Kashechewan First Nation evacuees arrive in Niagara Falls amid water issues

Niagara Falls is now hosting hundreds of Kashechewan First Nation evacuees after a water crisis in the northern Ontario community forced many out of their homes.

Local Indigenous organizations in the Niagara Region — like the Fort Erie, Ont. Native Friendship Centre — are pitching in to help.

The city is hosting 858 people from the northern Ontario Cree nation.

“We have two hotels and a third one on stand by if need be,” says Niagara Falls Fire Chief Jo Zambito.

He says the fire department is working to ensure evacuees are and remain comfortable by providing everything they need including food and medical supplies.

Evacuees from the fly-in community have traveled by plane to Hamilton, and then finished the journey to Niagara on a bus — approximately 1,350 kilometers from home.

READ MORE: Few hundred people remain in Kashechewan as water crisis force evacuations

The city enlists help from local indigenous organizations — like the friendship centre in Fort Erie, Ont. – which provides culturally-appropriate meals, traditional medicine, and drum circles.

“Right now, they’re dealing with a cultural shock as they come down here. They’re right in the middle of Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, there’s not a lot of green space and stuff that they’re used to,” says Melissa Shondo, the educational lead at the Native Friendship Centre.

Community officials declared a state of emergency on Jan. 4 after infrastructure damage created an urgent public health and safety issue, when sewage began creeping into people’s homes and contaminating fresh water systems.

The vast majority of the 23,000 residents have since left. Niagara’s fire chief says the city can accommodate up to 17,000 people – but it’s unclear exactly how many will be arriving.

“Niagara Falls has more hotels per capita than Toronto does. So when you think about that, we have a lot of rooms, and this time of year we’re not at our peak and the rooms are sitting there, so they’re being put to good use,” says Zambito.

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“As much as maybe they feel disrupted from their usual schedule and their usual routines at home, they’re going to have some new experiences and I think when they’re done they’re going to miss Niagara Falls,” says Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati.

Indigenous Services Canada said earlier this month that it was giving evacuation priority to 500 people considered to be vulnerable.

It has enlisted the help of a company that specializes in water and wastewater management to resolve the issues that led to the shutdown of the community’s water treatment plant.

In an interview with CHCH News last week, Kashechewan First Nation Executive Director, Tyson Wesley, called on the government to act with more urgency.

“Even our calls for the urgency of our situation weren’t really fully answered,” says Wesley.

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