Kashechewan Deserves Better: Frustration Grows over Lack of Federal and Provincial Response to State of Emergency

Kashechewan First Nation – Members of Kashechewan First Nation are being forced to stay in substandard, unsafe conditions due to the critical infrastructure failures that have occurred in the remote Cree community, and the lack of appropriate government response to address these failures.

“We are extremely disappointed with the response so far from our federal and provincial treaty partners. No political leaders from Ontario have reached out, and the response we have received so far from the federal government does not meet the urgency of the situation that is unfolding in our community,” said Chief Hosea Wesley. “I have invited Minister Gull-Masty to visit Kashechewan so she can see firsthand what is happening and grasp the urgency that we are facing to get our members out of these conditions. At this point, there has not been a response or a commitment by Minister Gull Masty to do so.”

Chief and Council were forced to declare a State of Emergency on January 4, 2026, after a major failure of the aging water infrastructure, and the flooding of the Nursing Station with raw sewage, which is Kashechewan’s only healthcare facility. This has caused public health and safety risk to all members of Kashechewan. It has shut off running water. Freezing pipes have crippled much of the community’s vital infrastructure. Fire hydrants are frozen despite best efforts to winterize them, leaving lives and homes at risk of fire. A temporary nursing station has been set up, which is operating at only 40% of the capacity that is required, with no diagnostic tools, and no telecom services to communicate with any doctors.

Since the emergency was declared, only a fraction of Kashechewan’s 2,300 members have been evacuated. Evacuations have been requested for all community members, but the result has been disappointing. Not even all of the identified vulnerable community members have been evacuated. Less than 325 people have been evacuated since Friday, and no high-capacity flights were made available on Saturday. Some of the flights currently being arranged are only nine-seat aircraft, far short of what is required to get everyone out safely.

“The response from both levels of government has been woefully inadequate and does not meet the level of urgency required. We have asked for assistance from the Canadian Armed Forces to speed up the evacuation of our most vulnerable members and to assist with deliveries of bottled water.” said Wesley. “They have yet to commit to this, so our people are continuing to suffer, and we can only hope that a tragedy does not occur before they can get out safely.”

“If someone was having a heart attack, there would be no way to diagnose or treat them,” said Tyson Wesley, the community’s Executive Director. “No where else in Canada would you see an entire community left without the ability to access adequate healthcare services.”

Kashechewan deserves better. Both levels of government can deliver the response we need. Why won’t they?

Contact:

Tyson Wesley, Executive Director

Kashechewan First Nation

Cell: 613-858-1473

Phone: 705-275-4440 ext. 1054 executive.director@kfnation.ca

For more information please contact:
Michael Heintzman,
Director of Communications
Cell: (807) 621-2790
mheintzman@nan.ca