Kashechewan First Nation faces ongoing water crisis

Kashechewan First Nation Faces Water Crisis

Kashechwan First Nation is dealing with a water crisis. Families receive one case of water bottles per day.

“The problem is some houses have a lot of kids and some houses have like three families in one house and one water bottle case per day,” said Keisha Paulmartin, a 15-year-old from Kashechewan. “Sometimes it isn’t enough for each household.”

Emergency Declaration and Water Treatment Issues

On Sunday, Jan. 4, Chief Hosea Wesley declared a state of local emergency. The community’s water treatment and wastewater plants are in disrepair.

In early December, pumps at the water treatment plant failed. This meant chemicals could not be mixed to treat drinking water. The wastewater treatment plant’s raw sewage intake also started failing.

“It’s expected for us to use those water bottles for our daily needs,” said Paulmartin. “It just sucks.”

Community Response and Evacuations

Sinclair Williams, another resident, said the situation is unacceptable. “These are things that nobody should go through,” he said. “A lot of simple things that any average Canadian takes for granted. Fluid, water, the basic things that every other person uses.”

On Jan. 7, around 35 of the community’s most vulnerable residents were evacuated to Timmins, Ont. The next day, five more flights were chartered to Kapuskasing, Ont., which can host over 200 evacuees.

Kashechewan’s leaders are working with federal and provincial governments for a full evacuation of the First Nation’s 2,300 residents. There are no permanent roads to Kashechewan, located along the James Bay coast. The only way to evacuate people is by air.

Weather Delays and Ongoing Challenges

More flights were not possible on Friday due to poor weather conditions. A spokesperson with Indigenous Services Canada told CBC News it is continuing to coordinate a full evacuation.

Evacuations have become a way of life for Paulmartin and others. Kashechewan is in a flood plain along the Albany River, flooding every spring.

Paulmartin said some of her earliest memories involve evacuations to cities like Thunder Bay and Kapuskasing. “It’s just another Christmas, another Halloween,” she said. “I guess it’s become pretty normal to us all.”

Impact on Youth and Future Plans

Even that normalcy can be disruptive. Spence, a member of Kashechewan’s Youth Leadership Group, had to teach himself how to learn when he moved to Timmins and enrolled in a regular high school.

In a recent meeting, he said chief and council confirmed the plan to fly most families to Niagara Falls, Ont., and those with special needs to Kingston, Ont., where they would have access to kitchenettes.

While evacuations are regular for Kashechewan residents, Paulmartin said this time feels different. “This time we actually have like no idea how long it could actually last due to this being such a different problem,” she said.

Concerns for Families and Repairs

Feather Metatawabin, who grew up in Kashechewan but now lives in Timmins, said her friends and family are anxious about the uncertainty. One of her friends has five kids, including a child with special needs.

During the last evacuation due to spring flooding, her friend’s family lived in a hotel room with only two beds. “They were stuck like that for two weeks,” she said. “And she was just telling me that she’s scared to go through that again.”

Indigenous Services Canada confirmed that workers from Northern Waterworks were deployed to repair the water treatment plant. The company replaced a pump in the lift station and is bringing in additional equipment to complete the repairs. Indigenous Services Canada has not said when repairs might be completed.

Summary of Key Facts