Kashechewan First Nation in northern Ontario is calling on the Canadian military to assist with evacuating residents after a failure at the community’s water treatment plant left homes without access to clean running water. According to CBC News, the remote fly in community along the James Bay coast declared a state of local emergency after ongoing infrastructure failures created an increasingly unsafe situation for residents.
Chief Hosea Wesley declared the emergency on Sunday, citing serious problems at the water treatment facility that began in early December. Pumps at the plant failed, preventing essential chemicals from being mixed to treat drinking water, according to CBC News. Later in the month, the wastewater treatment system also began to fail, leading to raw sewage issues that further worsened conditions in the community of roughly 2,300 people.
Community leaders say they are now struggling to secure enough bottled water for residents. During a call with Indigenous Services Canada earlier this week, Kashechewan officials requested military assistance to support a full scale evacuation to northeastern Ontario cities such as Timmins and Kapuskasing. Tyson Wesley, the First Nation’s executive director, told CBC News that several chartered flights have already been arranged, but current plans focus on evacuating only the most vulnerable residents rather than the entire community.
Indigenous Services Canada confirmed to CBC News that the Loomex Group has been contracted to manage the evacuation of approximately 500 vulnerable individuals. However, Kashechewan leadership says that approach does not go far enough. Wesley described the situation as critical, emphasizing that children, elders, and families are being forced to live without safe water and adequate sanitation. He said residents feel their basic human needs are not being met.
The crisis has also impacted health services in the community. CBC News reported that sewage backed up into Kashechewan’s only clinic, forcing staff to move patients, medical equipment, and medication to a nearby elementary school. This disruption comes as the community is also dealing with an influenza outbreak, placing additional strain on already limited resources.
Timmins Mayor Michelle Boileau confirmed that her city would accept a small number of evacuees, particularly those with medical needs, but said capacity is limited. Most evacuees are expected to be relocated to other communities. Meanwhile, Indigenous Services Canada says crews from Northern Waterworks have been deployed to repair the water treatment plant, with replacement equipment already installed and further repairs underway.
Kashechewan has faced repeated evacuations over the years, particularly during spring flooding, as the community is located on a flood plain along the Albany River. According to CBC News, discussions about relocating the First Nation to a safer site approximately 30 kilometres north have been ongoing for decades. While previous federal commitments aimed to complete the move by 2029, community leaders say progress remains uncertain under the current government. Indigenous Services Canada has approved funding for relocation planning, but Kashechewan leaders argue that long term solutions are overdue, as residents continue to bear the consequences of aging infrastructure and delayed action.
