CAT LAKE — Wildfire evacuees having returned to Cat Lake, the fly-in First Nation’s chief has ideas on how future fire seasons could be handled better.
Chief Russell Wesley released a press statement Thursday saying this year’s “catastrophic fires” in northern Ontario “are a warning that the current approach to forest management, emergency preparedness and climate adaptation is not sufficient.”
Wesley told Newswatch he released the statement — which includes an action plan for the provincial and federal governments — partly out of “frustration with the With the Cat Lake experience, but also because as a chief, I have to represent the greater public as well.”
An audit of this year’s wildland fire management will take too long when there are actions that can be taken on a much shorter timeline, he said.
“As far as I’m concerned, an audit of the wildfire management issue is wasting my time as an Ontarian and as a First Nations person.
“Because I have to wait a year now for the auditor general’s report and he’s going to say that there needs to be a public inquiry — that’s what he’s going to say.”
The public inquiry would then take six months or more to run its course, he added.
“This is just a classic government waste of time. And you know, us Ontarians have to pay for that stupidity.”
Thursday’s press statement says Ontario and Ottawa must “move beyond consultation and take meaningful action. First Nations must be partners in decision-making, partners in prevention, and partners in building resilient communities capable of adapting to the realities of a changing climate.”
It then identifies 12 priorities on which the governments should “take immediate action,” starting with creation of “a First Nations-led wildfire authority” that would work with federal and provincial agencies.
Other priorities include:
- “Stable, multi-year funding” for wildfire preparedness.
- Support for “traditional fire stewardship practices, including prescribed burning.”
- Investment in critical infrastructure, including fire breaks and emergency water systems.
- Better “evacuation planning, transportation resources, emergency shelter capacity, and support services for displaced individuals and families.”
- Improved health supports, including air filtration systems, respiratory care and trauma counselling.
- Investment in “real-time warning systems, weather forecasting, satellite monitoring, and community-based alert systems that provide timely and reliable information.”
The statement, signed by Wesley, concludes by saying “these forests are our home. Protecting them is not optional. It is a responsibility we all share.”
Wesley said in a phone interview he’s frustrated by the situation this summer as his First Nation and others had to evacuate on short notice.
“It’s sad that for us regular people here on the ground … there’s nothing we can do except watch it burn to the ground,” he said.
People in First Nations and municipalities, he said, “are all northerners with the same shared responsibility for the area that they live in.”
And yet, said Wesley, it seems northerners “get treated under a separate class of people. We don’t matter.
“Both First Nations and the northern municipalities — northerners — we don’t matter.”
Cat Lake First Nation evacuated in mid-July as the fire dubbed Sioux Lookout 72 burned nearby and power went out in the community. Its members returned from Toronto last week.
There were 114 active wildland fires in the Northwest region as of 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to the most recent update from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Aug 06, 2026 at 17:55
Recent Comments