Fire-ravaged First Nations community accuses Ottawa of denying it federal aid

A lawyer representing a small Ontario First Nations community that was burned to the ground by a raging wildfire says it’s being deprived of necessary help because the federal government doesn’t recognize it as a First Nation.

Residents of Collins First Nation, located some 200 kilometres from Thunder Bay, were forced to self-evacuate earlier this week in advance of fast-moving fires.

Their lawyer Meaghan Daniel wrote a letter to Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty calling on her department to treat the First Nation the same as any other community and to provide it with emergency, recovery and reconstruction supports available to recognized communities under the Indian Act.

Residents of Collins are recognized as First Nations under the Indian Act but the community itself is not, despite its leaders pressing Ottawa for such recognition for decades.

Daniel says the First Nation does not have the luxury of waiting while jurisdictional and administrative questions are sorted out.

She says every day that passes without clarity affects decisions about housing, infrastructure, governance and the future of the entire community.

As of today, dozens of forest fires continue to burn across the northern part of the province, with the worst ones happening in the northwest.

Officials say there are 129 active fires in the northwest region, 62 of them burning out of control, and another 61 fires in the northeast. The Ontario government and the Assembly of First Nations have called on Ottawa to provide immediate support.

Environment Canada has air quality warnings in place for a wide swath of the country, including southern Ontario, where millions of people are being choked out by thick, gritty air.

The agency says the hazy, smoky conditions may briefly improve during the day before poor air quality returns in the evening. The weather agency says smoky skies could persist into the weekend.

The smoke has even reached major cities in the United States, including New York, Chicago and Detroit. Some American lawmakers have take note, criticizing Canada’s forest management practices.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press