Few hundred people remain in Kashechewan as water crisis force evacuations

Only a few hundred people remain in a northern Ontario First Nation community after failures of the local water supply and sewage systems forced many to evacuate their homes.

Kashechewan First Nation’s executive director, Tyson Wesley, says about 400 people will be left in the 2,200-member community by Sunday.

Officials at the fly-in community that’s located on the western shore of James Bay declared a state of emergency on Jan. 4 after infrastructure damage had created an urgent public health and safety issue, with sewage creeping into people’s homes and contaminating fresh water systems.

Wesley says many people got sick over the past few weeks, and eight people tested positive for bacterial infection, with more test results expected soon, which public health officials hope will help determine the cause of the infection.

He says people who remain in the community are relying on bottled water for drinking, cooking and showering.

Indigenous Services Canada had said it was prioritizing the evacuation of 500 vulnerable people and it has enlisted a company that specializes in water and wastewater management to resolve the issues that led to the shutdown of the First Nation’s water treatment plant.

Kashechewan residents who evacuated to Niagara Falls, Timmins, Kapuskasing and Kingston are relieved they can use tap water again, Wesley says, but they want to go back to their homes as soon as possible.