Hundreds of evacuees make Toronto hotel temporary home after fleeing northwestern Ontario wildfires
Close to 3,000 forest fire evacuees from remote northwestern Ontario First Nations are settling into temporary accommodations across the province, including hundreds of people at a Mississauga hotel near Pearson International Airport.
Evacuees Joyce Cook and Abigail Wesley made the trip earlier this week from Cat Lake First Nation, a fly-in community about 2,000 kilometres away.
“I know a lot of people didn’t want to come because it was too far from home, the distance. But we really had to leave because of the safety of our children and elders,” Cook said.
Several residents from the community told CTV News Toronto that there are fires burning around the community and that they had been put on standby to evacuate for about a week as smoke created hazardous conditions.
“I had my AC going and I had to turn the AC off because of the smoke inside my house and my baby was getting very sleepy,” Cook said.
“When I woke up in the morning, I couldn’t see across the road or my neighbour’s house, that’s how smoky it was.”
“I wanted to leave. I’m one of the ones with asthma problems,” Wesley said, who went on to explain she was also concerned about her 89-year-old mother and grandchildren.
Joyce Cook, left, Abigail Wesley, right. (Supplied)
Emergency Management Ontario said about 200 people have made the trip south from Cat Lake so far. Cook and Wesley said the number of people from the community is around 300 and that about half of the evacuees are children
Packing up and leaving home is not easy for many, they said, especially coming to a large urban centre like the Greater Toronto Area.
“I kinda felt the sadness because our home is a comfort zone,” Cook said.
“I’m kind of used to travelling, but I can’t imagine how the other ones feel, the ones that never go anywhere that are always in the smaller areas,” Wesley said.
“They didn’t know this place existed. The children are amazed at the high buildings. They don’t know the risks of being here. It’s not like living in the community of Cat Lake First Nation.”
Cook and Wesley both thanked the city and local agencies for welcoming the community. They said there is a bus to take people shopping, laundry and food services, which they appreciate, and that centres from other reserves are bringing traditional food to the hotel Saturday evening.
Wesley said initially several community members were concerned about an increased risk of COVID-19 in the GTA, but those fears have been eased, as they said there is enough space at the hotel and security is helping ensure people don’t come and go that are not supposed to.
Cook and Wesley said the last time evacuations were necessary from Cat Lake First Nation was 10 years ago, again when fire threatened the community. Wesley said several hydro poles burned at the time.
They said there is no timeline yet when they may return home.
‘Situation remains fluid’: Ministry of the Solicitor General
The Ontario government has been supporting the evacuated five First Nations through Emergency Management Ontario (EMO) and other departments.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General said while it’s not possible to provide the precise number of evacuees, as the situation remains fluid, about 647 evacuees have left Poplar Hill First Nation, 898 evacuees have left Deer Lake First Nation and 1096 evacuees have left Pikangikum First Nation, where the evacuation is currently on hold as fire conditions have improved.
Approximately 99 evacuees have left the community of North Spirit Lake First Nation and about 200 evacuees have left Cat Lake First Nation, the spokesperson added. Evacuations are ongoing in both First Nations.
“We would like to thank Thunder Bay, Kapuskasing, Cochrane, Timmins, Greater Sudbury, Kenora, Sioux Lookout, Sault Ste. Marie, Peel Region, Mississauga, Lac Seul FN and the NAV Centre in Cornwall for agreeing to host evacuees," the spokesperson said, adding that they also "appreciate the ongoing collaboration with Dryden and Ottawa acting as a hub for evacuees."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.