive for three to four days. She believes a faster evacuation could have prevented significant distress. "They didn't come and help right away," Hart said. Indigenous Services Canada, which managed the evacuation, said emergency response is a shared responsibility and first response is generally up to local authorities. "The Government of Canada is working alongside First Nation partners, as well as provincial and territorial counterparts, and continues to closely monitor the rapidly evolving wildfire situation across the country," the agency said in a statement. Manitoba's government said in an email that smoky conditions near Pukatawagan early in the emergency response prevented water bombers from providing vital air support. "They (planes) were grounded for all fires in the air support has been used extensively in the north whenever and wherever possible," it added. A date to return home for the evacuees in Niagara Falls is uncertain and depends on when plane and rail access are restored - possibly in one to two months. Wildfire response in First Nations communities has been "pretty chaotic," said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak. She called for more investment in basic infrastructure such as fire hydrants and fire trucks. "We need more coordination. And we've been asking for it for decades," she said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Councilman John Jacoby not running for re-election in Lewiston
John Jacoby had no desire to get involved with town government after finishing a long career with the Niagara Falls Fire Department. But what started as a chance purchase of a plot of land in Lewiston in 1995 would lead to eight years of further public service. The two-term town councilman will not run for re-election this year. At 74 years old, he said he feels he accomplished what he hoped to when he first ran for the board. 'I feel it's time for someone to give a younger person the chance,' Jacoby said. Born and raised in Niagara Falls, Jacoby spent 32 years with the city fire department with one year as acting chief, retiring as a battalion chief. He said the move to Lewiston with his wife came when they saw a newspaper ad for the land, and it was just too good an opportunity to pass up. One day in 2017, a friend told Jacoby to run for the town board — he said he thought the friend was kidding. A week later, when that friend brought it up again, Jacoby was convinced to go to a Democratic Party committee meeting that same night, where he ended up as a candidate. 'It's been an interesting and rewarding experience,' he said, adding that he feels the majority of Lewiston residents have been satisfied with their town government. Jacoby was also elected to be chairman of the Niagara County Democratic Committee in 2020, though current chair Chris Borgatti finished that two-year term starting in August 2021. Among the town projects Jacoby is particularly proud of is the waterline project, particularly after several thunderstorms flooded sewer and stormwater lines the past few years, and getting legislation passed that outlawed short-term rentals in the town. 'Over 90 percent of people said to me, 'We don't want them,' ' Jacoby said. He was also involved with grants to fund town projects without adding additional costs to taxpayers. The town's purchase of the former Boy Scout Camp Stonehaven to turn into a nature preserve was done with assistance from a state Community Forest Conservation grant worth $300,000, the purchase totaling $675,000. Even now, the town is in the middle of an expansion project for Riverfront Park that would add a new pavilion, boardwalk, and kayak launch, funded through $1.46 million from the Niagara River Greenway Commission. The town board this past Monday awarded a contract to Murdaugh Development Concrete and Masonry worth $987,850. While Jacoby said his voting record showed he voted in favor of most items that came before the board, he was not afraid to ask questions on why money was spent in certain ways, which has resulted in modified projects that were less expensive and more efficient. 'The board members are receptive to each other, so we had projects we could vote on with no guilt on our conscience to the benefit of the taxpayers,' Jacoby said. Now that he is fully retired, Jacoby said he plans on traveling and improving his golf game.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
Charges pending in case of pedestrian struck on 63rd Street
A 39-year old man was rushed to Erie County Medical Center with serious injuries after he was hit by a vehicle on 63rd Street late Sunday. About 11:50 p.m., emergency crews were dispatched to the 100 block of 63rd Street for report of a pedestrian hit by a vehicle during some sort of altercation. The striking vehicle fled the scene and officers were advised that the driver had called 911 to report that he was involved in the accident and that he was heading home to an address on College Avenue. Niagara Falls Fire Department and AMR located the injured man laying in the grass. He was transported to the hospital by ambulance with various injuries. Additional officers responded to College Avenue where they made contact with the 18-year old driver of a blue Honda Civic. The vehicle had visible damage to the windshield. A witness reported that during the altercation, the driver sped down 63rd Street northbound, turned around and began heading back south. While traveling south the driver drove the vehicle off the roadway and onto the sidewalk, hitting the man and tossing him appropriately 15 to 20 feet from where he was struck. A baseball bat was also located at the scene. Investigators from the Criminal Investigation Division, Crime Scene Unit, and Crash Investigation Unit all responded to the scene to investigate the incident, which reportedly stems from an ongoing dispute between teen driver and the son of the man who was injured. Charges are pending.
