KASHECHEWAN, Ont. -- An evacuation due to flooding fears is underway at a remote First Nation community in northern Ontario.
Area MP Charlie Angus says 325 people from Kashechewan First Nation flew to Kapuskasing, Ont., on Sunday and another 200 are expected to leave the community Monday as ice breaks up north of the community along the Albany River.
Angus says children, the elderly and the sick are being evacuated first as a precautionary measure.
He says local officials and those from the province will monitor the ice as open water moves towards the reserve where roughly 2,000 people live.
Angus says the ice could easily jam, which would cause the nearby areas to quickly flood because a dike could fail.
He says the community is expected to sit down soon with representatives from the federal and provincial government to discuss relocation to higher ground.
