Simone Smith
| NDP MPPs Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong) and Judith Monteith-Farrell (Thunder Bay – Atikokan) have called out Doug Ford on his lack of initiative and action when it comes to the wildfires that are devastating the North. On July 22, 2021, they wrote an open letter demanding action. In the letter, they request that he take immediate action on the fires burning across the North. These fires are threatening the safety of families and communities in Kiiwetinoong. Five First Nations are in the process of evacuation and more are on standby. As of July 21, there were 166 active forest fires burning across the Northwest, the majority of them in Kiiwetinoong. Their request is simple, send more help and declare a state of emergency now. The communities need more resources on the ground, without delay, in order to successfully fight these fires and make communities safe again. This includes more helicopters, water bombers, and more firefighters. They are thankful – and local leaders are thankful – for the dedication and support provided by the firefighters who have traveled from other parts of the province, and Canada, and even farther away, such as Mexico. However, with the increasing severity of wildfires, each year they need more local firefighting capacity here, and the firefighters they do have in the North need seamless re-certifications. This requires Doug Ford’s political commitment to do this so the resources can be in place for when this happens again – which it will. Ontario has seen a total of 724 fires this season as compared to 414 last year. The 10-year average is 458 fires by July 18 annually. This increase is extremely troubling. Vulnerable people and families, especially in fly-in communities, need help to leave their homes and to be flown out of their communities and into nearby locations for safe shelter. You must not leave them on their own. They need immediate support to find evacuation locations as close to their home communities in Northern Ontario as possible due to the wraparound supports that those from fly-in communities require. Our offices have been hearing from communities that are doing the work to safely evacuate their people that they have been informed that there is not enough air support or beds for evacuees. Without any action from you today Premier Ford, these fires will only become a greater humanitarian, health, and climate disaster for the people of Northern Ontario. They demanded that he do everything to ensure that these fires do not grow larger and to take further measures using the resources of the province to ensure the safety of Ontarians and protection of property. They made a simple request; that he come to Red Lake and see for himself the devastation this has wrought and why more resources are required. |
