Kashechewan chief walks back calls for Indigenous Services minister to resign

Kashechewan First Nation Chief Hosea Wesley says he takes back a call he made earlier in the month for Indigenous Services Canada Minister Mandy Gull-Masty to resign.

The Cree First Nation, located near the James Bay coast in northern Ontario, has been in a state of emergency since Jan. 4 when issues with the water treatment plant led to orders not to use the tap water.

On March 5 Wesley called for Gull-Masty’s resignation because she hadn’t visited the community since he declared the state of emergency, nor had she met with the 2,000 residents who had to leave Kashechewan.

But on Saturday, Gull-Masty held a town hall meeting in Niagara Falls, Ont., where a large number of Kashechewan evacuees are now living out of hotel rooms.

Wesley said it was frustration on his part that led to his criticism of Indigenous Services Canada’s response to the crisis.

In addition to the issues with the water treatment plant, the community has long called for the federal government to help relocate the community, which is located in a flood plain. Every spring the risk of flooding forces residents to evacuate to other communities in Ontario, such as Timmins and Kapuskasing.

"I truly believe that Kashechewan First Nation and the government of Canada will work together to resolve this issue. A long outstanding issue,” Wesley said, following the town hall meeting.

At the meeting, evacuees took turns to voice their frustration and anger at the government response.

Some talked about the toll living away from home has had on their mental health, and the impact yearly evacuations has on their children.

There were also calls for the federal government to fast-track relocation plans.

"She's not doing her job. She's not helping the First Nation People. She's ignoring people,” Susan Wynne, a member of Kashechewan’s band council, told CBC News before the town hall.

“That's what I feel. I'm angry. I'm mad."

Leona Metatawabin, a single mother of five, said the evacuation separated her family. Three of her children are in Niagara Falls, with her, and two are in Kapuskasing with her mother.

“They miss their home and their comfort zone,” she said.