THUNDER BAY —The City of Thunder Bay will host up to 200 residents of Eabametoong First Nation displaced by a disruption to the community's water service.
A fire last week affected the water treatment plant in the remote fly-in First Nation located about 360 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.
The city's response to the emergency is led by Thunder Bay Fire Rescue, but also involves other city departments in a coordinated effort with Emergency Management Ontario, Indigenous Services Canada, Matawa First Nations, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, ISN/Maskwa, and Ontario Health North.
Fire Chief Greg Hankkio said the first evacuees arrived Sunday, and other vulnerable members of the community were due to arrive Monday.
Hankkio said they'll receive lodging, food, and assistance with medical and other needs during a stay that could last as long as two weeks, but added, "I'm sure work is ongoing to try to resolve the problem in their community."
So far there's no word from Eabametoong's leadership regarding the fire or its impact, but Nishnawbe Aski Police said Monday evening that the July 5 fire initially involved an abandoned vehicle and several storage containers, then spread to the treatment plant.
NAPS has laid arson charges against a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old youth, both of whom have been remanded into custody.
In Thunder Bay, Eabametoong's receiving coordinator, Wanda Atlookan Sugarhead, said the people being flown to the city so far include elders, children and individuals with medical conditions.
"There's no water, and they're having sewage issues" in the First Nation, she said, so it's important to take the most vulnerable members of the community to safety first.
Atlookan Sugarhead said Thunder Bay has given the evacuees a warm reception.
"We're working to meet their needs. And all the resources that we have here in Thunder Bay have been substantial. There's willingness to be involved and to help, and to make it easy enough to say that everybody's comfortable and everybody's being looked after."
She stressed, however, that there's a lot more pressure on the leadership and the people back in the community who are trying their best to cope in very difficult circumstances.
Indigenous Services Canada at first told TBnewswatch it would provide a statement about the situation by the end of the day on Monday, but said later that it would release information on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for NAPS indicated Monday evening that "due to the fire having affected the water treatment plant, it was deemed that the water would need to be further tested prior to it being safe for drinking," and added that "this is likely to be addressed by the end of the week."
NOTE: An earlier version of this story has been updated to include additional information provided by Nishnawbe Aski Police Service
