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The Assembly of First Nations called on the federal government to provide immediate support to a northern Ontario First Nation razed by wildfire, as the province also sought help from Ottawa to evacuate communities threatened by out-of-control blazes.
A fast-moving forest fire destroyed homes and buildings on Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, also known as Collins First Nation, more than 200 kilometres north of Thunder Bay. Dozens of wildfires were bearing down on other communities, forcing widespread evacuations and blanketing much of the province with hazardous smoke.
The council of First Nations said at its annual general meeting Thursday that it’s seeking an independent review of the Collins First Nation evacuation as the community was left to fend for itself. It called on Ottawa to commit to rebuilding the community.
Meanwhile, Ontario asked the federal government to be ready to help evacuate communities by aircraft as the wildfire situation became increasingly volatile.
Ontario Emergency Preparedness Minister Jill Dunlop wrote in a letter to federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski that 15 communities in the north had already started evacuations or were considering them.
Dunlop said there was likely to be simultaneous evacuations by air, with several communities inaccessible by road, and Ontario may not have enough resources to meet that need. Ontario asked the federal government to ensure aircraft and crews could be deployed in 24 hours or less in case the province needs assistance.
Olszewski said in a social media post that Ontario’s request was “precautionary in nature” and she was in close contact with Dunlop to ensure that federal resources were quickly mobilized. She noted that four federally funded wildfire-fighting helicopters had been sent to Ontario and that Indigenous Services Canada was helping affected First Nation communities.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government was in close contact with its counterparts in Ontario and other provinces affected by wildfires.
“We’ll stand ready and we’ll be providing additional assistance as needed because Canadians always look after each other,” Carney said at an unrelated press conference in London, Ont.
Melvin Hardy, a regional chief of the Anishinabek Nation, read aloud at the Assembly of First Nations meeting a message from Collins First Nation Chief Helen Paavola. It said her community had been destroyed and residents evacuated “without warning from any ministry or assistance from anyone.”
“My heroic members self-evacuated and bravely carried our elders and vulnerable to safety. They felt the flames on their backs,” Hardy read from the message. “Small 12- and 14-foot boats was all they had to escape from the raging inferno.”
Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige said Collins First Nation was reduced to ashes as more than 30 homes, a school and community centres went up in flames.
“If this community had waited for the official response, we would be recovering the bodies of children, of elders, and the men and women of this community,” Debassige said.
The Canadian Press reached out to Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources for comment. Premier Doug Ford had said crews and aircraft were hard at work fighting more than 180 wildfires across northern Ontario, and the province would spare no expense in keeping people safe.
Among those helping are firefighters and aircraft from Alberta.
That province’s forestry minister, Todd Loewen, said Alberta Wildfire has 94 firefighters and support staff deployed in Ontario, along with 13 aircraft.
“These deployments happen under the resource sharing agreements that allow provinces and territories to move trained personnel and equipment to where they are needed most,” Loewen said in a statement Thursday.
“Alberta has benefited from that system many times, including support from Ontario crews during our own difficult seasons.”
Debassige said the Collins First Nation is receiving food, shelter and other support from the Anishinabek Nation but it does not have access to provincial and federal aid. It’s unclear if Collins First Nation, which is recognized as a First Nation by Anishinabek Nation communities but not the federal government, is eligible for the same supports.
Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty was noncommittal when asked Thursday if the federal government would commit funding to the First Nation, saying the community exists in a policy gap because it lacks status.
“We are working very closely with the province. The province has expressed that they will be providing that support but I think we have a role to play in that space,” Gull-Masty said. “I am looking to take that next step.”
The Matawa Chiefs Council, representing nine northern First Nations, declared a state of emergency on Thursday, citing the health and safety risks of forest fires.
The fires prompted evacuation orders for several other communities, including Armstrong, Lac La Croix First Nation, Whitesand First Nation, Gull Bay First Nation and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation.
Whitesand First Nation Chief Lawrence Wanakamik said his community evacuated as smoke filled the area, and residents were being hosted in Thunder Bay. He took aim at the province’s Ministry of Natural Resources for its “slow” response to the fire as it closed in on the Whitesand community.
At a press conference in a Thunder Bay hotel, a Whitesand emergency response manager said the First Nation ordered an evacuation after the province said there was no threat to the community.
“The decision followed repeated requests for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to issue a mandatory evacuation order,” said Devon Wanakamik. “Whitesand raised serious concerns, but was repeatedly assured there was no immediate threat and that the smoke was coming from more distant fires.”
Wanakamik said 26 people from Whitesand and the neighbouring community of Armstrong had since returned to the area without authorization to help with firefighting efforts. Wanakamik said they returned over fears the province was not dedicating enough resources to protect the communities.
Jim Kwandebance, who fled Whitesand, said he wished he could go back to help his peers.
“We need more help. We’re risking our lives out there to save our community,” Kwandebance said.
Wanakamik said the people who returned were helping to dig a firebreak with heavy machinery already in the community, as well as laying sprinkler lines, in efforts to preserve homes.
For some, it’s too late.
Bruce Hyer has been sleepless since he lost Wabakimi Lodge, the tourist cabin he owns near Armstrong, in the wildfire. The lodge was reduced to debris and ash, along with other cottages on Mattice Lake just south of Whitesand.
He said his staff had just one frantic hour to pack whatever belongings they could and evacuate at 3 a.m. Tuesday.
“It all happened so fast,” the 79-year-old said in an interview.
They made it out in time, but the lodge he built with his wife in 1998 is gone. He said he called a helicopter on Wednesday to rescue nearby canoeists who messaged for help, saying they were struggling to breathe due to the acrid smoke.
Hyer said he dreamed of living in a Canadian log cabin since he was five years old. “Now, it’s just up in flames.”
Residents of Hutchison, Ramsay Wright, Trottier and Weaver townships are also under an evacuation alert as officials warn people in those areas to prepare to leave on short notice. The alert comes as wildfires west of Thunder Bay saw significant growth earlier this week.
Ontario forest fire officials said there are 136 active fires in the northwest region, with 63 out of control. Another 44 fires are burning in the northeast. Several fires raging north of Thunder Bay merged into a larger fire spanning roughly 3,500 square kilometres.
The province has said there have been 483 fires in Ontario so far this year, up from 351 as of this time last year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2026.
– With files from Alessia Passafiume in Ottawa and Allison Jones in Toronto
Kathryn Mannie and Elissa Mendes, The Canadian Press
