Hundreds of members of a northern Ontario First Nation have arrived in Niagara Falls and the surrounding region, forced to leave their homes in their community by a serious water crisis.
Leaving their fly-in community of Kashechewan in northern Ontario is nothing new to the 2,200 people who live there, on the western shore of James Bay. Over the past 20 years people have been forced to leave because of constant flooding and forest fires.
Most recently the territory declared a state of emergency after the water treatment plant failed and sewage began seeping into people’s homes and contaminated the local fresh water system. It even affected the only local health clinic, forcing it to shut down.
“No showers. We can’t drink the water, not even the filtered,” said Talisha Wesley, one of those forced to evacuate. “I was making juice, and I got sick. Everybody got sick. Everybody’s still sick.”
In the latest development, 19 people from Kashechewan First Nation have tested positive for cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea and stomach pain. The source has yet to be pinpointed but it can be found in contaminated soil, feces or lake water.
Now, more than 850 residents of Kashechewan are temporarily living in two hotels in Niagara Falls, Ont., with the city preparing to welcome more.
“It’s an awful experience. It’s a scary thing,” said Rebecca Friday, another displaced Kashechewan resident. “This one is more like a shocker to me because it’s a sudden thing.”
Officials in Niagara Falls say they’re no strangers to hosting evacuees, having done it many times. The local fire department is working with Indigenous groups in the region to provide support to the evacuees.
