Patience, kindness key to aiding wildfire evacuees from Sandy Lake First Nation

Sarah Law · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 10, 2025 4:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Support workers astatine the evacuation hub successful Thunder Bay, Ont., person been moving non-stop to marque definite wildfire evacuees from Sandy Lake First Nation person what they need.

The Canadian Armed Forces were called successful connected Sunday to assistance with evacuation efforts successful the distant Oji-Cree community, located successful Treaty 5 territory astir 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay.

Since then, hundreds of radical person been transported to Thunder Bay connected Hercules aircraft. 

As soon arsenic radical onshore astatine the Thunder Bay International Airport, members of Sandy Lake's set rep programme person been ushering them to an evacuation hub acceptable up inside, wherever they tin entree food, h2o and indispensable supplies they whitethorn not person been capable to bring with them.

While provincial and national partners person besides provided connected the crushed support, assemblage members themselves person been starring the mode successful taking attraction of each other.

"People are acrophobic astir their pets, they're acrophobic astir the loved ones that wanted to enactment successful assemblage … and they're acrophobic astir losing their luggage. They're acrophobic astir having everything they need," said Jennifer Kakegamic, an All My Relations prevention idiosyncratic with the set rep program.

WATCH | Evacuation efforts underway arsenic wildfire burns adjacent Sandy Lake First Nation

"There's radical that are up northbound that are connected suboxone programs arsenic good that are truly acrophobic astir their prescriptions carrying forward, truthful we're trying to get each that arranged for them."

Evacuees person been staying successful hotels oregon dorm rooms astatine Lakehead University for a nighttime oregon 2 earlier being sent to 1 of 3 big communities: Kapuskasing, Cornwall oregon Mississauga.

"Lakehead University is acting arsenic a host, welcoming evacuees into our residences truthful they person harmless structure during their travels and providing immoderate fun, supportive activities for the children, specified arsenic arts and crafts and sports," Lakehead University said successful an emailed connection to CBC News connected Tuesday.

"Currently, Lakehead has welcomed 530 evacuees, with much than 200 radical expected to get still. Lakehead University is grateful that we tin unfastened our doors, acting arsenic a bully neighbour during this terribly hard time, and we privation the evacuees harmless travels arsenic they determination done this tragic situation."

Sandy Lake's evacuation was prompted by Red Lake 12, the largest wildfire successful northwestern Ontario astatine much than 156,000 hectares. However, caller rainfall, cooler temperatures and gentler winds person stunted the fire's maturation since Sunday, offering immoderate reprieve to firerangers connected the beforehand lines.

"Everyone's frustrated. Nobody's knowing wherever they're going, however agelong they're going to beryllium gone," Kakegamic said. "Everyone's conscionable learning to beryllium patient, learning to beryllium benignant to 1 another."

Elsewhere successful the region, evacuations are continuing for a fig of different First Nations:

• Evacuees from Deer Lake First Nation are staying successful Toronto owed to Red Lake 12.
• Evacuees from Webequie First Nation are successful Barrie owed to the Nipigon 5 wildfire.
• North Spirit Lake First Nation and Keewaywin First Nations person called for assemblage evacuations; CBC News is awaiting much accusation astir wherever assemblage members volition beryllium sent.
• Members of Wabaseemoong Independent Nations were staying successful Niagara Falls from mid-May to aboriginal June owed to wildfire Kenora 20, but were cleared to instrumentality location connected Friday.

A spokesperson for Ontario's ministry of exigency preparedness and effect provided an emailed connection to CBC News connected Monday.

"Our authorities volition proceed to enactment successful co-ordination with the national government, Indigenous leadership, and the Canadian Armed Forces to guarantee harmless evacuations for the residents of Sandy Lake First Nation," said Joseph D'Angelo.

"All evacuees volition beryllium provided broad wraparound services including healthcare, acquisition supports and societal services. Thank you to Kapuskasing, Mississauga and Cornwall for opening up their communities to big and enactment evacuees. We volition proceed to enactment astir the timepiece to guarantee each residents impacted by these devastating wildfires are harmless and supported."

Impact connected people's intelligence health

Vincent Agyapong is caput of the psychiatry section astatine Dalhousie University's module of medicine. He endured the Fort McMurray evacuation successful 2016, erstwhile a wildfire known arsenic "The Beast" forced 80,000 radical to fly their homes.

"They conscionable near from enactment and conscionable came retired determination with perfectly nothing," Agyapong recalled of the six-hour thrust evacuees made to information astatine an oilsands camp. "The accent was precise palpable."

Wildfire evacuations tin make a scope of emotions for those affected, helium said, from choler to vexation to an overwhelming consciousness of panic.

"There's a batch of uncertainty about, really, what the aboriginal holds for themselves and for their community," Agyapong said. 

As helium empathizes with wildfire evacuees successful northwestern Ontario, Agyapong said it's important for them to instrumentality attraction of their intelligence well-being.

"It's important that radical debar [the] usage of drugs and intoxicant successful peculiar erstwhile they are going done a traumatic situation. Usually they indulge much and more, and it lone worsens their intelligence well-being," helium said. 

Studies person besides shown the affirmative interaction that exercise, a balanced fare and societal connections person connected people's intelligence health. Random acts of kindness besides spell a agelong way, helium added. 

As of Tuesday morning, a fewer much Hercules planes were expected to depart from Sandy Lake for Phase 1 of the evacuation.

Sandy Lake evacuees person been repeating a motto astatine the evacuation hub successful Thunder Bay: "don't panic, devour bannock."

"All successful all, I spot america arsenic a assemblage coming together," Kakegamic said. "With each the chaos, it's a beauteous happening to spot that everyone is inactive moving together."